MLB Player News

Merrifield will start at second base and bat sixth in the order Monday against the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

In an effort to shake up the lineup after the Royals were limited to one hit in Sunday's loss to the Indians, manager Ned Yost has decided to drop Merrifield five spots in the order. Given the lack of appealing alternatives at the top of the lineup, it's not out of the question for Merrifield to eventually reclaim leadoff duties, but he may have to offer more production at the plate in subsequent contests before moving up. Merrifield is batting .143/.196/.214 over his last 11 games.

Bostick is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday, Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

This will be Bostick's first sniff of major-league action. The 24-year-old is off to a nice start at Indianapolis, slashing .320/.347/.495 with 11 RBI and three stolen bases. The utility man will provide a much needed boost to the Pirates' bench, which currently has three non-everyday players batting below the Mendoza Line (Alen Hanson, John Jaso and Phil Gosselin). A corresponding roster move should be announced once the move is made official.

Altuve went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Angels.

Altuve's third-inning homer, his fifth of the season, shifted the momentum in the game after the Angels jumped out to a 2-0 lead. The homer also atoned for him getting picked off first base in the first inning with Carlos Correa at the plate. A perennial MVP candidate, he's hitting a blistering .419 on the road this season compared to .236 at home, though those numbers should balance out as the season wears on. The Astros are off Monday and return to Houston for a quick two-game set against the Braves.

Frazier (hamstring) will need to complete a rehab stint before returning to team's active roster, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

Pirates general manager Neal Huntington gave no timeframe for Frazier's return. "We'll see where we are this week," Huntington said. The 25-year-old is missing out on an opportunity to see steady playing time. He was eligible to come off the disabled list Wednesday but will likely end up sitting out more than two weeks.

Motter went 2-for-4 with an RBI double, another two-bagger and a run in Saturday's 8-2 win over the Rangers.

After a hot start that had his average sitting at .321 on April 17, Motter had hit the skids at the plate, hitting safely in just seven of his subsequent 43 at-bats coming into Saturday. His effort against the Rangers represented his first multi-hit game since April 26, which also marked the date of his last extra-base hit. Despite the recent struggles, Motter offers tremendous defensive versatility. However, rookie Ben Gamel, who can back up all three outfield positions in his own right, could conceivably endanger Motter's roster spot if he's able to sustain his current surge while Mitch Haniger (oblique) remains out.

Arroyo (foot) is playing shortstop and batting sixth in the lineup during Sunday's game against the Reds, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Arroyo was lifted from Saturday's game early after fouling a ball off his foot during an at-bat. It appears that injury wasn't anything serious as the promising 21-year-old is set to return to action Sunday. He's hitting .250 with three homers and six RBI through his first 48 at-bats.

Drury is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies.

Though Drury has posted a solid .300 average early in the season, his playing time has been a bit spotty recently. After sitting out Thursday's contest, the second baseman will again head to the bench for Sunday's tilt against Tyler Chatwood and the Rockies. The 24-year-old will likely be back in the lineup Tuesday against the Tigers.

Arroyo was removed from Saturday's game after hitting a foul ball off his foot, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Arroyo wasn't removed from the game immediately, but he was seen walking back to the clubhouse with an athletic trainer. There's a decent likelihood that his removal was precautionary given how uncompetitive the game was at that time, but more details should emerge following the game's conclusion. Conor Gillaspie took over at the hot corner in his stead.

Altuve is out of Saturday's lineup against the Angels.

Altuve will get the day off on h is 27th birthday. He is hitting .297/.373/.450 with four home runs and nine steals in 126 plate appearances this season. Marwin Gonzalez will get the start at second base and hit seventh against righty JC Ramirez.

Espinosa is out of Saturday's lineup against the Astros.

He is in a brutal 2-for-44 (.045 average) funk at the plate, so he will get his third day off in the last nine games. Cliff Pennington is starting at second base and hitting eighth against righty Lance McCullers.