MLB Player News

Merrifield went 4-for-4 with a double, two runs and three RBI in Friday's 9-2 win over the Orioles.

Batting out of his customary leadoff position, Merrifield notched his first four-hit game of the campaign. The only out he made was still productive, as he knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly in the third inning. The veteran pushed his season batting average up to .278 with the big effort, and he collected nearly as many hits in this contest as he had during his first 10 games of July, during which he batted .132 (5-for-38).

Andrus went 3-for-5 with two runs and a strikeout in a 5-4 triumph over Cleveland on Friday.

Andrus singled in the first, third and ninth, scoring on two of the occasions to provide a valuable spark atop Oakland's lineup. The veteran shortstop has now gone 11-for-31 over his last seven games and is slashing .298/.354/.511 in 11 July games.

Arroyo went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a double in Friday's 4-0 win over the Yankees.

The 26-year-old took Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery deep in the second inning. Arroyo has posted multiple hits in three of his last five games, going 7-for-20 (.350) with a homer, three doubles, four RBI and three runs scored in that span. He's posted a .270/.327/.467 slash line with six long balls, 24 RBI and 21 runs scored across 166 plate appearances overall.

Short will not be in the lineup for the afternoon portion of Friday's doubleheader against the Twins.

Short sits after starting nine straight games to end the first half, a stretch in which he recorded just three hits. Niko Goodrum starts at shortstop in his absence.

Arroyo lined up at first base during pregame warmups Thursday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Thursday's game was eventually postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions, but it did give a look into the Red Sox's plans after the organization promoted Jarren Duran from Triple-A Worcester. Arroyo has been the primary second baseman for the first half, but his role in the second half will change in light of Duran's promotion. The rookie is expected to be the primary center fielder -- why promote him if he's not going to play every day -- while Enrique Hernandez, the team's leadoff hitter, moves to second base. Arroyo could steal first-base at-bats from Bobby Dalbec, who's been up and down -- mostly down -- at the plate.

Arroyo isn't starting Thursday against the Yankees, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Arroyo will retreat to the bench with Enrique Hernandez starting at second base and Jarren Duran making his major-league debut in center field. While Arroyo could see a slight decrease in playing time now that Duran has joined the big-league roster, manager Alex Cora said that the 26-year-old will likely start against all left-handed pitchers going forward.

Massey went 3-for-5 with three homers and five RBI for High-A Quad Cities against Beloit on Wednesday.

The big night brought his season line up to .289/.348/.536 with 13 homers, six steals, 47 RBI and 43 runs with an 18:35 BB:K across 53 games. It's not all that remarkable to see a 23-year-old excelling in High-A, but as a 2019 fourth-round draft pick out of college, this is Massey's first full pro season. He got off to a slow start in May, but Massey has picked it up since -- and he's been on an absolute rampage over his last 15 games, going 25-for-67 (.410) with eight homers, three steals, 25 RBI and 22 runs. With strong contact skills and this recent increase in power, Massey is worth watching, particularly if he's able to sustain a high level of production once he rises to Double-A.

Arauz (elbow) has gone 1-for-7 in his two games since returning to the Triple-A Worcester lineup.

Arauz missed about a week and a half of action due to a left elbow injury, but he reentered the starting nine Saturday. The 22-year-old infielder is slashing .203/.292/.326 across 161 plate appearances at Worcester this season.

Polanco went 3-for-6 with a homer, five RBI and a steal in Sunday's 12-9 extra-inning win over Detroit.

Polanco's 12th long ball of the season was a three-run, walkoff blast in the 10th inning. He also tallied his seventh steal of the year and first since June 24. The 28-year-old infielder has three homers and 12 RBI in July. For the season, Polanco is slashing .252/.318/.431.

Arroyo went 3-for-3 with two doubles, an RBI, a run scored and a walk in Sunday's loss against the Phillies.

Arroyo hadn't hit a double since June 7 but delivered two in this one as part of a perfect day at the plate -- it was just his eighth multi-hit performance of the season. The infielder is hitting .264 with a .762 OPS, 11 doubles, five homers, 23 RBI and 21 runs scored on the season.