MLB Player News

Merrifield went 1-for-3 with a walk and three stolen bases in Saturday's 7-1 loss to the Red Sox.

MLB's steals leader did his best to get himself in scoring position, but the rest of the Royals' batting order couldn't cash him in. Merrifield hadn't swiped a bag since June 4, but he's up to 20 stolen bases on 21 attempts on the year in addition to his .272 batting average, five homers, 38 RBI and 41 runs through 69 contests.

Rengifo is starting in right field and batting seventh Saturday against the Tigers.

Rengifo was recalled to the big leagues Thursday and started at second base during the first two games of the series against Detroit. He'll remain in the lineup Saturday, showcasing his defensive versatility in a move to right field.

Wong was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday.

Wong saw time at multiple positions since being recalled in late May but was never able to find a rhythm at the plate, slashing .184/.205/.289 across 42 plate appearances. He'll return to Salt Lake for the time being and could be a candidate to rejoin the Halos later this summer. Jaime Barria was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding roster move.

Lowe is not in the starting lineup Saturday against the Mainers.

Lowe will get a breather Saturday despite Seattle tossing right-hander Logan Gilbert. The second baseman has just two hits in his last 15 at-bats, so he'll look to use Saturday's rest to regroup at the plate.

Gimenez has homered in five straight games for Triple-A Columbus.

It's been an impressive week for the 22-year-old infielder, who had only one long ball in 20 minor-league games prior to the surge. Through 25 contests, Gimenez is slashing a mediocre .245/.300/.471 with six homers, 13 RBI, 12 runs scored and a stolen base across 113 plate appearances. He started the year in Cleveland, and an extended run of success in the minors could earn him a call-up at some point.

Arroyo isn't starting Saturday's game against the Royals, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Arroyo hit a grand slam in Wednesday's series finale against Atlanta, but he went 1-for-5 with three strikeouts Friday. Enrique Hernandez will shift to second base while Danny Santana starts in center field.

Rengifo went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 11-3 victory over Detroit.

Rengifo hit the first of three Angels homers in the fifth inning, slugging a 414-foot solo shot to right field. The long ball was his first of the season and ninth of his big-league career. Rengifo is 3-for-8 with a pair of RBI in two games since returning to the big club Thursday.

Polanco went 1-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored in Friday's 7-5 extra-inning win over Texas.

Polanco drew a walk, stole second and scored the third run of Minnesota's three-run rally in the 10th inning. The 27-year-old has recorded steals in each of the last two games after previously not attempting a stolen base since May 16. He's now slashing .254/.319/.441 with nine home runs, 30 RBI, 39 runs scored and five steals across 263 plate appearances.

Kemp went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Friday's 5-3 win over the Yankees.

Per Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle, Kemp had homered just once against a left-hander across his first five seasons in the league, but he's now blasted two homers against southpaws since the start of June. The 29-year-old has reached base in each of his last eight games, and he's gone 7-for-26 with a home run, a double, 10 runs, three RBI and seven walks during that time.

Hernandez is out of the lineup Friday against the Royals, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Hernandez is 2-for-21 across his past five games and won't start Friday's contest. Danny Santana will start in center field and bat ninth in the series opener.