MLB Player News

The Guardians placed Arias on the family medical emergency list Friday.

By rule, Arias will be away from the club for the next 3-to-7 days. Angel Martinez will take his spot on the Guardians' roster.

Toro (shoulder) entered Thursday's loss to the Royals as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the seventh inning and remained in the game at third base, recording a double in his only plate appearance.

Toro was out of the starting nine for the third straight game due to shoulder soreness, but his ability to make some hard contact and then stay in the game on defense implies he may be ready to return to the lineup Friday. The veteran's pinch-hit, two-out two-bagger Thursday had the potential to generate Toro's 25th RBI of the campaign and snap a 2-2 tie, but Kyle McCann was thrown out at the plate on the play to end the frame.

Miranda went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run Thursday against the Rays.

Miranda's clutch homer came with two on and two out in the ninth inning to tie the game and send it into extra innings. It was the eighth blast of the season for Miranda, who continues to distance himself from last year's nightmarish campaign that included a .566 OPS. The third-year pro is now slashing .280/.317/.477 with eight homers, 12 doubles, a triple, 27 RBI, 23 runs and a steal over 205 plate appearances.

Arenado (elbow) isn't in the starting lineup Thursday against the Giants, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Arenado said Wednesday that he's aiming to return to the Cardinals' lineup Saturday, so his absence from Thursday's starting nine hardly comes as a surprise. Brandon Crawford will get the nod at the hot corner and bat seventh while Arenado continues to recover.

Westburg (hip) will start at second base and bat sixth in Thursday's game versus the Yankees.

Westburg had to depart Tuesday's contest with a bruised left hip and then didn't play Wednesday, but he's back in there for Thursday's rubber match. With Westburg handling second base, Ramon Urias will be at the hot corner.

Toro (shoulder) is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Royals.

Toro will miss out on a third consecutive start while he recovers from a sore shoulder, an injury that first cropped up in the Athletics' doubleheader with the Twins on Sunday. Aledmys Diaz will fill in at third base Thursday for Toro, who is considered day-to-day.

Biggio is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rockies.

Biggio will join fellow left-handed hitters Gavin Lux and Jason Heyward on the bench for the series finale in Colorado while the Rockies send southpaw Ty Blach to the hill. Enrique Hernandez will enter the lineup at third base as Biggio's replacement.

Rojas is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Guardians.

With lefty Logan Allen on the hill for Cleveland, Rojas and fellow left-handed-hitting regulars Dominic Canzone and Luke Raley will retreat to the bench. Dylan Moore will move over from his usual spot at second base to cover the hot corner in Rojas' stead.

Smith started at designated hitter and went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Mets.

Smith returned from a hamstring injury Tuesday but has been limited to DH duties in both games, and he's still made an impact with his bat. In the bottom of the sixth inning Wednesday, he doubled in a run then scored a game-tying run. Smith is 3-for-7 with a home run, a double, four RBI and an additional run scored in the two games at DH.

Espinal started at third base and went 1-for-3 in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to Pittsburgh.

Espinal received a second consecutive start at the hot corner, as Jeimer Candelario (tendinitis) was unavailable. This could be a situation where manager David Bell is giving Candelario multiple days to rest up, including a team day off Thursday, so that he'll be ready to go Friday when the Reds open a home series against the suddenly hot Red Sox.