MLB Player News

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.

Julien went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 10-4 victory over the Red Sox.

Julien now has two home runs since making his big-league debut on April 12. The 23-year-old also recorded his first three-hit game in Wednesday's blowout victory. The rookie infielder has received regular playing time since his promotion, but the impending return of Jorge Polanco (knee) -- who is with Triple-A St. Paul on a rehab assignment -- looms large over Julien's season-long outlook.

Frazier went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Nationals.

The 31-year-old came in for injured teammate Jorge Mateo and promptly pulled a hanging breaking ball to right field for his second homer of the season. Frazier has operated as Baltimore's primary second baseman this year with 13 starts and has a .245/.344/.415 slash line in 61 plate appearances.