MLB Player News

Andrus went 3-for-5 with a double, a pair of stolen bases and a run in a 9-6 victory against the Pirates on Wednesday.

It was a successful first game in the No. 2 spot in the batting order. Andrus had batted third in 27 of 29 games prior to Wednesday, but if this is a permanent switch, it might allow him more chances to steal bases as he did Wednesday. Andrus is hitting .338 with five home runs, 23 RBI, 21 runs and eight steals in 136 at-bats this season.

The Red Sox are considering using Chavis in the outfield, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Chavis hasn't officially starting working in the outfield yet, though he was tracking flyballs before Wednesday's game as the Red Sox are exploring different ways to keep the young slugger in the lineup once Dustin Pedroia (knee) returns from the IL. Through 17 games this season, the 23-year-old Chavis is slashing .293/.423/.638 with six homers and two steals.

Chavis is not starting Wednesday against the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Chavis sits for the first time since entering the lineup April 21. He was hitting an excellent .354/.466/.771 through Saturday but has since gone 0-for-10, dropping his season line to a still-strong .293/.423/.638. Eduardo Nunez gets the start at second base.

Andrus will bat second and start at shortstop Wednesday against the Pirates, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Andrus batted third in 27 of his first 29 starts of the season, but he'll hit out of the two hole for the fourth straight contest. It looks like he'll regularly hit between leadoff man Shin-Soo Choo and Nomar Mazara for the foreseeable future with Rougned Odor having yet to find his swing this season.

Merrifield went 4-for-5 with a triple, a home run, three runs scored, five RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 12-2 rout of the Astros.

The big blow was his seventh-inning grand slam off Framber Valdez, at which point Merrifield probably regretted not trying to stretch one of his earlier singles into a double to give him a cycle. The 30-year-old is having another outstanding campaign, slashing .299/.351/.545 through 37 games with six homers, seven steals, 19 RBI and 30 runs.

Lowe went 2-for-5 with a home run, a double and two RBI in Tuesday's 6-3 win over Arizona.

Lowe extended his hit streak to 11 games and has a 1.019 OPS over 44 at-bats in that stretch. The 24-year-old is slashing .311/.366/.597 with eight home runs and 22 RBI, though his 31.3 percent strikeout rate and unsustainable .408 BABIP suggest he's due for some regression.

Rengifo was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The Angels activated Zack Cozart (neck), Cody Allen (back) and Shohei Ohtani (elbow) from the 10-day injured list Tuesday, resulting in a flurry of corresponding moves. Rengifo struggled to a .185 average with three extra-base hits and an RBI over nine games, so he'll head back to the minor leagues.

Polanco went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, a double, a walk and two runs Monday in the Twins' 8-0 win over the Blue Jays.

After going 0-for-12 over the weekend against the Yankees, Polanco bounced back in swift fashion as the Twins continued their road trip in Toronto. The shortstop is slashing .317/.388/.610 with six home runs, 12 RBI and 20 runs in 32 games but has yet to notch a stolen base.

Torres is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mariners.

He'll get a day off for the first time since April 21, ending a productive stretch of 12 consecutive starts during which he hit .300 with a home run and three steals. Torres has helped keep the Yankees afloat while the lineup has missed several regulars due to injury, and his outlook should improve with Clint Frazier (ankle) returning Monday and Aaron Hicks (back) due back as soon as the weekend.

Estrada is in the lineup, hitting eighth and playing shortstop against the Mariners on Monday.

Estrada has made just one pinch-hit appearance over the past four games, but he'll slide into the lineup for this contest against Mariners starter Felix Hernandez. He's recorded hits in six of his 18 at-bats since his promotion from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, however, with DJ LaMahieu and Miguel Andujar both recently returning from injuries, Estrada could find regular playing time hard to come by.