MLB Player News

Polanco is absent from the lineup for Friday's game against the Cubs.

It's a routine day off for Polanco, who had started each of the previous 13 contests. The Mariners will go with Mitch Garver at designated hitter and Cole Young at second base in Friday's series opener.

Trout went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 7-3 loss to the Angels.

Trout opened the scoring in the first inning with a two-out, 423-foot blast off Carlos Rodon, his 12th homer of the year. The 33-year-old Trout has hits in seven of his last eight contests, going 10-for-29 (.345) with a 1.009 OPS in that span. He's slashing .236/.323/.466 with 22 runs scored, 12 RBI and a pair of stolen bases across 201 plate appearances this season.

Manager Joe Espada said Thursday Alvarez (hand) still hasn't started hitting, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez originally landed on the shelf May 3 due to inflammation in his right hand, but he was diagnosed with a fracture in late May while dealing with lingering discomfort. The fracture was labeled about 60 percent healed when discovered, and he won't return to hitting until it's fully healed. Alvarez's return timeline is likely to remain murky until he's able to ramp up his activities.

Rice is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Angels.

Though he'll take a seat with southpaw Tyler Anderson on the bump for the Angels, the left-handed-hitting Rice should still remain at least a semi-regular presence in the lineup against right-handed pitchers, even with the recent return of Giancarlo Stanton from the 60-day injured list closing off a potential path to playing time. Rice had been serving exclusively as a designated hitter or first baseman before making his first MLB start as a catcher in Wednesday's 3-2 loss. He went 0-for-1 with a walk Wednesday before being removed from the contest in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Soler (back) is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.

Soler will take a seat for the second straight game while he manages a stiff back. With Soler on the bench for the series finale in New York, Jo Adell will shift over to right field, allowing Scott Kingery to pick up a start in center field.

Soler is sitting out Wednesday's game against the Yankees due to back stiffness, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The Angels are labeling Soler as day-to-day for now, so while he won't play Wednesday, he doesn't seem to be dealing with anything serious. Luis Rengifo will cover right field while Kevin Newman starts at third base.

Soler is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.

Soler has been dreadful in June, going 5-for-42 with a 37 percent strikeout rate across 14 contests. He'll get a breather Wednesday as Luis Rengifo handles right field.

Stanton is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Angels.

Stanton started at designated hitter and picked up two hits in both of his first two games back from the 60-day injured list, but he will get a breather Wednesday. Jasson Dominguez will serve as the Yankees' designated hitter and will bat eighth.

Rice will start at catcher and bat sixth in Wednesday's game versus the Angels.

Rice saw most of his playing time at catcher in the minors, but he'll be making his first-ever start and seventh career appearance behind the dish at the major-league level. While Rice's starts at catcher moving forward are expected to be few and far between, it offers an additional path to playing time and also gives him a chance to gain eligibility at the position for fantasy purposes.

Fry went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Giants.

Fry snapped a hitless run of 13 at-bats with a fourth-inning double and scored on a Carlos Santana single to knot the game at 2-2. Fry has become the go-to DH against left-handers, and since being activated off the 60-day injured list May 31, he's batting .160/.276/.320 over 12 games.