MLB Player News

Espinal is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Yankees.

Espinal started the past three games and will take a seat after going 5-for-10 with a double, a walk, three RBI and a run scored. The 27-year-old has remained the preferred option at second base despite the acquisition of Whit Merrifield at the trade deadline, though Merrifield has spent a lot of time in center field in place of George Springer (knee). Cavan Biggio is starting at the keystone and batting eighth.

Estrada is not in Friday's lineup against the Rockies.

Wilmer Flores gets the nod at the keystone while Brandon Crawford starts at shortstop. Estrada is hitting .300 with two home runs and one steal in 40 at-bats this month.

Marte (hamstring) is not in Friday's lineup against the Cardinals.

Marte left Sunday's game with a hamstring injury and appeared Wednesday as a pinch hitter. He is hitting .213/.275/.255 with zero home runs and zero steals in 13 games this month.

Rengifo (back) is starting Friday against the Tigers, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Rengifo exited Wednesday's series finale against the Mariners due to lower-back tightness, but he'll start at the keystone and bat third Friday. The 25-year-old has been productive at the plate recently, hitting .282 with four home runs, three doubles, 10 RBI and six runs over the last nine games.

Sosa was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on Friday, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reports.

Sosa lost out on consistent playing time recently and will head to the minors after hitting just .114 with a home run, a double, three runs and an RBI over 11 games in the majors. Elvis Andrus was signed by the White Sox on Friday and should serve as the primary shortstop while Tim Anderson (hand) and Leury Garcia (back) are on the injured list.

Castro (thumb) isn't starting Friday against the Angels.

Castro exited Wednesday's game against Cleveland due to left thumb soreness, and he'll be out of the lineup following the Tigers' scheduled day off Thursday. Jonathan Schoop will shift to first base while Willi Castro starts at the keystone.

Arauz (finger) will begin a rehab assignment at High-A Aberdeen on Friday, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Arauz took part in infield work Thursday and will be cleared for game action in the minors a day later. It's not yet clear how many rehab games he'll require, but he'll likely be in the mix to rejoin the Orioles sometime next week.

Peguero has slashed just .222/.283/.292 with three home runs, eight steals and a 12:39 BB:K through 46 games since being optioned back to Double-A Altoona.

He wasn't exactly lighting up the Eastern League before his June cup of coffee in the majors, but Peguero has had a lot of trouble producing since making his return to Double-A. Though the 21-year-old shortstop has good speed and a bit of pop, the latter has hardly shown up this year. On the bright side, he has actually trimmed his strikeout rate a bit compared to last season.

Hoerner is not in the starting lineup Friday versus the Brewers.

Hoerner will get a breather after he batted .356 with a homer, six RBI, four runs and two stolen bases while starting the last 12 games. Christopher Morel will take over at shortstop and bat ninth in the series opener.

Mathias started at designated hitter and went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Thursday's 10-3 win over the Athletics.

Mathias, who was acquired from the Brewers at the trade deadline, was called up from Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday, a transaction that got lost amidst the organizational chaos of the past week, which featured the sacking of a manager and general manager. He appeared as a pinch hitter Wednesday, doubling in his lone plate appearance, then made his first start for the Rangers on Thursday. It's unclear how he'll be used going forward, as the Rangers tend to rotate several players through the DH spot. He could serve as a right-handed complement to Brad Miller at DH or get used as a utility player capable of playing second base, third base and left field.