MLB Player News

Semien went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and one strikeout in Friday's 5-3 win over the Rays.

Semien capped off a four-run rally with two outs in the first inning Friday by hitting his fifth home run of the year. The 30-year-old is now slashing .208/.279/.403 with five home runs, 10 RBI and four stolen bases this season.

Merrifield went 2-for-5 with an RBI single, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 6-2 win over the Tigers.

Merrifield plated Michael Taylor with a single and came around to score on Jorge Soler's two-run double in the fifth inning. In the ninth, Merrifield and Carlos Santana executed a double-steal, but neither of them scored. The speedy Merrifield has six stolen bases, three home runs, 13 RBI, 13 runs scored and a .292/.333/.472 slash line through 81 plate appearances atop the Royals' order.

Haggerty, who entered Thursday's extra-inning win over the Red Sox as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning, laced a go-ahead RBI double, stole a base and scored in his one plate appearance.

The utility man's run-scoring two-bagger snapped a 3-3 tie in the 10th inning and gave Haggerty his fourth hit in his last 11 plate appearances. The 27-year-old has been in the batter's box on only 27 occasions through his first 11 games, but he's picked things up after going 1-for-8 with one strikeout in his first three games this season.

Altuve (illness) has been cleared to work out with his teammates but is not yet ready to return to game action, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

Altuve has been away from the team for over a week while on the COVID-19 injured list. He worked out on the field prior to Friday's game against the Angels but needs a few more days to get back in game shape before being activated.

Lowe is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Blue Jays, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Lowe hit a home run in each of the past two games but will head to the bench Friday with southpaw Steven Matz pitching for Toronto. Mike Brosseau will start at the keystone and bat cleanup for the Rays.

Torres went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run in a victory over Cleveland on Thursday.

Torres came into the contest having collected just three hits over his past 23 at-bats, but he matched that hit total with a trio of singles Thursday. The multi-hit effort was his first of the season, and the RBI was his first since April 11. The shortstop is off to a slow start to the campaign, slashing .219/.315/.250 with no home runs and only two RBI.

Gimenez went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Yankees.

Gimenez singled and stole second in the second inning. The infielder has three steals, two home runs, four RBI and six runs scored in 13 games. He's slashing .243/.300/.486 through 41 plate appearances and often hits near the bottom of the order when he plays.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Altuve (COVID-19 injured list) could be activated at some point this weekend or early next week, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Only one of the five Astros placed on the COVID-19 injured list last week is known to have tested positive for the virus, and reading between the lines, that player appears to have been Altuve. The 30-year-old is only member of the quintet not to have been activated, as Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, Martin Maldonado and Robel Garcia were all reinstated from the IL on Tuesday. Fortunately for Altuve, he seems to be making positive progress in his recovery. He was thriving as the Astros' leadoff man prior to his shutdown, slashing .318/.380/.455 with a home run, 11 runs and five RBI over his first 11 starts.

Rengifo is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Astros.

After starting at third base in three of the past four games, Rengifo will cede his spot in the lineup to Jose Rojas. Both Rengifo and Rojas are expected to see their playing time at the hot corner dry up soon, as Anthony Rendon (groin) could be activated from the 10-day injured list as soon as this weekend.

Rosario isn't starting Thursday's game against the Yankees.

Rosario has gone 2-for-13 with three runs and two strikeouts in the last three games. Jordan Luplow will take over in center field Thursday, leading off.