MLB Player News

Arraez is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Arraez will head to the bench for the second time in the opening series with Seattle trotting out another left-handed starter in Marco Gonzales. Gio Urshela will start at third base in his place Sunday. Arraez should be back in the lineup for Monday's series finale since righty Chris Flexen is scheduled to pitch for the Mariners.

Acuna will miss at least two weeks with a Grade 1 hamstring strain, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Acuna suffered the injury during High-A Hickory's season opener Friday. As long as the injury remains a fairly short-term problem, it shouldn't significantly set his development back this season.

Lowe went 0-for-3 with a walk in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Orioles.

After going 0-for-3 with an RBI in Friday's 2-1 win while batting out of the fifth spot in the order against Orioles lefty John Means, Lowe moved into the leadoff role Saturday with a right-hander (Jordan Lyles) on the mound for Baltimore. Though he couldn't take advantage of the favorable matchup Saturday, the lefty-hitting Lowe looks like he'll be used regularly out of the table-setting role versus right-handers, an arrangement that could allow him to make a push for 100-plus runs if health prevails. Lowe scored 97 times across 615 plate appearances in 2021.

Polanco will start at second base and hit cleanup in Saturday's game against the Mariners, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

While slotting third in the order Friday with Seattle bringing lefty Robbie Ray to the hill, Polanco went 0-for-3 with a walk in the Twins' 2-1 loss. Seattle will send a right-hander in Logan Gilbert to the hill Saturday, but Polanco will remain locked into a prominent spot in the order. Polanco's inclusion in the heart of the order versus both lefties and righties comes as little surprise following a career-best 2021 campaign in which he hit .269 with 33 home runs, 98 RBI, 97 runs and 11 stolen bases.

Torres is starting at second base and hitting seventh Saturday against the Red Sox, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

Aaron Hicks is the odd man out Saturday, with Aaron Judge starting in center field. The Yankees have nine everyday-caliber players for eight spots, so when they are at full health, Torres, who sat on Opening Day, will sit more often than his fantasy managers may have anticipated. The Yankees seem intent on getting Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the lineup at shortstop for his defense.

Arroyo pinch hit for Jackie Bradley and stayed in the game to play right field in Friday's 6-5 extra-innings loss to the Yankees.

After striking out as a pinch hitter, Arroyo remained in the game to patrol right field for the Red Sox. It marked the first time the utility infielder played the outfield in a regular-season game. The right-handed hitting Arroyo was exposed to right field during spring training and could start in place of Bradley when the Red Sox face a left-hander.

Altuve went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in a 13-6 victory over the Angels on Friday.

Altuve set the tone with a leadoff home run and later knocked in the go-ahead run in the fifth inning. It's encouraging to see the former MVP on track following a lackluster Opening Day performance as he looks to surpass his 31 home runs from 2021, a mark that tied his career high.

Arraez will sit against lefty Robbie Ray and the Mariners on Friday.

Arraez has a career .662 OPS against southpaws compared to an .814 OPS against right-handers. His exact role this season remains to be seen, but it's likely he sits frequently against lefties while starting around the diamond against righties. Gio Urshela will start at third base, Arraez's primary position last year, on this occasion.

Altuve went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Thursday's win over the Angels.

Altuve delivered a largely unremarkable Opening Day line, as he struck out three times. However, he made the most of his lone time on base by recording his first steal of the season. This is notable given the decline in Altuve's stolen base attempts in recent seasons, coupled with his claim that he planned to run more in 2022. While Opening Day performances aren't always a sign of things to come, it certainly seems possible that Altuve will reach double-digit stolen bases this season for the first time since 2018.

Torres isn't in the starting lineup for Friday's Opening Day matchup against the Red Sox.

It's not a major surprise, but the 25-year-old is nonetheless the odd man out in the Yankees infield after a significant reshuffling during the offseason. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will start at shortstop with DJ LeMahieu at second base and Josh Donaldson at the hot corner, leaving Torres to come off the bench against right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. It remains to be seen exactly how much playing time Torres will receive after posting a .697 OPS last year, but for now he'll be starting the 2022 campaign on the bench.