MLB Player News

Polanco is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Angels, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Polanco has mustered only three hits over his last five games, so he'll get a day off the bench to unwind. Ehire Adrianza (abdomen), who was activated from the 10-day disabled list following Monday's game, will fill in for Polanco at shortstop.

Espinosa is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Twins, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Espinosa has produced only two hits in his last 24 at-bats, dropping his season average to .166. The veteran looks to be hanging on to the starting job at second base by a thread and may have already settled into a timeshare at the position. He'll be on the bench for the second time in four games while Nick Franklin receives the start at the keystone.

Merrifield went 3-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI, three stolen bases and a run scored during Sunday's win over Minnesota.

The second baseman is turning in a strong fantasy campaign with a .286/.323/.452 slash line, six home runs, 31 RBI, 11 stolen bases and 28 runs. Merrifield is tilting the scales across all categories, and Kansas City is 16-9 since he moved into the leadoff spot in early June.

Athletics manager Bob Melvin said that he's hopeful Semien (wrist) will be ready to come off the 60-day disabled list during the club's four-game series with the Mariners that begins Thursday, Joe Stiglich of NBC Sports California reports.

Semien has been sidelined since mid-April with the fractured right wrist, but after making his sixth rehab appearance Saturday, he looks to be rapidly approaching full health. During those contests, Semien has turned in three multi-hit efforts, an indication the wrist hasn't provided many complications with his swing mechanics. He played a nine-inning game with Triple-A Nashville on Saturday and may only need one or two more full games before the Athletics feel comfortable signing off on his return. Once he's activated, Semien would likely take over as the primary option at shortstop, displacing top prospect Franklin Barreto.

Barreto is out of the lineup Sunday against the Braves, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Adam Rosales will receive the nod at shortstop in the series finale, but Barreto, the Athletics' top prospect, still looks like the primary option at the position until either Marcus Semien (wrist) or Chad Pinder (hamstring) is cleared to return. After opening his MLB career with back-to-back two-hit performances, Barreto has mustered only one hit in his last 16 at-bats.

Espinosa is not in Saturday's lineup against the Mariners, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Espinosa will take a seat on the bench after starting the past three games and going 0-for-10 with four strikeouts in the process. He will be replaced at second base by Nick Franklin, who was recently called up from Triple-A Salt Lake after coming over from Milwaukee.

Franklin was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake and is starting Saturday's game against the Mariners at second base, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports. He is batting ninth.

Franklin is with the Angels just a day after being acquired via trade from the Brewers. He slashed just .195/.258/.317 with two homers in 53 games with Milwaukee, but he could be in line for some playing time at the keystone given Danny Espinosa's struggles at the dish (.166/.244/.286 in 71 games).

Andrus went 1-for-4 with a home run, a walk, two runs and two RBI against the White Sox on Saturday.

Andrus launched his 11th home run of the season off Derek Holland to break up a 2-2 tie in a road victory. He's slashing .301/.349/.473, a nice improvement over the breakout numbers he posted in 2016.

The Brewers traded Franklin to the Angels on Friday in exchange for a player to be named later or cash.

Franklin hit just .195/.258/.317 in 53 games with Milwaukee, which led to his second DFA in the span of three months. With this trade, he will go on the Angels' 40-man roster, but it's uncertain if the team has any immediate plans to add him to the active roster. While Franklin missed time with a hamstring issue recently, there has been nothing to suggest it's serious.

Andrus went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Indians.

The home run was Andrus' fourth extra-base hit in five games, and he's also raked in eight RBI during that span. With 10 homers on the season, Andrus has already eclipsed last season's career-best mark with the Rangers not even halfway through their schedule, making him a huge value for those who invested in him on draft day. Andrus is slated to man shortstop and bat second Thursday in the series finale.