MLB Player News

Castro went 3-for-4 with a double, two singles, one walk and two runs scored in Sunday's 8-5 loss to the Indians.

The utilityman is now slashing a solid .278/.328/.407 after reaching base four times Sunday. His versatility was also on full display as he moved from right field to third base in the fifth and then back to right field an inning later. Expect Castro to continue to see sporadic playing time at multiple positions moving forward.

The Blue Jays recalled Espinal from their taxi squad ahead of Sunday's game against the Rays, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Espinal will offer the Blue Jays some extra depth in the middle infield after Bo Bichette (knee) was moved to the 10-day injured list, but Brandon Drury and Joe Panik are seemingly the top candidates to replace Bichette as the team's everyday shortstop. Expect the slick-fielding Espinal to see most of his work with Toronto as a late-inning defensive replacement.

Kemp will start at second base and bat second Sunday against the Giants.

After batting out of the eighth or ninth spot in the lineup in his first 10 starts of the season, Kemp will slot into the two hole for the third game in a row while Ramon Laureano serves a suspension. Kemp came up big in Saturday's 7-6 win with three hits and a walk in five plate appearances, but he'll likely move back near the bottom of the lineup when Laureano is reinstated from his suspension ahead of Tuesday's game in Arizona.

Andrus will start at shortstop and bat eighth Sunday against the Rockies.

Manager Chris Woodward's patience with Andrus appears to be wearing thin amid the veteran's slow start to the season. Andrus, who is sporting a .480 OPS through 78 plate appearances, will occupy a spot in the bottom third of the lineup for the seventh game in a row. He's unlikely to rise back up in the order until he can put together at least a few quality hitting performances in a row.

Castro is starting in right field and batting second in Sunday's game against Cleveland.

Both Victor Reyes and Cameron Maybin are out of the lineup Sunday, setting the versatile Castro up for a start in the outfield. The 26-year-old has so far been unable to replicate his success from 2019, as he's slashing just .182/.280/.227 through 13 games this season.

The Astros recalled Mayfield from their alternate training site Sunday, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

He'll assume the active roster spot of outfielder Michael Brantley (quadriceps), who was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday. Mayfield will provide depth at second base, third base and shortstop, but he's not expected to see regular at-bats unless one of Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa misses time.

Altuve batted seventh in the order and went 1-for-3 with an RBI in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Mariners.

Altuve was scheduled to bat third but requested of manager Dusty Baker a drop from the top of the order, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. This was the first time Altuve's hit out of the seven-hole since his rookie season. His OPS is now at .566, which puts him ahead of only six major-league hitters with at least 75 plate appearances.

Mendick went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored across both ends of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals.

Mendick appears to be firmly entrenched as the starting second baseman for the White Sox, who placed Leury Garcia (thumb) on the 45-day injured list Saturday. With both Garcia and Nick Madrigal (shoulder) unavailable, Mendick should be the primary option at second base until Madrigal, who is playing catch and taking groundballs, is ready to return. Mendick is batting .273 (12-for-44) with no RBI in 15 games.

Semien went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in a win over the Giants on Saturday.

Semien broke a scoreless tie in the third inning, blasting a 404-foot homer to center field for his second long ball of the season. The home run extended Semien's modest hitting streak to four games, and he has collected three extra-base hits during that stretch.

Merrifield went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and four RBI in a 4-2 win over the Twins during the second game of Saturday's doubleheader.

After tying the score in the second inning with an RBI single, Merrifield launched a Jose Berrios changeup in the fourth inning for a three-run shot to account for all the Royals' offense. The 31-year-old extended his hit streak to five games with the performance, and on the year Merrifield now has five homers and 16 RBI through 20 games.