MLB Player News

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.

Altuve is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the A's, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

It's a rare absence for Altuve, his fifth this year and first since May 13. He will be replaced by Marwin Gonzalez at second base. Altuve is walking at a career-high clip and he continues to provide across-the-board production, although he is on pace to fall short of 30 steals for the first time in a full season.

Polanco is batting seventh and playing shortstop Thursday against the White Sox, Chad Graff of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

He's back in after taking a breather for two days. Polanco is batting just .242/.294/.338 in 219 plate appearances and will continue piecing together at-bats between shortstop and third base.

Torres (elbow) underwent successful Tommy John surgery Wednesday.

Torres injured himself sliding headfirst into home plate in a Triple-A game last week. After a successful surgery, the Yankees' top prospect -- who was lining up to make his MLB debut later in the season -- will now look to heal up before spring training rolls around next year. He compiled a .309/.406/.457 slash in 96 plate appearances with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season after being promoted from Double-A Trenton in late May.

Semien's (wrist) rehab assignment will be extensive according to manager Bob Melvin, Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Melvin made it a point to emphasize that Semien's assignment, which is scheduled to begin Friday at High-A Stockton, will not just be a matter of a few games, instead remarking it will be "almost like spring training". The slugging shortstop has been sidelined since April 14 with his injury and has logged just 46 plate appearances in 2017.

Polanco is not in the lineup Wednesday against the White Sox, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

This marks the second day in a row that Polanco will cede the start at shortstop. He's been struggling at the plate as of late, and this break could be a way to let him get his mind right before resuming his normal duties at shortstop. Ehire Adrianza will take over at shortstop for the evening.

Green was signed by the White Sox and assigned to Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Green was released by the Nationals last week after appearing in 40 games with Triple-A Syracuse this season, where he slashed .246/.319/.285, but failed to make much of an impact on his overall stock. Over 129 career games with the A's, Angels, Giants and Nationals, the 29-year-old has compiled a .246 average and 38 RBI while mainly being used as a reserve infielder. He'll serve as organizational depth for a White Sox team already dealing with injuries to Tyler Saladino and Leury Garcia, but remains a longshot to see much, if any, major-league playing time.

Chavis, 21, is hitting .318/.388/.641 with 17 home runs and a 57:19 K:BB in 250 plate appearances for High-A Salem.

He leads the Carolina League in most of the hitting categories, and it would seem that a promotion to Double-A is right around the corner. Chavis has a dominant line despite being in the midst of an 0-for-17 skid at the plate. It is worth noting that Chavis has gotten more starts at DH this year than third base, and he has 11 errors in 27 starts at the hot corner.