MLB Player News

Espinal was recalled by the Blue Jays on Saturday.

Espinal was unable to break camp with the major-league club this year, but he'll join the big-league roster after Lourdes Gurriel was placed on the COVID-19 injured list due to vaccine-related symptoms Saturday. Since Gurriel will be eligible to return as soon as his symptoms subside, Espinal might not spend much time in the majors.

Trejo's contract was selected by the Rockies on Saturday.

Trejo will join the major-league club for the first time after Chris Owings (thumb) was placed on the 10-day injured list. The 24-year-old should serve as infield depth with Owings and Brendan Rodgers (hamstring) sidelined. Trejo spent the 2019 campaign with Double-A Hartford and slashed .243/.290/.391 with 15 home runs, 49 RBI and five stolen bases in 125 games.

Rodgers (hamstring) is making significant progress in his recovery, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Rodgers suffered a right hamstring strain in mid-March but has been participating in baseball activities recently. He's been doing light running, and he'll take batting practice and work on fielding Saturday. Manager Bud Black said Saturday that Rodgers is getting close to a return, but Black declined to give a specific timetable for the second baseman to make his season debut.

Rojas went 0-for-4 in Friday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Reds.

Rojas, who is filling in at shortstop for the injured Nick Ahmed (knee), had his batting average drop to .074 following the game. He opened the season as the primary leadoff hitter but was quickly dropped amid the hitting woes. If fantasy managers haven't benched him yet, news that Ahmed is expected to return this weekend should prompt that move.

Lowe went 1-for-5 with a three-run double in Friday's 10-5 win over the Yankees.

Lowe's bases-clearing double in the fourth inning blew the game wide open for the Rays, giving them an 8-5 lead. Through 15 at-bats prior to Friday, the 26-year-old had yet to drive in a run this season. He owns a .794 OPS through 27 plate appearances.

Rosario is starting in center field and leading off Friday against the Tigers.

This is his first start in center field this season, although he did appear in center field after entering as a pinch hitter back on April 3. His other two starts came at shortstop. Rosario is 3-for-8 with zero extra-base hits and zero stolen-base attempts in four games. If he can produce at the plate, there should be a spot for him most days in the field.

Kemp drew two walks in three plate appearances during Thursday's loss to the Astros before being pinch hit for in the ninth inning.

Kemp has only one hit his first 17 plate appearance, but he's reached base safely on four other occasions courtesy of free passes. The 29-year-old appeared to be making strides at the plate as spring wound down, but Jed Lowrie, who delivered a pinch-hit single after replacing Kemp on Thursday, has been the more productive of the two early in the regular season.

Mendick went 3-for-3 with three singles and a walk in Thursday's 6-0 win over the Royals.

The 27-year-old is filling in nicely for Tim Anderson (hamstring) with four hits and two walks in two games this season. Mendick could earn more playing time even once Leury Garcia (leg) is healthy if he continues to supply offense from the bottom of the lineup.

Frazier went 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI on Thursday against the Cubs.

Frazier was one of the few sources of offense for the Pirates in this one, as he laced an RBI single in the fourth inning. Serving as the team's primary leadoff hitter, he has only five hits in 22 at-bats, but he's also worked out five free passes in six starts. Though he's on top of potentially the worst lineup in the majors, Frazier should still score runs at a decent clip if he continues to get on base regularly.

Altuve went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Thursday's victory over the Tigers.

The 30-year-old smacked a solo shot off Deolis Guerra in the seventh inning, his first of the season. Altuve is slashing .310/.394/.448 and appears to be fully recovered from his knee issues, though he's still well past his old days as a 30-steal threat.