MLB Player News

Altuve is back in Friday's lineup as the No. 2 hitter and second baseman against the Athletics, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

With Thursday's day off, the Astros saw Wednesday as the perfect time to give Altuve a night to rest and refresh for the home stretch. He has sat just three times since the All-Star break, and it would be surprising if Altuve sits out any more games until the Astros manage to clinch the AL West division crown.

Polanco went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and two RBI in Thursday's 4-2 win over the White Sox.

Polanco's big hit was actually a bases-loaded single off closer Kelvin Herrera, which drove in two runs to break a 2-2 tie with two outs in the top of the ninth inning. His .262/.314/.418 line is nothing special compared to most other hitters in Minnesota's lineup, yet Polanco continues to bat in the heart of the order. Putting him there paid off for manager Paul Molitor in this one, so don't expect the shortstop to be moved down anytime soon.

Andrus went a combined 5-for-9 with a home run, a double, a walk, a stolen base, three RBI and two runs as the Rangers and Braves split a doubleheader Wednesday.

Andrus did most of his damage in the Rangers' Game 1 victory, producing four hits, including his 20th home run of the season. With the long ball, Andrus locked up the first 20-homer, 20-steal season of his career, joining All-Stars Mike Trout and Jose Altuve in that exclusive club in 2017. The shortstop has collected four of his home runs in the last three games.

Merrifield went 3-for-6 with a trio of doubles, three RBI and a pair of runs in Wednesday's 13-2 drubbing of the Tigers.

Merrifield came in on a little five-game skid without an extra-base hit, but he made up for that in impressive fashion. The sophomore second baseman continues to post a well-rounded line for his fantasy owners, and he's certainly part of the reason why the Royals are not yet out of the AL wild-card race.

Altuve is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

It's a rare day off for Altuve, who will take a seat for just the third time since the All-Star break. The 27-year-old second baseman is in the midst of a monster year, slashing .351/.412/.557 with 21 homers and 31 stolen bases in 133 games, so look for him to return to the lineup following the Astros' off-day Thursday. Marwin Gonzalez is starting at the keystone in his stead.

Altuve went 0-for-2 with a walk, two runs scored and two stolen bases in Sunday's 8-6 win over the Mets.

The stolen bases were Altuve's 30th and 31st, making 2017 the sixth straight season that he's swiped at least 30 bags. Each stolen base led directly to a run scored, giving him 95 of those this year. With 26 games remaining, Altuve needs 14 runs to set a new career benchmark and surpass the 108 times he crossed home plate last season.

Andrus went 2-for-5 with a pair of home runs and three RBI Sunday against the Angels.

Andrus followed up a third-inning solo shot with a two-run homer in the sixth. The shortstop has developed decent power out of nowhere, hitting 18 home runs in 132 contests after never managing more than eight in any of his eight previous major-league seasons. Andrus is blowing his career .369 slugging percentage out of the water with a .483 mark while maintaining a presence on the base paths with 23 steals.

Barreto will start at second base and bat second Sunday against the Mariners.

The rookie will enter the lineup in place of Jed Lowrie, who receives a breather after starting 15 of the Athletics' last 16 contests. A likely long-term heir to a full-time role in the middle infield, Barreto may have to settle for sporadic at-bats in the final month of the season with both Lowrie and Marcus Semien seemingly in line to retain starting roles for the big club heading into 2018, assuming the Athletics exercise Lowrie's affordable $6 million club option this offseason.

Chavis will play some first base in the Arizona Fall Leauge, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports.

Chavis has had a monster season between High-A Salem and Double-A Portland in 2017 (30 HR in 125 games), putting himself back on the organization's radar. The problem is that he's blocked at third base, and rightfully so, by Rafael Devers. If Chavis can handle the transition to first base, that would put him on a path to become the everyday first baseman by 2019. Entering 2017, the prevailing thought had fellow prospect Sam Travis inheriting the first base job, but the Red Sox are putting Chavis in a position to push Travis.

Kemp started the first game of Saturday's doubleheader and went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI in a 12-8 win over the Mets.

Kemp was called up from Triple-A Fresno when rosters expanded and put to work immediately. With Carlos Beltran (foot) unavailable, manager A.J. Hinch utilized the designated hitter spot to give his plethora of outfielders at-bats through both games of the twin bill. When all hands are on deck and no doubleheaders are scheduled, Kemp is not expected to play much more than two games per week.