MLB Player News

Andrus batted third in the order and went 1-for-5 in Monday's 3-1 loss to the Athletics.

Andrus, who hit leadoff the previous two games as the replacement for Delino DeShields (hand), was dropped back to third in the order. Manager Jeff Banister indicated Andrus would likely get most of the leadoff at-bats while DeShields is sidelined, but altered course Monday when he had Shin-Soo Choo atop the order.

Mathias (shoulder) will start the 2018 season at Double-A Akron.

Mathias struggled with a shoulder injury a season ago, but appears healthy for the upcoming season. He slashed a disappointing .212/.328/.308 in 104 at-bats for Double-A Akron in 2017 and will look to bounce back in 2018.

Merrifield went 1-for-4 in Monday's 6-1 loss to the Tigers.

Although he's gone just 2-for-12 (.167) over the Royals' first three games, Merrifield has managed to score on two occasions. After hitting a respectable .288/.324/.460 over 145 games last season, Merrifield will see consistent time at second base as he tries to find his groove at the dish.

Jones is transitioning from the outfield to playing second base, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Jones worked his way up to High-A Inland Empire last season, where he hit .302/.368/.488 and stole nine bases over 41 games. Although he was on his way to becoming a promising outfield prospect for the Angels, the club has opted to have the 20-year-old continue his development as a second baseman. Because Jones played the keystone during high school, general manager Billy Eppler is confident that the transition should be smooth. If Jones adapts well and continues impressing offensively, a promotion to Double-A Mobile could be in order this year.

The Blue Jays assigned Espinosa to Triple-A Buffalo on Monday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Espinosa's status had been in limbo for the last few days after Gift Ngeope beat him out for a reserve spot in the infield, but it appears the veteran has elected to remain in the organization for now. Since Espinosa's contract contains an out clause if he's not promoted to the big-league roster before the end of April, he's unlikely to stick around at Buffalo for more than a few weeks.

Drury went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in Sunday's loss to the Blue Jays.

Drury launched his first home run of the season Sunday, bringing his RBI count to four along the way. Over four games with his new club, Drury has gone 5-for-13 (.385). Even after Miguel Andujar was summoned from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Drury should remain a regular in New York's powerful lineup if his production remains solid.

Andrus is likely to get the majority of at-bats in the leadoff spot with Delino DeShields (hand) sidelined, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Andrus was the emergency fill-in at leadoff Saturday and got on base three times while scoring all three runs in the Rangers' 9-3 loss to the Astros. He had opened the season as the third hitter, where he could make an impact driving in runs. That all changes -- at least as long as DeShields is out. The bottom third of the Rangers' order will not present Andrus with many RBI opportunities -- that trio went 0-for-11 with one walk and six strikeouts Saturday. The lower third of the order is a combined 1-for-29 with two walks and 13 strikeouts over the first three games of the season.

Altuve went 4-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 9-3 win over the Rangers.

This was the 25th time in Altuve's career he's had a four-hit game, although you don't need us to point out statistical feats that prove Altuve's one of baseball's best hitters. He's batting third in the order, in front of Carlos Correa, who also had four hits Saturday, including a home run. Altuve, who has scored 220 runs over the last two seasons, should be a lock to cross home plate more than 100 times this season while hitting in front of Correa.

Andrus went 2-for-3 with one walk, one home run, one RBI, and three runs scored Saturday against the Astros.

Andrus took over the leadoff role in the first game of Delino DeShields' absence and took advantage, reaching base three times and scoring each time. Andrus batted second and third predominantly last season, but attempted only seven steals in 214 at-bats batting third last season as opposed to 22 attempts in 350 at-bats when batting second. Now that he is likely to bat higher in the order, his stolen-base production should be safe.

Fontana was called up to the majors Saturday to replace the injured Ian Kinsler (groin), Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Fontana figures to remain in the big leagues for at least the 10 days that Kinsler is required to remain on the disabled list, and it's unclear if Kinsler will need additional time beyond that. Fontana could start occasionally in Kinsler's place, though the Angels are likely to slide Zack Cozart over from third, with Luis Valbuena and Jefry Marte receiving starts at third base. If Fontana ends up with unexpected playing time this season, he could be worth a flyer in deep OBP leagues, as he posted a 16.6 percent walk rate at Triple-A Salt Lake last season, though he doesn't do much else to help fantasy owners.