MLB Player News

Kemp will start in center field and bat ninth Sunday against the Angels, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

For the sixth straight game, Kemp will fill in for the injured George Springer (quadriceps) in the outfield. While Kemp has done a commendable job as a replacement with six hits in 15 at-bats over the previous five contests, his run as an everyday player will soon come to an end. Manager A.J. Hinch announced earlier Sunday that he expects Springer to return to the lineup for Monday's series opener with the Athletics, according to Rome.

Herrera is out of the lineup Sunday against the Cubs, Matt Martell of MLB.com reports.

Herrera will retreat to the bench for the second time in the series, disrupting a stretch of four starts in five games for the 24-year-old. Considering Herrera managed only two hits in 14 at-bats over those contests and is batting just .173 over 32 games with the Reds this season, his window for playing time may have closed. He'll likely be ticketed for a utility role unless the Reds lose another one of their regulars in the infield to an injury.

Rodriguez is starting at shortstop and batting eighth in Sunday's game against the White Sox.

With Jose Iglesias getting the day off, Rodriguez slides into the lineup for the series finale. The 26-year-old infielder hasn't been very productive this season, as he's slashing just .209/.248/.273, though he did blast his first career home run in his last start Thursday.

Albies is not in the lineup for Sunday's series finale at Miami, David O'Brien of The Athletic Atlanta reports.

Albies started the last 11 games at second base for the Braves, but slashed a horrid .163/.217/.163 in that stretch. Charlie Culberson will start at the keystone Sunday and bat sixth as Albies gets a day to clear his head.

Lowe will start in right field and bat eighth Sunday against the Red Sox, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

It's the third consecutive start and fifth in six games for Lowe, who has seen his playing time spike with Mallex Smith (infection) on the disabled list and the Rays making Carlos Gomez less of a priority in the lineup. Lowe has rewarded the Rays with a .563 on-base percentage over the last five games and should benefit from steady at-bats so long as he continues to draw walks with regularity. His usefulness in traditional 5x5 formats has been more limited, however, as Lowe is hitting .195 with no home runs and one steal through his first 50 plate appearances in the big leagues.

Chavis went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, two RBI and three runs scored for Triple-A Pawtucket on Saturday.

Chavis is off to a quick start in his first stint at the Triple-A level. He's played two games for the PawSox, homering in both while collecting five extra-base hits in nine at-bats. There was some surprise about his production in 2017, when he jumped from a struggling minor-league hitter to one with a .910 OPS and 31 homers in 126 games. Surprise turned to questions when he was slapped with an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs in the spring, but the power surge has continued. Chavis has a 1.007 OPS with nine home runs in 40 games this season. We expect the Red Sox to have Chavis start 2019 at Pawtucket and get him more time at first base, a position of uncertainty beginning in 2020.

Altuve was hit on the left elbow by a fastball Saturday, but remained in the game, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Altuve was in noticeable pain after getting plunked in the seventh inning, but managed to stay in the game and was part of a four-run outburst in the eighth inning. That he returned to the game is a positive sign, but we need to see how the elbow responds the next day.

Frazier went 1-for-2 with a walk, a three-run homer and an additional run scored in Saturday's win over the Brewers.

Frazier walked in his first at-bat before busting the game open in the eighth inning with the homer. The 26-year-old now has four hits and five RBI over the past two games, and he's hitting a solid .339/.400/.597 across 19 games this month. Frazier could be in line for some increased playing time if Josh Harrison, who exited Saturday's game with hamstring tightness, is forced to miss any time.

Merrifield went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI against the Indians on Saturday.

Merrifield drove in one run on an RBI single against Corey Kluber in the third inning and followed that up with an RBI double in the seventh inning. He had a 12-game hitting streak snapped Friday but now has hits in 13 of his last 14 games, which has pushed his batting average up to .306 for the season. That's good enough for eighth in the American League, and he also ranks second in stolen bases with 28.

Rosario went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Nationals.

He blasted his seventh homer of the season to center field in the sixth inning, breaking open a scoreless tie. Rosario has posted improved numbers in August, hitting .273 with three home runs and six steals in 21 games, but the 22-year-old's .244/.287/.370 slash line on the season still limits his usefulness to deeper fantasy formats.