MLB Player News

Vargas went 1-for-5 with a solo home run Thursday against the Rays.

After a strong start to the season, Vargas entered Thursday's game having collected only two hits across his last 33 at-bats. However, he showed some signs of turning things around with a solo blast in the third inning, his second of the season and first since March 30. Though Vargas is hitting only .159 across 76 plate appearances to begn the campaign, he's striking out at only an 18.4 percent clip while suffering from a BABIP of .167.

Bazzana went 3-for-6 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored for Triple-A Columbus on Thursday.

Bazzana is breaking out from a slow start and has hit safely in six straight games, going 11-for-24 with six doubles, two steals and four runs scored. The Guardians bypassed the 2024 first-overall pick for a promotion earlier this month when they needed a replacement for the injured Gabriel Arias (hamstring), who is expected to be sidelined until mid-May at the earliest. Instead, the organization promoted Juan Brito, who is currently mired in a 1-for-18 slump. Brito's slump along with Cleveland's second basemen batting .188 (24th in MLB) could open the door for Bazzana to make his MLB debut sooner rather than later (as was expected).

Torres went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Thursday's 10-9 win over the Royals.

Batting leadoff for just the second time this year, Torres provided a spark for the Tigers. The infielder is 5-for-8 across his last two games, which has raised his batting average from .200 all the way up to .250. That's in line with the .256 average Torres recorded during the 2025 regular season, and the veteran should continue to serve as a reliable table setter that is capable of scoring runs in bunches.

Schneemann is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Orioles.

While starting in each of the last four games -- twice against righties and twice against lefties -- Schneemann went 7-for-14 with three extra-base hits (one home run, two doubles), two walks, two runs and three RBI. Though he'll take a seat against righty Shane Baz in the series opener, Schneemann has made a case for earning regular starts while the Guardians remain without one of their key everyday players in Gabriel Arias (hamstring), whose absence appears likely to stretch into at least the middle of May. For the season, Schneemann has produced a .371 wOBA, placing him third among all Guardians with at least 25 plate appearances.

Acuna is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rays.

Despite having the platoon advantage in his favor with southpaw Steven Matz on the mound for the Rays, Acuna will head to the bench for the series finale while Derek Hill picks up a start in center field. Since delivering his first multi-hit game of the season April 5, Acuna has gone 2-for-27 over his last eight contests, bringing his season average down to .170.

Jones (illness) will start at designated hitter and bat third in Thursday's game versus the Royals.

Jones missed out on a start against a lefty Tuesday because he was battling a stomach bug, but he's feeling well enough to give it a go Thursday versus southpaw Kris Bubic. The 28-year-old slashed .288/.393/.577 with seven home runs in 122 plate appearances against left-handers last season.

Altuve is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies.

Per Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle, manager Joe Espada said that Altuve's absence from the lineup is a routine rest day after the 35-year-old infielder started each of Houston's first 18 games. Isaac Paredes will spell Altuve at second base and will bat third.

Frazier will start at second base and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Yankees, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.

For the Angels' third straight matchup versus a right-handed starting pitcher (Luis Gil), Frazier will receive the nod at second base. Over a limited sample of 26 plate appearances this season, Frazier has produced a strong .848 OPS, so he could hold the edge at keystone over Oswald Peraza and Vaughn Grissom until his bat inevitably cools down.

Massey will start at second base and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Yankees.

Massey will be part of the Kansas City lineup for the fifth time in seven games, with his lone two absences during that stretch coming against left-handed starting pitchers. He may have at least temporarily supplanted Jonathan India as the Royals' preferred option at the keystone, but Massey will need to raise his production at the plate to build more job security. Since being activated from the injured list April 6, Massey has gone 2-for-11 with a double and a 0:3 BB:K.

India is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Detroit.

It's the third time over the last four games against right-handed pitching that India has been out of the lineup, as Michael Massey seems to have inched past him as the preferred option at second base. India is hitless over his last five games and is slashing just .175/.340/.325 on the season.