MLB Player News

Arauz (illness) is expected to be activated soon but will require a rehab assignment before returning, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Arauz has been on the COVID-19 injured list for over a week, so he'll see some game action in the minors before rejoining the Red Sox. While it's not clear when he'll join a minor-league affiliate or how many rehab appearances he'll require, he'll likely be in the mix to return to the majors early next week.

Gimenez is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Angels.

The lefty-hitting Gimenez will retreat to the bench with southpaw Reid Detmers on the hill for the Angels. Owen Miller will shift over from first base to replace Gimenez at the keystone.

Rosario went 1-for-5 with two runs scored in Wednesday's 9-5 loss to the Angels.

Rosario has hit just .182 (4-for-22) across his last six games, though two of his hits in that span have gone for doubles. With Steven Kwan (hamstring) missing time this week, Rosario has resumed his role as the No. 2 hitter on a temporary basis. The shortstop is slashing .222/.273/.278 with a stolen base, five RBI and nine runs scored in 18 games this season.

Mendick is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Royals.

Mendick picked up starts in the last three games and went 3-for-10 with a solo home run and two additional runs during that stretch, but he's expected to see limited use as a utility man moving forward. Josh Harrison recently overcame a shoulder injury and Yoan Moncada (oblique) is set to begin a minor-league rehab assignment Saturday, with the latter's eventual return from the 10-day injured list bringing the White Sox back to full strength in the infield.

Altuve (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sugar Land this weekend and is expected to return from the 10-day injured list Monday, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Altuve has made good progress in his recovery since landing on the injured list April 20, but the Astros will still have him appear in some minor-league games this weekend rather than traveling with the big club to Toronto. As long as he feels good after playing with Sugar Land, the 31-year-old should step back into an everyday role at second base when the Astros open their series versus Seattle.

Frazier, who went 1-for-3 in a loss to the Rays on Wednesday, has hit safely in three straight games while lacing a double, drawing two walks and recording three RBI in that span.

The three runs he plated, which got him to 10 RBI on the season, came courtesy of a bases-clearing two-bagger in the fourth inning of Tuesday's win over Tampa Bay that doubled the Mariners' lead to 6-0 at the time. Frazier's current .243/.317/.338 slash line over 82 plate appearances is still below his usual standards, but his typically modest 14.6 percent strikeout rate and elevated 25.8 percent line-drive rate suggest he'll be due for more success over time if both numbers persist.

Torres is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Orioles.

He'll retreat to the bench after going 3-for-11 with a double, triple, walk and three RBI while starting each of the past three games. With both Torres and Isiah Kiner-Falefa receiving days off, Marwin Gonzalez will be included in the Yankees' starting infield for just the third time this season.

Merrifield went 1-for-3 with two RBI in Wednesday's 7-3 loss to the White Sox.

Merrifield hit an RBI single in the sixth and tied the game at 3-3 with a sacrifice fly in the seventh. He's hit safely in three of the last four contests, but he's just 3-for-18 in that span. Manager Mike Matheny has shuffled his lineup a bit since Opening Day, with Merrifield now hitting second against right-handed pitchers, which could allow him a few more chances to generate RBI. He's slashing .136/.171/.167 with four RBI, two runs scored, three stolen bases and two doubles through 16 games.

Ibanez isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Astros.

Ibanez will get a chance to rest after going 2-for-5 with a strikeout in his last two appearances. Brad Miller will start at the hot corner and bat ninth.

Espinal isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.

Espinal is in the midst of a five-game hitting streak in which he's gone 7-for-17 with two homers, two doubles, five RBI and four runs. He'll get a day off while Gosuke Katoh starts at the keystone and bats eighth.