MLB Player News

Lopez is hitting .299 with 14 stolen bases in 22 attempts for High-A Wilmington this season.

While the 63.3 percent success rate on stolen bases isn't amazing, the best testament to Lopez's speed has been his ability to stretch hits into extra bases. Of his 83 hits, 11 have gone for doubles while seven have been triples. He only has two home runs, suggesting the raw power isn't there for the Kansas City prospect, but his legs give him the ability to stretch hits as much as possible.

Barreto has been added to Saturday's lineup against the White Sox, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

The 21-year-old will man second base and bat seventh against right-hander James Shields in his major-league debut. Barreto was originally slated to sit Saturday, but Jed Lowrie's scratch opened the door for Barreto to debut a day early. He admitted that he didn't get any sleep after learning of his callup and is running on adrenaline.

Barreto indicated Saturday that manager Bob Melvin pegged him to make his first major-league start Sunday against the White Sox, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Barreto patiently awaited his first call to the majors, batting .281/.326/.428 with eight home runs and four steals over 68 games with Triple-A Nashville this season. He finally earned the promotion on the heels of Chad Pinder's (hamstring) placement on the 10-day DL on Saturday. His first start will arrive Sunday, but it's possible the youngster will receive an opportunity even sooner, should he serve as a pinch hitter during Saturday's contest.

Barreto was promoted from Triple-A Nashville on Saturday.

Barreto becomes the most recent highly touted A's prospect to join the major-league roster after seeing Jaycob Brugman and Matt Chapman (knee) receive promotions earlier in the month. He'll take the place of Chad Pinder on the roster, as Pinder was recently sent to the disabled list with a hamstring strain. With the A's signaling towards a youth movement, Barreto should see his fair share of chances at shortstop while Pinder and Marcus Semien (wrist) remain sidelined, though It's unclear if Barreto will stick up with the big club once Semien returns from the disabled list. The Athletics' top prospect slashed .281/.326/.428 in 68 games (285 at-bats) with Nashville before being called up to majors.

Barreto could be called up from Triple-A Nashville this weekend in the wake of Chad Pinder's hamstring injury, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The 21-year-old has been coming on with the Sounds, hitting .324 over the last 10 contests, and posting a solid .282/.328/.432 line over 67 games overall. Barreto was initially expected to be a post-All-Star-break callup, but Pinder's left hamstring strain, which could conceivably result in a disabled list stint, has significantly increased the chances of a much quicker debut.

Polanco went 2-for-4 with a double and a two-run homer Friday against the Indians.

Polanco launched his third homer of the season as part of a four-run second inning that helped lead the Twins to a road victory. With his current slash line of .254/.302/.366, he's barely a fantasy option in most standard leagues.

Espinosa is out of the lineup again Friday.

This marks Espinosa's second straight absence after starting nine of the past 10 contests. This is likely due to Cliff Pennington's big day at the plate, as the backup second baseman went 3-for-3 with a double and a walk against the Yankees on Thursday, matching the amount of hits that he had collected throughout the rest of the month combined. Barring another breakout performance, Espinosa is likely to be back at the keystone Saturday.

Andrus went 1-for-3 with a pair of walks, two stolen bases and a run in Thursday's 11-4 win over the Blue Jays.

The two steals bring Andrus' total up to 17 on the season, good for a tie for second place in the American League with the Mariners' Jarrod Dyson and teammate Delino DeShields. Unlike those two rabbits, however, Andrus has shown a more well-rounded fantasy profile, as he's also chipped in a .288 average, seven home runs, 38 RBI and 41 runs to go with all the steals. The veteran shortstop is making a compelling case for his third career All-Star nod.

Chavis was promoted to Double-A Portland on Thursday, Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com reports.

Chavis was ready for this promotion a month ago but the Red Sox waited until after the third-baseman's MVP turn in the High-A Carolina League All-Star game Tuesday. After a couple of injury-marred seasons, Chavis is breaking out in 2017 with 17 home runs, a .318 batting average and 1.029 OPS at High-A Salem. His promotion is also newsworthy because the organization's top prospect, Rafael Devers, plays the same position for the Sea Dogs. The two will co-exist there for a stretch of time, alternating between the field and designated hitter, but we presume Devers will be headed to Triple-A Pawtucket before too long.

Espinosa will get a day off Thursday, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

Espinosa currently has a six-game hit streak going, but takes the day off Thursday in favor of Cliff Pennington at second base. On the year, Espinosa is hitting just .176/.247/.307 with six home runs and 27 RBI, but due to Pennington's lack of production, will continue to get a majority of starts at the keystone.