MLB Player News

Semien will start at shortstop and bat leadoff Sunday against the Mariners, but he's expected to exit the contest after one plate appearance, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Athletics have already secured home field for their wild-card matchup Wednesday versus the Rays, so Semien and several other regulars will likely get the opportunity to rest up with nothing immediate at stake in the regular-season finale. Semien likely would have been excluded from the lineup entirely, but he may have talked his way into starting so he could play in all 162 games this season. With only one plate appearance on tap, Semien won't be worth including in DFS lineups.

Arraez was diagnosed with a Grade 1 right ankle sprain after undergoing an MRI on Sunday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The MRI confirmed that the rookie avoided major damage to his ankle after he was carted off the field in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Royals, but the injury nonetheless clouds his availability for the start of the postseason. The Twins will have until Friday to set their roster for the ALDS, giving Arraez some time to heal up and prove that he's fit to play. If Arraez is excluded from the ALDS roster, Jonathan Schoop would likely take over as the Twins' primary option at the keystone.

Lowe is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic reports.

Lowe is 7-for-37 (.189 average) in his last 12 games and will head to the bench for the final game of the regular season. Daniel Robertson will cover the keystone in his place Sunday.

Rodriguez is starting at third base and batting fifth in Sunday's game against the White Sox.

Rodriguez has fallen into a reserve role with the Tigers, though he'll pick up one more start to finish out 2019. The 27-year-old has displayed decent pop with 13 home runs in 272 at-bats, though his .217/.248/.426 slash line and 27.9 strikeout rate leave plenty to be desired.

Castro (ankle) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Castro sustained the ankle injury during Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader and did not see the field during the nightcap. Jordy Mercer will cover the keystone in his place Sunday.

Jones is hitting .286 (4-for-14) with four walks for Mesa of the Arizona Fall League.

Jones hit .321 for Mesa last season and has continued his strong showing in 2019, reaching base in eight of 18 plate appearances. He has also been successful on three of four stolen-base attempts after being caught on 10 of 18 tries with Double-A Mobile this season.

Lopez is not in the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Twins.

Lopez started the previous five games and went 8-for-16 with five doubles, three runs scored and four RBI, but he'll take a seat in the season finale. Humberto Arteaga will start at shortstop and bat eighth Sunday in his place.

Castro is out of the lineup for the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the White Sox due to an ankle injury, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Castro suffered the injury during the matinee on a play at first base, though he never exited the contest and finished 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. There's a decent chance the 25-year-old is done for the year with the regular season coming to an end Sunday. Gordon Beckham will take over at the keystone during the nightcap.

Arraez suffered an ankle sprain in Saturday's game against the Royals, Audra Martin of Fox Sports North reports.

This is pretty easily a best-case scenario, as Arraez exited on a cart and was in tears after suffering the injury during a collision with Willians Astudillo while fielding a pop up. He won't return this weekend and it's unclear if he could return if the Twins make a deep playoff run.

Torres is not in Saturday's lineup against the Rangers, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

He is hitting .247 with five home runs and one steal in 18 games this month. Gio Urshela starts at third base while DJ LeMahieu slides over to the keystone.