MLB Player News

Boston manager Alex Cora said he believes Arroyo (hamstring) is close to returning.

Arroyo made three starts over the last four days for Triple-A Worcester and stole a base Thursday, indicating the hamstring injury is behind him. "I think body-wise, the way he's moving, he's in a good spot," Cora said. Arroyo could return at some point during the weekend series against the Rangers.

Merrifield went 1-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 6-2 win over the Cubs.

While he's gone just 3-for-18 in his last four games, Merrifield has managed to record a pair of steals in that span. His major league-leading thefts total is up to 36 in 38 attempts. He owns a .272/.317/.384 slash line with eight home runs, 57 RBI and 67 runs scored in 121 games from his usual leadoff spot in the order.

Short went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 4-1 extra-inning win over Toronto.

Short created Detroit's game-tying run in the eighth inning. He got aboard with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice, stole third and scored on a wild pitch. The shortstop hasn't done much with limited playing time this year, slashing .150/.250/.315 with six home runs, two stolen bases, 19 RBI and 17 runs scored through 152 plate appearances. He's settled into the short side of a platoon with Harold Castro at shortstop.

Mayfield will sit Friday against Cleveland.

Mayfield had been the Angels' primary third baseman for most of the second half but now finds himself sitting for the second game in a row. His .212/.265/.401 slash line in 149 plate appearances this season hardly suggests he deserves an everyday role. Phil Gosselin will start at the hot corner in his absence.

Torres (thumb) took dry swings and fielded grounders Friday, Max Goodman of SI.com reports.

The swelling in Torres' left thumb has mostly subsided, allowing him to began to build up toward a return. The infielder is already eligible to return from the injured list but will likely need several more days to get fully back up to speed. Per MLB.com, Torres could pick up a bat this weekend for the first time since suffering the injury.

Castro is out of the lineup Friday against the Blue Jays, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Castro made three consecutive starts at shortstop prior to hitting the bench Thursday, and he'll remain out of the lineup for a second straight contest while mired in a 2-for-24 slump. Zack Short will work at shortstop in Friday's series opener in Toronto.

Merrifield went 1-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored in Thursday's 6-3 extra-inning loss to Houston.

Merrifield helped manufacture the opening run in the first inning: he singled, then moved to second on a Nicky Lopez sacrifice, stole third and scored on a Salvador Perez sacrifice fly. In August alone, Merrifield has recorded eight stolen bases in 17 games. He's up to 35 for the year to go with eight home runs, 57 RBI, 66 runs scored and a .273/.318/.385 slash line in 525 plate appearances.

Lopez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 6-3 extra-inning loss to Houston.

The light-hitting shortstop took Luis Garcia deep in the third inning for what would be Kansas City's last runs of the game. That was the first long ball of the season for Lopez and just the fourth of his career in 268 games. The 26-year-old has added some speed (15 stolen bases, five triples) this season while slashing .277/.347/.354 with 30 RBI and 49 runs scored through 375 plate appearances.

Lowe went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double, a walk and another run scored during Thursday's win over the Orioles.

Lowe took Jorge Lopez deep with a 383-foot shot in the second inning. He also doubled in the first. The long ball was his seventh of the month and a career-high 29th of the year for the 27-year-old, who is batting .236/.344/.505 overall with 21 doubles.

Semien went 2-for-5 with two solo home runs in Wednesday's 8-5 loss to the Nationals.

He took Josiah Gray deep in the third inning before touching up Ryne Harper in the seventh. Semien has gone yard three times in the last three games to give him 29 homers on the year, but he's otherwise cooled down in August, slashing .243/.308/.557 through 18 games.