MLB Player News

Lopez will have his contract selected from Triple-A Omaha prior to Tuesday's game against the Rangers.

According to Rustin Dodd of The Athletic, Lopez will immediately step in as the Royals' primary second baseman. The addition of Lopez will move Whit Merrifield to the outfield on a more regular basis, while third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez will likely shift to a bench role as part of the domino effect of the roster shuffle. The promotion is warranted for Lopez, as the well-regarded prospect was slashing .353/.457/.500 with a trio of homers and nine stolen bases through 31 games with Triple-A Omaha this season. Jake Newberry was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Torres (elbow) is back in the lineup Monday against Baltimore.

Torres was hit in the elbow by a pitch Friday but remained in the game and started Saturday's contest. He was given the day off Sunday due to elbow soreness but won't need a second day to rest. He'll hit fifth and play shortstop against the Orioles.

Kemp started in left field and went 3-for-5 with a triple, an RBI and three runs scored in Sunday's 15-5 win over the Rangers.

Kemp was one of several hitting stars for the Astros on Sunday. The three-hit day was his first of the season and second multi-hit performance. This was just the fourth start in the last 15 games for Kemp, whose swing is feeling every bit of that inactivity. He pushed his average from .188 to .226 with the effort.

Tomlinson was released by the Diamondbacks on Sunday, Jessica Kleinschmidt of NBC Sports reports.

Tomlinson was slashing .213/.314/.270 with five RBI over 31 games, but he'll search for a new team following this latest move. He hasn't surfaced in the big leagues since the 2018 season with San Francisco.

Frazier delivered a pinch-hit, two-run double in a 10-6 win over the Cardinals on Sunday.

The second baseman seems to be slowly breaking out of his slump. He's hitting .277 in 36 at-bats since May 3 and has four extra-base hits in his last 27 plate appearances. Frazier collected only six extra-base knocks in his first 120 plate appearances.

Castro was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Sunday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Castro will head back to the minor leagues after hitting .227 with a double in nine games since being promoted April 30. Josh Harrison (shoulder) is set to be activated from the injured list prior to Monday's matchup with the Astros and will take Castro's place on the 25-man roster.

Albies will start at second base and bat cleanup Sunday against the Diamondbacks, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Prior to the weekend, Albies had been deployed as the Braves' leadoff man in every start he had made dating back to April 13. Though he began that stretch with three straight multi-hit performances, an extended swoon to begin May dropped his on-base percentage to .329 for the season heading into Friday. Manager Brian Snitker has since turned the table-setting role over to Ronald Acuna, while Albies hit sixth in the first two games of the series. Albies will move up to the cleanup spot in the series finale, but that assignment is merely the result of Freddie Freeman being scratched from the lineup with a head cold.

Frazier is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Even with the Cardinals bringing right-hander Dakota Hudson to the hill in the series finale, the lefty-swinging Frazier will head to the bench for the second time in five games. Manager Clint Hurdle may just have wanted to give Kevin Newman another start in the middle infield with Newman wielding a hot bat over a limited sample of at-bats since returning from the 10-day injured list May 4. Struggling shortstop Cole Tucker would probably be more at risk of losing his everyday gig than Frazier in the event the Pirates decide to make room in the lineup for Newman on a more permanent basis.

Castro is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

The lefty-hitting Castro will sit with southpaw Martin Perez on the hill for Minnesota, but the 25-year-old looks like he may have a temporary hold on a large-side platoon role while Josh Harrison (shoulder) on the shelf. Castro had started six of the Tigers' previous eight games, with his last four appearances coming at second base. He's only managed five hits in 22 at-bats since his promotion from Triple-A Toledo, however, so Castro hasn't done enough yet to warrant much intrigue in the fantasy realm.

Torres is out of the lineup Sunday at Tampa Bay due to a sore right elbow, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

Torres was hit by a pitch on the right elbow Friday but played all nine innings Saturday, though he was apparently a little sore when making throws from shortstop. The 22-year-old didn't have any issues while swinging a bat and went 2-for-4 with a double, but the team just wants to give him a day to rest up. Thairo Estrada is starting at shortstop for the Yankees in Sunday's series finale.