MLB Player News

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

Semien furnished the second of two multi-run homers off Dereck Rodriguez in the fifth inning, lacing a 379-foot shot to left field in the fifth inning with Sean Murphy aboard. The veteran shortstop has now left the yard in back-to-back games and is progressively putting a completely abysmal start to the season behind him -- factoring in Sunday's production, Semien is slashing a solid .268/.333/.537 with two doubles, three homers, seven RBI, four walks, two stolen bases and seven runs across his last nine games, raising his average 37 points to .216 in the process.

Arraez will not start Monday's game against the Royals.

Arraez has so far failed to deliver on the promise he showed last season, when he hit .334 in his 92-game debut. His batting average was a rather empty one, so when it drops to a still-respectable .274 like it has this season, he doesn't offer all that much to a fantasy team. Marwin Gonzalez starts at second base for the second time in three games.

Manager Ron Roenicke suggested the Red Sox will likely activate Arroyo ahead of Tuesday's game against the Phillies, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports. "Arroyo is still going through the [standard COVID-19 intake process], so we're waiting to see what happens with that," Roenicke said.

Assuming Arroyo's coronavirus test results return negative, he'll join the 28-man roster and serve as a depth option at three different spots in the infield. Arroyo didn't appear in any games with Cleveland this season before he was waived by the club and subsequently claimed by Boston last week.

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.