MLB Player News

Urias (thumb) is starting at shortstop and batting leadoff Tuesday against the Phillies.

The 25-year-old sat out the past two games after leaving Friday's contest with a jammed thumb, but he'll rejoin the lineup for Tuesday's series opener. It should be Urias' final start at shortstop before shifting back to third base since Willy Adames (ankle/quadriceps) is expected to be activated from the injured list Wednesday.

Mendick will start at shortstop and bat leadoff in Tuesday's game against the Dodgers, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Mendick will get a second consecutive look out of the leadoff spot while he starts at shortstop for the sixth time in the last seven games. He's gotten on bace at an excellent .444 clip since taking hold of a regular role May 31, so Mendick looks poised to hold down everyday at-bats until the White Sox get Tim Anderson (groin) back from the injured list.

Torres is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Twins.

With Josh Donaldson and Giancarlo Stanton returning from the injured list over the weekend to bring the Yankees lineup back to full strength, Torres no longer has a direct path to an everyday role at second base after he had occupied the position in 13 of the team's last 14 games. Though absences from the lineup should come slightly more frequently for Torres, he should still play on a near-everyday basis while manager Aaron Boone rotates rest days for some of the team's other regulars.

Stott will start at second base and bat eighth in Tuesday's game against the Brewers.

Coming off a big weekend series against the Angels in which he started in all three games of the sweep while going 3-for-11 with two home runs, two walks and six RBI, Stott might have already been in good shape to open the week in a starting role in the middle infield. However, Stott's path to regular duties at second base became clearer Tuesday, when the Phillies placed his main competition for starts, Johan Camargo (knee), on the 10-day injured list. Philadelphia called up Scott Kingery from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to offer additional depth in the infield, but expect Stott to get a long look in a full-time role while Camargo is out of the picture.

Biggio is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Royals.

Biggio logged eight starts in nine games following his promotion from Triple-A Buffalo on May 26, but he'll be taking a seat Tuesday for the third contest in a row. With Vladimir Guerrero and Matt Chapman established as the everyday starters at the two corner-infield spots and with Santiago Espinal having rebuilt some job security as the Blue Jays' primary second baseman by homering in back-to-back games, Biggio doesn't have a clear path to regular at-bats at any spot.

Castro will start at third base and bat ninth in Tuesday's game against the Pirates.

With Jeimer Candelario (shoulder) moving to the 10-day injured list Tuesday, Castro looks like he'll get the first crack to replace him as the everyday third baseman. The versatile Castro had already picked up work at three different positions (left field, first base and shortstop) while staring in five of the Tigers' previous six games, but Candelario's absence creates a more permanent pathway to playing time.

Rojas isn't starting Tuesday's game against the Reds.

Rojas will get a breather after he went 1-for-11 with two strikeouts over the last three games. Jake Hager is starting at the hot corner and batting eighth.

Gorman is not in the starting lineup for Tuesday's series opener versus the Rays.

Gorman will take a seat for a second straight game Tuesday after going 2-for-15 with a three-run homer and two runs while striking out eight times over four games of the Cardinals' five-game series against the Cubs. Tommy Edman is getting the start at second base while Edmundo Sosa mans shortstop and bats eighth. The lefty-hitting Gorman should have a regular spot in the lineup versus right-handed pitching, but he could sit frequently against lefties such as Tampa Bay's Jeffrey Springs.

Espinal went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in Monday's 8-0 win over the Royals.

Espinal has now turned in three consecutive two-hit games and has homered on back-to-back days while driving in five runs between the contests. After his production had slowed down in May, Espinal has opened June with a bang to help solidify himself as the everyday second baseman ahead of Cavan Biggio, who has been performing well since his late-May call-up from Triple-A Buffalo.

The Astros promoted Valdez from Double-A Corpus Christi to Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The 23-year-old has been a breakout performer at Corpus Christi this season, compiling 27 extra-base hits while getting on base at a .463 clip over 205 plate appearances. He'll now get a stiffer test at Sugar Land, and the Astros are likely to continue exposing him to multiple positions at the Triple-A level to create more potential avenues to playing time in the big leagues. Valdez had already logged starts at second base, third base, left field and right field during his time at Corpus Christi.