MLB Player News

Semien (wrist) played catch Tuesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

This represents the first baseball-related activity for Semien since he underwent wrist surgery in April. He'll look to ramp up his throwing in the coming days as he aims for a return during the month of June. Adam Rosales will continue to man shortstop in his stead.

Andrus went 2-for-5 with two stolen bases and a run scored in Monday's 10-8 loss to the Rays.

Much has been made about Andrus' gains in the power department this season -- he's only two home runs off matching his career high -- but the shortstop also remains quite active on the basepaths in his age-28 campaign. With five steals in his last four games, Andrus is now halfway to last season's total of 24. The increase in power coupled with his contributions on the bases and a .281 batting average could put Andrus on track to deliver the best all-around fantasy season of his career.

Merrifield went 3-for-4 with two RBI from a triple and solo home run in Monday's 10-7 loss to the Tigers. He also doubled and scored three runs overall.

Merrifield was a thorn in the side of Tigers pitching throughout the night and was responsible for the Royals' first two runs via his 401-foot solo shot in the third and RBI triple in the fourth. The 28-year-old now boasts a 14-game hitting streak, a stretch that's included six multi-hit efforts, three homers and six RBI. While Merrifield has actually seen a drop in hard contact from April's 41.9 percent to 31.5 percent in May, his line drive rate has nearly doubled (12.9 percent to 24.6 percent), which has helped his BABIP shoot up from last month's .207 to .338.

Andrus went 3-for-5 with a double, stolen base and two runs during Sunday's win over Toronto.

The 28-year-old shortstop is in line to have a career year with six home runs, 27 RBI, 10 stolen bases, 27 runs and a .278/.321/.434 slash line. He's never provided this level of cross-category production, and Andrus has also been locked into the top third of the lineup in each of his past 24 games. While it wouldn't be surprising to see Andrus cool off going forward, especially in the power categories, he is also in the heart of his prime and a favorable fantasy setup.

Motter is out of the lineup Sunday against the Red Sox, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Motter's versatility had allowed him to pick up a start in each of the last three games, but he failed to record a hit in any of his nine at-bats over those contests. Most of the sheen from Motter's early-season power binge has worn off at this point, as he's contributed only three extra-base hits -- all doubles -- while batting .175 in May.

Fontana will start at second base and bat eighth Sunday against the Marlins.

Since being called up to the big leagues Monday, Fontana has recorded only one hit in 11 at-bats, but he'll still benefit from his second start in a row with everyday second baseman Danny Espinosa in the midst of an extended slump. Once either Fontana or Espinosa is able to find some success at the plate, that player could end up taking on the bulk of the starts at the keystone.

Espinosa is out of the lineup Sunday against the Marlins.

Espinosa seems to have fallen into a timeshare at the keystone with Nolan Fontana, who will draw a second straight start. With one hit in 11 at-bats since being promoted to the big leagues Monday, Fontana has done little to distinguish himself, but he'll likely remain a factor for playing time so long as Espinosa remains stuck in a rut of his own. Espinosa has recorded only five hits (.093 average) in May and has struck out in one third of his plate appearances.

Altuve went 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs during Saturday's win over Baltimore.

The second baseman hit both doubles off lefty Wade Miley, which improved Altuve to an impressive .897 OPS and .379 wOBA against southpaws dating back to last year. His track record against left-handed pitchers shouldn't go overlooked in daily contests. Altuve is now up to 14 extra-base hits, 15 RBI and 18 runs with an .859 OPS through 25 games this month.

Espinosa is out of Saturday's lineup against the Marlins.

He is hitting .077 with one home run and a 32 percent strikeout rate over his last 65 at-bats. Nolan Fontana will start at second base and hit eighth.

Polanco is out of Saturday's lineup against the Rays, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

He is hitting .239/.280/.391 over his last 12 games, but has still earned the starting nod in each of the previous four contests. Ehire Adrianza will start at shortstop and hit ninth in his stead.