MLB Player News

Altuve is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rangers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The Astros haven't suggested that Altuve sustained an injury in Friday's 4-3 win, so his absence from the lineup is likely just a pre-planned maintenance day. With Altuve getting his first day off since returning from the 10-day injured list June 19, Tony Kemp will step in at second base.

Kemp started in left field and went 0-for-3 win a 4-3 win over the Rangers on Friday.

Astros manager AJ Hinch gave Michael Brantley and Josh Reddick the night off against Texas left-hander Mike Minor, so Kemp and Jake Marisnick slotted into the starting lineup. For Kemp, it was just his second start in the nine games since the All-Star break.

Semien went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, a triple, a solo home run, a second run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 5-3 win over the Twins.

If you believe the old bromide "a walk's as good as a hit", then Semien should get credit for a cycle, but instead the shortstop will have to settle for an extremely productive night. He's now slashing .273/.350/.464 -- career highs in all three categories -- with 15 homers, five steals, 50 RBI and 68 runs through 99 games.

Lowe (lower leg) may only need one or two rehab games at High-A Charlotte before activation, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

A report Thursday indicated that manager Kevin Cash had speculated Lowe could be out through next Wednesday, and this latest news more or less lines up with that timeline. Lowe isn't yet ready to head to a rehab assignment, as he's still in the process of building up his workload. "We're still waiting on a couple of other things to work [themselves] out, but each day we're doing more and more stuff," Lowe said. "I'm feeling really good right now, so hopefully it's not much longer."

Merrifield went 2-for-5 with a triple, a double, three RBI and a run scored Friday against the Indians.

Merrifield did his part in this one, clearing the bases with a triple in the sixth inning to cut his team's deficit to just one run, but the Indians would eventually cruise to a 10-5 victory in the series opener. The 30-year-old has hit safely in nine of his last 10 contests, boosting his batting average from .307 to .313 over that stretch.

Barreto sits for the third straight game Friday against the Twins.

Barreto owns an awful .152/.176/.364 slash line in 10 games so far this season, so it's hardly surprising to see him lose his temporary starting job. Jurickson Profar appears to be back in as the primary second baseman.

Despite the fact Lowe (lower leg) continues to make progress, he could remain out through next Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lowe experienced significant bruising from the ball he fouled off his leg back on July 2 that led to his placement on the injured list. While that's naturally subsided a significant amount, the severity of it was such that it appears increasingly unlikely he returns at any point this weekend. The possibility Lowe's absence extends all the way through the middle of next week came directly from manager Kevin Cash, leaving Lowe's fantasy managers hanging in the balance for the time being.

Castro went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Indians.

In a tough season offensively for the Tigers, Castro has been a bright spot, as he's now batting .317 with a .783 OPS. The 25-year-old has just two home runs in 126 at-bats, so power isn't a huge part of his game, but his ability to get on base has been a welcome sight in Detroit. Expect Castro to keep getting regular playing time as long as he hits.

Barreto sits for the second straight game Thursday against the Twins, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Barreto had started nine times in a stretch of 11 games but may be losing his spot as the primary second baseman. It's hard to say he deserves regular playing time based on his .152/.176/.364 slash line in 10 games so far this season. Jurickson Profar again starts at second base.

Polanco is not in the lineup Thursday against Oakland.

Polanco sits for the first time in nearly a month. He's been in a bit of a slump since his last day off, hitting .250/.291/.385 in 21 games after posting a .326/.387/.543 line over his first 69 contests. Ehire Adrianza starts at shortstop in his absence.