MLB Player News

Villar is not in Thursday's lineup against the Mets, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Villar has started seven of the team's last eight games but will hit the bench for a breather Thursday after collecting only three hits across his last 27 plate appearances while striking out at a 37 percent rate. Wilmer Flores enters the lineup in Villar's spot, batting sixth while playing first base.

Hernandez was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Just a day after being promoted to the big leagues by the Dodgers, Hernandez will return to Triple-A while Andre Jackson gets the callup to take the infielder's roster spot. Hernandez is slashing .308/.500/.385 through 18 Triple-A plate appearances and could return to Los Angeles if their infield depth is ever tested again during the season.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Thursday that Polanco (knee) is "pretty close to coming back," Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Park suspects that Polanco will be activated in the early portion of the Twins' upcoming homestand, which begins Friday against the Nationals and runs through April 30. Polanco has already played in eight minor-league rehab games between Single-A Fort Myers and Triple-A St. Paul, though he's slashed just .231/.323/.269 across 31 plate appearances. The 29-year-old second baseman is recovering from a left knee injury, though he said Wednesday that he's "100 percent" healthy.

Marte is not in the lineup Thursday against the Padres.

Marte will grab a bit of rest after rattling off three straight multi-hit games in St. Louis. Geraldo Perdomo is playing second base and batting ninth Thursday versus San Diego. Nick Ahmed is at shortstop and hitting eighth.

Diaz, recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas earlier in the day, started at third base and went 1-for-2 with an RBI double in a loss to the Cubs on Wednesday.

Diaz got his first big-league stint of 2023 off to a positive start, doubling home Tyler Wade in the fifth inning for the Athletics' first run of the game. The 22-year-old also held his own against big-league arms during his initial exposure to last season (.265 average in 15 games), and with Oakland all in on evaluating young players, Diaz could carve out a steady swath of playing time if he's able to make consistent contributions at the plate.

Arroyo (hamstring) remains out of the Red Sox's lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Arroyo hasn't played since Monday due to a hamstring issue but is expected to be available off the bench Thursday, so he should be ready to return to the lineup over the weekend. Enrique Hernandez is at second base versus the Twins while Yu Chang receives a start at shortstop.

Valdez was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Valdez made an impact in his major-league debut Wednesday against the Twins, singling twice in four plate appearances. His stay with the big club lasted only one day, though, with Yu Chang (personal) returning from paternity leave Thursday. Valdez's bat would be intriguing for fantasy purposes if he receives the chance at regular playing time with Boston at some point.

Arraez went 1-for-5 with a walk and a stolen base in Wednesday's extra-innings loss to the Giants.

He collected his first theft of the season on the back half of a double steal with Jazz Chisholm in the 10th inning, but the duo got stranded when Bryan De La Cruz and Avisail Garcia both struck out, setting the stage for a four-run top of the 11th by San Francisco. Arraez has gone just 4-for-17 since returning to the starting lineup from a minor finger injury, but he still sports a dazzling .438/.493/.578 slash line through 18 games on the season, albeit with a less impressive one homer, seven RBI and seven runs.

Valdez started at second base and went 2-for-4 in Wednesday's 10-4 loss to the Twins.

Valdez was called up amid a flurry of transactions Wednesday. Yu Chang (paternity) and Christian Arroyo (hamstring) were unavailable, enabling Valdez to make his MLB debut. The 24-year-old infielder's stay with Boston is expected to be a short one.

Hernandez went 2-for-3 with a walk, a home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 10-4 loss to the Twins.

Hernandez popped his third home run of the season in the sixth inning and extended his hitting streak to six games. He slumped to start the season, going 3-for-36 over the first 11 games, but has turned it around since. He's hit safely in seven of the last eight, going 10-for-29 (.345) with four extra-base hits, five RBI and eight runs scored. Hernandez's hot bat moved him up in the order to the five-hole in five of the past six contests.