MLB Player News

Merrifield recently accomplished something only six other players in MLB history have been able to do -- in his first 162 games, Merrifield had 175-plus hits, 80-plus runs, 40-plus doubles and 20-plus steals, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Considering he began 2017 in the minors, it's safe to say Merrifield sat on waivers in many fantasy leagues on Opening Day. He's since transformed into a legitimate keeper option, even in leagues with limited keeper slots available. The 28-year-old should enter 2018 with eligibility at both second base and outfield, making Merrifield an even more intriguing fantasy option.

Franklin was designated for assignment by the Angels on Saturday, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times reports.

This marks Franklin's second DFA in just over a month and third since April 1. The 26-year-old has hit .214/.285/.360 in parts of five seasons in the majors and he's limited defensively, realistically capable of helping out only at second base and the outfield corners. He will be subjected to waivers once again.

Andrus went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Friday's 8-2 win over the Orioles.

After going just 2-for-29 in his first seven games after the All-Star break, Andrus has turned on the jets with a .364 surge over the last week that includes three homers. The 28-year-old continues to pad his career-high home-run total, which now stands at 14, and his .796 OPS is just a few points shy of last year's career best as well.

Altuve went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and two runs scored in Friday's 6-5 win over the Tigers.

He extended his hitting streak to 19 games with another impressive performance, and Altuve's hitting .524 (44-for-84) over that stretch with four homers, five steals, 19 RBI and 21 runs. The second-base dynamo has pushed his OPS up to a career-high 1.018 with the surge, and after finishing third in AL MVP voting last year he could be headed for his first major award in 2017.

Semien went 3-for-4 with an RBI single, a walk and a run in Thursday's 8-4 extra-inning loss to the Blue Jays.

The surging shortstop logged the only three-hit effort on the night for the Athletics, his third multi-hit game in the last seven contests. Semien also has six of his 11 RBI on the season during that stretch and has boosted his average 85 points to .230 since July 18.

Espinosa went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in Wednesday's 4-0 loss to the Red Sox.

Espinosa drew the proverbial short straw for his first start in a Seattle uniform with Chris Sale on the mound, but the slugger has been struggling throughout the season. The 30-year-old is now hitting just .067 in July and has struck out seven times in 15 at-bats during the month. However, Espinosa isn't slated to see much playing time in Seattle, with his opportunities likely to be almost exclusively limited to when Robinson Cano gets a day off.

Semien went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Blue Jays.

Semien erased an early 2-0 deficit with his 362-foot shot to left in the fifth, the third time he's gone deep in his injury-shortened 2017. The 26-year-old has hit safely in six of his last seven games, compiling a .370 average, two home runs and five RBI over that span.

Franklin is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Indians.

With Franklin sitting for the second straight game against a right-handed starting pitching, it seems rather apparent that he's been supplanted by Kaleb Cowart as the top option at the keystone. Cowart, who has slashed .311/.383/.482 this season at Triple-A Salt Lake, rewarded the Angels with a 2-for-4 showing at the plate Tuesday, so he should continue to play regularly against both both right- and left-handed starters until his production craters.

Andrus went 2-for-5 with a triple, RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 10-4 dismantling of the Marlins.

Andrus struggled out of the gate to open the second half, but he's made up for it in the last five games, turning in three multi-hit efforts. With his three-bagger Tuesday, Andrus is now up to 39 extra-base hits on the campaign, putting him well in range to surpass his previous career best of 46, which he established last season.

Merrifield went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Tigers.

The leadoff blast was Merrifield's fourth homer in the last six games and 11th of the year. The 28-year-old's been on fire since the All-Star break, slashing .347/.411/.714, and he's become one of the unsung heroes of the Royals' climb into playoff contention after their rough start to the season.