MLB Player News

Haggerty went 3-for-4 with a run in a win over the Rangers on Sunday.

Haggerty continued to make impressive contributions Sunday, this time serving as a thorn in the side of Rangers pitching out of the bottom of the order. The 28-year-old now has a trio of three-hit efforts in the last eight games, affording him a .375 average over that span despite the fact he's also gone hitless in four other starts during the sample.

The Royals reinstated Merrifield (toe) from the restricted list Monday.

Merrifield was one of 10 Royals players who will rejoin the 26-man active roster after being ineligible to play during the four-game weekend series in Toronto due his vaccination status. Before he was deactivated Thursday, Merrifield saw his streak of 553 consecutive games played come to an end due to a bone bruise in his right big toe, which sidelined him for a four-game series with Detroit. Merrifield closed the Royals' first-half schedule with a .240/.292/.343 slash line to go with five home runs, 14 stolen bases, 45 runs and 36 RBI in 84 contests, but his availability for the team's first game of the second half Friday against the Rays is in question due to the lingering toe injury. It's unclear if the time on the restricted list plus the All-Star break will provide sufficient time for Merrifield to make a full recovery from the injury.

Semien went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a stolen base in a 6-2 loss to the Mariners on Sunday.

After not hitting his first home run of the year until May 28, Semien is looking much more like his usual self. The veteran right-handed bat now has five home runs in July to give him 13 on the season. He also easily stole second off Chris Flexen in the bottom of the first for his 17th stolen base of the year. The number marks a new career-high. If Semien can continue to play the way he has in June and July, then he should be in line for another high-powered second half to complement his new propensity for steals.

Hoerner went 3-for-4 with an RBI in a 3-2 win over the Mets on Sunday.

Hoerner had a good night at the plate, rapping out three singles, including one which cashed in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth with two out. The three-hit performance made up for a defensive gaffe earlier in the game when the second baseman misplayed a rundown situation which allowed Starling Marte to scamper home from third and Francisco Lindor to reach safely at second. Despite only walking 4.1% of the time, Hoerner has shown excellent bat-to-ball skills and his hitting .307 with a .305 xBA.

Estrada went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Sunday's 9-5 win over the Brewers.

Estrada heads into the All-Star break warm, going 9-for-29 (.310) in his last eight games. He singled and stole second in the seventh inning Sunday, giving him 13 steals in 15 attempts for the year. The infielder has added a .259/.310/.417 slash line with nine home runs, 36 RBI and 46 runs scored in 303 plate appearances. With Brandon Crawford (knee) likely to need more than a minimum stay on the injured list, Estrada should function as the Giants' primary shortstop in the short term.

Rojas went 1-for-3 with two walks and a stolen base in a 3-1 victory over San Diego on Sunday.

Batting leadoff, Rojas singled and stole second in the first inning while tacking on walks in the fifth and seventh to reach base three times for the third time this month. Through 16 July games, the 28-year-old is slashing .339/.431/.536 with an impressive eight doubles, nine walks and three thefts. Rojas concludes the first half with a .271/.344/.407 slash line, five home runs, 34 runs, 26 RBI and eight stolen bases in 61 games.

Lowe went 4-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored in a 7-5 win Sunday over Baltimore.

Lowe doubled in his first two plate appearances against Jordan Lyles and singled in his final two trips to the plate. The 28-year-old has crushed the ball in his two games since returning from a back injury that cost him two months, going 6-for-8 with a walk and four runs scored. After amassing an .870 OPS over the past three seasons, his strong return is a great sign heading into the second half for the Rays and fantasy managers looking for Lowe to repeat his 39-homer production from a year ago.

The Royals returned Massey to Triple-A Omaha following Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Blue Jays.

Since Massey joined the Royals as a replacement for one of the 10 players who were placed on the restricted list prior to Thursday's series opener in Toronto, he won't be exposed to waivers even while he comes off the 40-man roster as he heads back to Omaha. Massey made starts in the final two contests of the Royals' four games following his call-up, going 3-for-8 at the dish.

Kim is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks

CJ Abrams will fill in at shortstop for Kim, who gets a breather for the Padres' final game before the All-Star break after recording at least one hit while starting in each of the past five contests. Kim should continue to serve as San Diego's primary option at shortstop until Fernando Tatis (wrist) is deemed ready to return from the 60-day injured list for his 2022 debut.

Villar is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Though the righty-hitting Villar will see his streak of 13 consecutive starts come to an end Sunday even while the Brewers bring a southpaw (Aaron Ashby) to the mound, the rookie infielder should still have a fairly clear path to playing time. Even though Evan Longoria is back from a recent stint on the injured list, Brandon Crawford's (knee) recent move to the IL will likely result in Thairo Estrada stepping in as the Giants' primary shortstop. That paves the way for Villar to pick up more playing time at second base, though Wilmer Flores will man the keystone in the series finale with Milwaukee.