MLB Player News

Twins manager Paul Molitor said Polanco (suspension) will be reinstated Monday and rejoin the lineup later that day for the team's game against the Brewers, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Unless Polanco experiences an unexpected setback with the finger infection he battled prior to heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment June 24, he'll likely be reinstalled as the Twins' everyday shortstop, bumping Ehire Adrianza to a reserve role. Polanco, who has gone 8-for-19 with a home run and four walks across six games between two minor-league affiliates, should provide a significant boost to the Minnesota offense after emerging as one of baseball's top hitters in the second half of last season. The 24-year-old slashed an impressive .293/.359/.511 with 10 home runs and seven steals after the All-Star break and profiled as an intriguing fantasy option at shortstop entering 2018 before he was handed an 80-game suspension in March for violating MLB's policy against performance-enhancing drugs.

Merrifield went 3-for-5 with a run scored Saturday against the Mariners.

Merrifield collected three singles, so it wasn't his most productive three-hit game. That remains a trend for him, as he has now failed to record an extra-base hit in his past three games, all of which of have been multi-hit efforts. While his .289 batting average and .362 on-base percentage are strong, Merrifield has not homered since May 14, so expecting power production from him moving forward is not advisable.

Semien went 2-for-3 with an RBI single in a win over the Indians on Friday.

Semien now has back-to-back multi-hit efforts for only the second time since May 19-22, and he's gone 5-for-11 with two RBI, a walk and two runs in his last three games overall. The 27-year-old shortstop has been able to avoid the injury bug this season after missing a chunk of time following wrist surgery in 2017, but he's slashing a rather lackluster .251/.305/.368 through 367 plate appearances.

Motter (concussion) thinks he will be able to return at or shortly after the seven-day minimum stay on the disabled list, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

He will be eligible to return July 6 and apparently thinks he will back around that date. Motter said he was feeling better Saturday and hopes to do 15-20 minutes on the stationary bike. Ehire Adrianza figures to get the bulk of the playing time while Motter is out.

Joseph was designated for assignment Friday.

Joseph appeared in four games earlier in the season for the Orioles, going 1-for-9. He's hit .332/.398/.534 in 67 games for Double-A Bowie this season, but his age (29) and lack of major-league experience will make him fairly likely to pass through waivers unclaimed.

Sweeney's contract was selected by the Blue Jays on Friday.

Sweeney hasn't appeared in the majors since an unimpressive 37-game stint for the Phillies back in 2015, when he hit just .176/.286/.353. The 27-year-old has hit a mediocre .232/.314/.439 in 47 games for Triple-A Buffalo this season, receiving starts at four different positions. He'll fill a utility role for the Blue Jays.

Drury was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as expected Friday.

Drury spent longer than initially expected in the minor leagues after originally being sent there on a rehab assignment while dealing with impaired vision and migraines. He performed very well at the Triple-A level, hitting .314/.419/.488 in 48 games. The emergence of Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres likely means that Drury won't have the playing time that he was originally in line for, but he'll still likely play an important role as a utility man.

Motter was placed on the 7-day concussion disabled list Friday, source reports.

Motter will be out until at least July 6, though recovery times from concussions are difficult to predict. Prior to the injury, Motter had hit just .138/.242/.241 in 15 games for the Mariners and Twins. Willians Astudillo was called up to take his place on the roster.

Lopez was promoted to Triple-A Omaha on Friday, Rustin Dodd of The Athletic Kansas City reports.

Lopez hit a strong .331/.397/.416 in 73 games for Double-A Northwest Arkansas this season. Don't expect him to be promoted again this year, though, as the Royals have talked about giving him a full year at the Triple-A level so he won't have to be protected on the 40-man roster this offseason. The 23-year-old projects as a fringe regular long term, with a solid glove and a decent amount of contact but very little power.

Semien went 2-for-4 with a run in a win over the Tigers on Thursday.

Offensive success has been relatively sparse for the shortstop recently, as even factoring in Thursday's production, he's hit just .198 in June. His tally against the Tigers represented only his fourth multi-hit effort of the month, but it did snap him out of a 2-for-24 slump that had encompassed his previous six games. There were hopes for a resurgent season for Semien after a wrist injury cost him significant time in 2017, but his .248/.302/.366 line through 364 plate appearances is actually slightly poorer overall than the .249/.325/.398 he slashed in 22 additional PAs last season.