MLB Player News

Kemp went 2-for-2 with a walk and a two-run home run in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Tigers.

Kemp continued his hot hitting and is 8-for-21 (.381 average) with a home run and four RBI in July. The current health of the Astros' outfield leaves the 26-year-old without a true starting role, but he has played well enough as a fill-in to secure semi-regular opportunities.

Solarte is not starting Tuesday in Boston.

Solarte started in his first game back from an oblique injury but won't get to start two in a row. Devon Travis will start at second base, with Aledmys Diaz remaining the third baseman.

Frazier collected two hits for the second straight game Monday, going 2-for-5 with an RBI single.

He made his first start in right field since early August, allowing Josh Harrison (hamstring) to play second base for the first time in September. Frazier is the early favorite to start at second base in 2019, but he will likely remain in right field the rest of this season with Gregory Polanco (knee) ruled out for the remainder of the campaign. Since his recall July 25, Frazier is slashing .350/.400/.593 with 15 doubles, five homers and 21 RBI in 135 plate appearances.

Albies went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple and two runs scored in Monday's win over the Giants.

Albies' second half has been a far cry from his brilliant first half, as even with Monday's production factored in he's still batting just .253/.294/.353 since the All-Star break (170 at-bats). Those struggles have resulted in Albies falling to the bottom third of the batting order recently, but his season stats remain beyond impressive for a 21-year-old and he's shown improvement from the right side of the plate, providing a silver lining during this rough stretch.

Altuve banged his knee while attempting to turn a double play in Monday's win over the Tigers, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. He stayed in the game and finished 1-for-4.

Altuve had spent nearly a month on the disabled list earlier this season with soreness in the same knee, so there was some concern following the play. The second baseman said he was a little sore, but is confident he can play Tuesday.

Merrifield went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Monday's win over the White Sox.

Merrifield led off the first with his 12th home run of the season. He had been slumping lately with just three hits in his last 27 at-bats, but hopefully the homer will snap him out of his slump. He remains one of the best second basemen in baseball with his .302 average and 31 steals.

Marte is on the bench Monday against the Rockies.

Marte has been struggling against right-handed pitching of late and will sit for the third time in four games. He'll give way to Daniel Descalso, who looks to have at least temporarily secured the larger portion of the timeshare at the keystone.

Urias went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in Sunday's win over the Reds.

Urias returned to the lineup after a scheduled rest day Saturday, and he cashed in with his second home run of the year. The 21-year-old is slashing just .205/.265/.364 over his first 49 major-league plate appearances, but his dynasty value remains high despite the early struggles.

Altuve went 2-for-5 with a solo home run Sunday against the Red Sox.

Altuve took Rick Porcello deep in the sixth inning to record his 11th home run of the season. It was his first home run since Aug. 24, though he is riding a modest four-game hitting streak, during which he's managed five hits across 16 at-bats. After swiping 11 bases between June and July, Altuve has also stopped running since returning from a knee injury on Aug. 21, going only 1-for-2 on stolen base attempts.

Lowe hit a three-run home run in the first inning while going 1-for-4 of Sunday's game.

Lowe went hitless in his first 19 at-bats after his callup in August, but he has hit .352/.444/.648 since breaking that slump. The home run was his fourth in his last 10 games.