MLB Player News

Arauz has worked his way into the rotation at second base, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Arauz started at second base Friday with Jose Peraza (knee) recovering, but manager Ron Roenicke suggested Arauz may have played even without Peraza's injury. "That's why he's out there. Just because he's played so well recently," Roenicke said. After an 0-for-9 start to the season, Arauz has hit safely in five straight games, going 9-for-17 with a double and four RBI.

Semien went 2-for-5 with a double in Friday's win over the Giants.

Semien was one of two Oakland players who mustered more than one hit against the Giants pitching staff, and the star shortstop has been seeing the ball well of late -- he has hit safely in three straight games and in six of Oakland's last seven contests, hitting .290 with an .823 OPS in that stretch. He is beginning to turn things around after a slow start to the season.

Altuve returned to the lineup Friday and went 0-for-5 with an RBI in an 11-1 win over the Mariners.

Houston manager Dusty Baker gave Altuve a two-day mental break from playing, but it did not snap him out of an early-season funk. "Good hitters go through slumps that they're not accustomed to," Baker told Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. "Altuve can hit. He's chasing bad pitches and taking good pitches. Every time you look up, you got two strikes on you. Altuve's been hitting all his life, it's just a matter of time until Altuve hits again." The second baseman has a .563 OPS over 88 plate appearances.

Garcia went 2-for-5 with a double, a run scored and two RBI in Friday's 15-3 rout of the Orioles.

Called up for his big-league debut after Starlin Castro (wrist) landed on the injured list, Garcia showed off his plus hit tool right out of the gate, looping a single into left field in the third inning for his first MLB knock and then ripping a double to the wall in the right-field corner in the eighth for his first RBI. The Nats have veteran options like Asdrubal Cabrera or Josh Harrison available to fill in at second base if they choose, but the 20-year-old Garcia may get a long look at the keystone first.

Lowe went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and three RBI in Friday's loss to the Blue Jays.

Lowe remained hot in Friday's series opener against the Blue Jays, but the Rays' bullpen struggled late in the game. Lowe has multiple RBI in each of the past three games, and he's carrying a 1.096 OPS with six home runs and 19 RBI over the first 20 games of the season.

Garcia's contract was selected by the Nationals on Friday, and he'll start in the team's originally scheduled game against the Orioles, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Garcia was on the taxi squad for the team's current road trip, and he'll join the active roster after Starlin Castro was placed on the 10-day injured list with a broken right wrist. The 20-year-old will make his major-league debut against the Orioles and could carve out playing time at second base while Castro is sidelined.

Estrada was called up by the Yankees on Friday, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.

Estrada will replace Aaron Judge on the roster, who landed on the injured list with a calf strain in a corresponding move. He'll likely serve as a utility infielder during his time with the team.

Albies (wrist) took swings off a tee Friday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

It's the first indication of the 23-year-old participating in baseball activities since being placed on the injured list Aug. 5. Manager Brian Snitker said he doesn't expect Albies to be activated next week, so he's unlikely to rejoin the Braves until late August. Johan Camargo should continue to see the bulk of the work at the keystone in his absence.

Kemp is a candidate to fill the No. 2 spot in the order during Ramon Laureano's four-game suspension, which begins Friday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The veteran infielder has seen action in 13 of the Athletics' first 17 games, slashing .259/.429/.259 across 36 plate appearances. Kemp has yet to hit any higher than eighth in his 10 starts during that span, but his 22.2 percent walk rate and speed make him a candidate for a spot near the top of the order against right-handed pitching.

Rosario (illness) is starting at shortstop and batting ninth Friday at Philadelphia.

The 24-year-old missed the last three games due to a stomach illness, but he'll rejoin the starting nine for Friday's series opener. Rosario has a .207/.207/.310 slash line with eight runs and four RBI through 58 plate appearances.