MLB Player News

Kemp isn't starting Wednesday's game against Tampa Bay.

Kemp drew starts in each of the first five games of the season, and he went 7-for-21 with three runs, two RBI, two walks and a strikeout. Sheldon Neuse will take over at the keystone and bat seventh with lefty Shane McClanahan on the mound.

Kim is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.

Kim and CJ Abrams have had a near-even split of the shortstop work to begin the season, with the former picking up three starts at the position to the latter's four. With Kim off to a 2-for-10 start at the dish and Abrams having gone 1-for-11, neither player looks to have made much separation from the other in the job battle at this stage.

Merrifield went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Tuesday's 6-5 loss to the Cardinals.

Merrifield has stolen a base in each of the last two games. His offense has also ticked upward in that stretch -- he went 3-for-8 with an RBI in that span. The 33-year-old speedster remains a fixture atop the Royals' lineup. He hasn't missed a game since the 2018 season, so it would likely take a significant slump for him to lose the leadoff spot in the order due to performance.

Lux went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI in a 7-2 win over the Twins on Tuesday.

Lux drove in the Dodgers' first run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning and singled in Will Smith for the final tally in the team's six-run eighth frame. Lux leads Los Angeles with four RBI on the campaign and is tied for the team lead with five hits. He is slashing .417/.467/.500 over 15 plate appearances.

Clement will start at second base and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Reds, Joe Noga of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

He'll be filling in at the keystone for the lefty-hitting Andres Gimenez, who is getting a breather with southpaw Nick Lodolo on the hill. Gimenez isn't part of a strict platoon, but the righty-hitting Clement's ability to play multiple infield and outfield spots could allow him to pick up steady starts against southpaws, especially while he's performing well. Through three games, Clement has gone 4-for-8 with two walks, three runs and an RBI.

Turang will play center field roughly once a week this season at Triple-A Nashville, Sounds play-by-play announcer Jeff Hem reports.

Sounds manager Rick Sweet was emphatic that the organization still views him as a shortstop, but the reality is Willy Adames isn't going anywhere anytime soon, so Turang will need to add some defensive versatility in order to increase his chances of getting looks in the majors. He is hitting .261/.346/.435 with zero home runs, zero steals, six strikeouts and three walks through six games.

Gimenez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Reds.

The 23-year-old will get a day off after starting each of the Guardians' last two contests and going 2-for-4 with a triple, a home run and three RBI Tuesday. Ernie Clement will enter the lineup at second base and bat seventh Wednesday against the Reds.

Albies went 3-for-5 with a walk, a double, a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Tuesday's 16-4 rout of the Nationals.

His eighth-inning solo shot off utility man Dee Strange-Gordon may not be the most impressive feat of Albies' career, but it still counts as his first homer of 2022. The 25-year-old is still looking for his first stolen base but he's been giving himself plenty of opportunities to swipe it, posting a .370 OBP to go with a .476 SLG through six games.

Ibanez went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to Colorado.

Ibanez plated Mitch Garver, who had walked earlier, to give the Rangers the lead in the second inning, but the bats were silent for much of the game. What had been one of the most prolific offenses early in 2022 managed just four singles. For Ibanez, it was his fourth consecutive game with at least one base hit and his third RBI.

Estrada went 2-for-5 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored in a 13-2 win against the Padres on Tuesday.

Estrada singled home two runs in the first inning and doubled home another in the second, scoring on both occasions. The 26-year-old utility man is slashing .278/.316/.500 through five games and appears to be the everyday second baseman while Tommy La Stella is injured and without a timetable to return.