MLB Player News

Merrifield went 0-for-2 with a pair of walks and a stolen base in Saturday's 6-3 win over Minnesota.

While the 32-year-old went hitless for just the second time in his last 19 games, he was still able to add to his major-league leading steals total. Merrifield is now 23-for-24 on the basepaths, and his recent success at the dish has lifted his season slash line to .287/.338/.435 in 358 plate appearances. He's added eight home runs, 45 RBI and 50 runs scored from the top of Kansas City's order.

Lowe is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Sporting a miserable .179 OBP in 95 plate appearances against lefties this season, Lowe sits as the Rays take on southpaw Robbie Ray. Overall, the infielder has hit .233 with three homers and seven RBI in his last 10 games. Mike Brosseau will start at second base Sunday.

Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a home run, two walks, two total runs and two total RBI in Saturday's extra-innings loss to Oakland.

A day after he plated the winning run with a 10th-inning single, Hernandez looked to knock another pair of game-changing hits Saturday. He slugged a solo homer in the seventh frame to give Boston a two-run lead, then singled in a run in the 12th inning to put the Red Sox up by two again. Oakland scored three times in the bottom of the frame, however, to negate Hernandez's heroics. The utility man has come alive at the plate of late, particularly in the power department -- he has four long balls and eight RBI over his past seven games.

Espinal went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI on Saturday against Tampa Bay.

Espinal took reliever Matt Wisler deep in the sixth inning for his first career home run, a two-run blast that broke the game open at 6-1. He also singled in the second, Espinal's second two-hit game in the last week. The trade of veteran Joe Panik has opened the door for Espinal to receive more starts at third base, which allows the Jays to utilize Cavan Biggio in more of a super-utility role. The 26-year-old Espinal provides a steady glove but has also put together a surprising .304/.355/.402 slash line in 110 plate appearances this season. His lack of power and speed (two steals in three attempts), however, limit his offensive appeal.

Arauz suffered an elbow injury during Tuesday's game at Triple-A Worcester, Joe McDonald of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette reports.

Arauz was sent to the minors May 17, and he's hit .206 with four home runs, 20 RBI and 16 runs in 39 games since joining Triple-A Worcester. The 22-year-old said that he could miss a week or two due to the injury, so he could spend time on the 7-day minor-league injured list while he recovers.

Chavis isn't starting Saturday's game against the Athletics, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe

Chavis has gone 1-for-10 with two runs, two RBI and a strikeout across the last five games, and he's alternated starts across the last several games. Enrique Hernandez will shift to second base while Danny Santana starts in center field.

Altuve is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against Cleveland, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

It's a regular day of rest for Altuve, who has hit .279 with six homers and 17 RBI in his last 17 games. He's also walked more times (16) than he's struck out (11) in that span.

Andrus went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in an extra-inning loss to the Red Sox on Friday.

The veteran shortstop slugged his first round tripper since Sept. 11 of last season in the ninth inning, launching a 422-foot shot to center to knot the game at 2-2. Andrus has now hit safely in eight of his last 10 games, with Friday's blast serving as his third extra-base hit over that span.

Semien went 2-for-5 with a home run, an additional RBI and two additional runs scored in Friday's win over the Rays.

Semien made his presence felt in the seventh inning with a solo shot off reliever Jeffrey Springs -- his 21th long ball of the season -- and that extended his torrid streak, as the star shortstop has now gone deep in three of his last four games. He has racked up nine RBI over that span and also extended his hitting streak to nine contests.

Hernandez went 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in Friday's 3-2 extra-inning win over Oakland.

Hernandez made key plays in the field and at the plate in the 10th inning to secure Boston's eighth consecutive victory. In the top of the 10th, he plopped a broken-bat single over second base to plate Michael Chavis with the go-ahead run. Then, in the bottom half of the frame, he initiated a double-play, catching Sean Murphy's flyball and throwing out Seth Brown at home. Hernandez has hit safely in five of the last six games, posting a .364 (8-for-22) average with three home runs, six RBI and four runs scored during that span.