MLB Player News

Motter entered Wednesday's 9-6 win over the Braves as a pinch runner in the third inning and went 2-for-3 with a two-run single, a double and two runs.

Motter took over for Robinson Cano after the latter felt hamstring tightness and produced his first multi-hit effort since June 20 in the process. The utility man extraordinaire was just recalled from Triple-A Tacoma, where he'd dominated with a .350 average and seven home runs over 25 games. Motter figures to see occasional starts at various positions, with a string of them in Cano's stead a real possibility in the short term.

Polanco went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the White Sox.

The switch hitter only has seven homers on the season, but incredibly four of them have come in the last four games. There's no telling how long Polanco will be locked in like this at the plate, but it's perhaps not a coincidence that his power surge came during a series against the woeful White Sox. Fortunately for any fantasy GMs with shares in the shortstop, he'll get to face the Pale Hose again next week after a three-game weekend set in a solid hitter's park in Toronto.

Merrifield went 4-for-5 with two runs scored, an RBI and a steal in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Rockies.

Merrifield stuffed the stat sheet without managing a single extra-base hit. The steal was his 24th, as the second baseman has provided a strong combination of speed and power at the top of Kansas City's order. This performance raised Merrifield's line to .288/.324/.462.

Andrus went 2-for-3 with an RBI in Tuesday's 10-1 loss to the Angels.

Andrus plated the Rangers' only run of the contest on a fifth-inning sacrifice fly. With 66 RBI on the campaign, Andrus is now just three away from matching the career-best total he posted in 2016. He's already established a personal-best mark in home runs (16) and looks poised to do the same in the doubles category.

Semien (wrist) will return to the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles.

Semien was out of the lineup for Tuesday's contest while dealing with irritation of the scar tissue in his surgically repaired wrist. The shortstop appears to ready for action, and was reportedly available off the bench during Tuesday's affair. He will hit second in the order while manning his typical position in the field for the series finale.

Polanco went 1-for-3 with a home run in Tuesday's win over the White Sox. It was his third straight game with a homer.

Polanco has been hot since reclaiming the starting shortstop job as he's hitting .382 with three home runs since Aug. 2.

Semien (wrist) is out of Tuesday's lineup, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Slusser reports that Semein is OK, and he is listed as available off the bench on the lineup card, so he should be back in the lineup any day. Chad Pinder will start at shortstop and hit seventh.

Jones, 20, is slashing .344/.397/.544 with four home runs, 14 RBI and eight steals in 30 games since being promoted to High-A Inland Empire.

Jones has emerged as the bona fide No. 1 prospect for the Angels, flashing speed, emerging power and the ability to hit for average. He'll need to work a bit on his pitch selection and recognition in order to improve his on-base skills overall, but he has clearly been able to take full advantage of the friendly hitting confines of the California League thus far.

Semien is dealing with irritation of the scar tissue in his surgically repaired wrist and will be out Tuesday as a result, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Semien isn't expected to miss more than the one game. He was out from April 15 through July 5 with the injury, so the A's will gladly take it safe to avoid an aggravation of the ailment. Semien is hitting .280/.329/.400 over 18 games in August.

Andrus went 2-for-5 with a walk, run and RBI in Saturday's 17-7 win over the White Sox.

Andrus' power production has tapered off a bit of late with only one extra-base hit in his last eight games, but he's still been plenty valuable for fantasy owners during that time with a .303 average and 10 runs. Even with the minor dip in his slugging percentage of late, Andrus has maintained a personal-best .813 OPS for the season and has a shot at joining the 20-homer, 20-steal club for the first time in his career.