MLB Player News

Boston manager Alex Cora said he believes Arroyo (hamstring) is close to returning.

Arroyo made three starts over the last four days for Triple-A Worcester and stole a base Thursday, indicating the hamstring injury is behind him. "I think body-wise, the way he's moving, he's in a good spot," Cora said. Arroyo could return at some point during the weekend series against the Rangers.

Marte went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and a walk in a loss to the Rockies on Friday.

Marte connected on the only homer of the night for Arizona in the fourth inning, drilling a 402-foot shot to right field. The long ball was only the second in his past 33 contests in what has been another season of limited power following Marte's 32-homer season in 2019. The lack of long balls and significant missed time due to injury have limited Marte's fantasy appeal this season despite a standout .342 batting average.

Merrifield went 1-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 6-2 win over the Cubs.

While he's gone just 3-for-18 in his last four games, Merrifield has managed to record a pair of steals in that span. His major league-leading thefts total is up to 36 in 38 attempts. He owns a .272/.317/.384 slash line with eight home runs, 57 RBI and 67 runs scored in 121 games from his usual leadoff spot in the order.

Short went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 4-1 extra-inning win over Toronto.

Short created Detroit's game-tying run in the eighth inning. He got aboard with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice, stole third and scored on a wild pitch. The shortstop hasn't done much with limited playing time this year, slashing .150/.250/.315 with six home runs, two stolen bases, 19 RBI and 17 runs scored through 152 plate appearances. He's settled into the short side of a platoon with Harold Castro at shortstop.

Frazier isn't starting Friday's game against the Phillies.

Frazier went 0-for-8 with a walk in his last two appearances, and he'll rest with left-hander Matt Moore starting for Philadelphia. Ha-Seong Kim will take over at the keystone and bat eighth.

Mayfield will sit Friday against Cleveland.

Mayfield had been the Angels' primary third baseman for most of the second half but now finds himself sitting for the second game in a row. His .212/.265/.401 slash line in 149 plate appearances this season hardly suggests he deserves an everyday role. Phil Gosselin will start at the hot corner in his absence.

Torres (thumb) took dry swings and fielded grounders Friday, Max Goodman of SI.com reports.

The swelling in Torres' left thumb has mostly subsided, allowing him to began to build up toward a return. The infielder is already eligible to return from the injured list but will likely need several more days to get fully back up to speed. Per MLB.com, Torres could pick up a bat this weekend for the first time since suffering the injury.

Castro is out of the lineup Friday against the Blue Jays, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Castro made three consecutive starts at shortstop prior to hitting the bench Thursday, and he'll remain out of the lineup for a second straight contest while mired in a 2-for-24 slump. Zack Short will work at shortstop in Friday's series opener in Toronto.

Hoerner (oblique) will continue workouts through the weekend with the intention of beginning a rehab assignment early next week, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Hoerner has been out since late July with an oblique strain. It's not clear exactly how long his rehab assignment will be, and the rebuilding Cubs have no need to rush him back, but it looks as though he could return as soon as late next week if all goes well.

India went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, two runs scored and a walk in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Marlins.

India scored in the fourth inning on Joey Votto's home run and doubled off Bryan Mitchell in the seventh, driving in Aristides Aquino. He scored later in the inning on a Nick Castellanos single. India has four multi-hit games over his last eight contests, but he was hitless in the other four. The 24-year-old is slashing .280/.393/.470 with 16 long balls, 56 RBI, 75 runs and eight steals in 467 plate appearances.