MLB Player News

Espinosa is out of the lineup Sunday against the Blue Jays, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Espinosa has gone 0-for-11 with five strikeouts over the last three games, so manager Mike Scioscia will give the veteran a rest for just the second time all season. Cliff Pennington will fill in at second base and bat ninth in the order.

Andrus will start at shortstop and bat in the cleanup spot Sunday against the Royals.

After recording eight extra-base hits in his first nine games of the season, Andrus has cooled off in the power department, but that won't prevent manager Jeff Banister from giving him a look in the heart of the lineup. Expect Andrus to move back to either the No. 2 or 6 spot in the order during the series opener with the Twins on Monday, when Mike Napoli is expected to reclaim cleanup duties following a one-game rest.

Merrifield will start at second base and occupy the leadoff spot for Sunday's game against the Rangers, Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star reports.

With Alex Gordon struggling to provide much of an impact at the top of the order, manager Ned Yost will give Merrifield a look in the leadoff spot, though it's unclear if the experiment will last more than one game. Even if Merrifield is moved down in the order in subsequent contests, he at least seems to have a steady hold on the everyday gig at second base with Raul Mondesi having been banished to Triple-A Omaha. Through five games since he was promoted to the big leagues, Merrifield has gone 5-for-15 with a homer, a stolen base and two RBI.

Polanco is out of the lineup Sunday against the Tigers, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Polanco has started five of the last six games but has recorded only three hits in 16 at-bats, so manager Paul Molitor will give the young shortstop a day off and see if Eduardo Escobar can provide more of an offensive spark. Escobar will bat seventh in the lineup Sunday, while Max Kepler will move up to the No. 2 spot in the order in Polanco's absence.

Altuve went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, two runs and a stolen base during Saturday's loss to Tampa Bay.

Already up to nine runs and seven stolen bases with a .304 batting average and .380 on-base percentage, Altuve is kick-starting 2017 as expected. His power outburst last year will likely prove to be tough to duplicate, but his ability to reach base, post a high-end batting average, touch home plate and steal bases makes Altuve an elite fantasy asset.

Andrus is not in the lineup for Friday's contest with the Royals.

Andrus is batting below the Mendoza Line in his past seven games, so he'll head to the bench for a night off. Jurickson Profar will slide over to shortstop to fill the void while Delino DeShields Jr. takes over in left field for the evening.

Motter belted a two-run home run, doubled and scored in the Mariners' 9-6 loss to the Athletics on Thursday.

The utility infielder got back to his hot-hitting ways, and Motter now leads the team with a stellar 1.067 OPS. Although Jean Segura (hamstring) is expected to return from the disabled list early next week, given Motter's early success, it's hard to see the Mariners not making an effort to keep his hot bat in the lineup.

Semien (hand) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list Thursday.

This doesn't come as too much of a surprise, as the 26-year-old just had six screws inserted into his scaphoid bone to help repair a fracture. Semien will be reevaluated in six weeks, at which point there may be a clearer timetable for his return. He is eligible to come off the DL in mid June, though it remains uncertain whether he'll be activated then. In the meantime, Adam Rosales and Chad Pinder will continue to fill in at shortstop in his stead.

Chavis (elbow) is active and has seven hits, including four home runs, in 15 at-bats at High-A Salem.

He hit the 7-day DL after sustaining a minor elbow injury, which is why he has only played in four games, but the 21-year-old third baseman has really made up for lost time. Injuries are the only reason Chavis has not advanced to Double-A at this stage in his minor-league career. If he continues to abuse Carolina League pitching, he should receive a promotion sometime this summer.

Torres was placed on the 7-day minor league disabled list, retroactive to April 18, with mild rotator cuff tendinitis.

While initially considered day-to-day, Torres' injury is significant enough to warrant a trip to the DL. Nonetheless, it doesn't seem like a severe injury, so it is likely he will return by late next week. With Double-A Trenton, Torres had been hitting .237 in 38 at-bats before the injury.