MLB Player News

Espinosa is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Rays, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Espinosa only has three hits over the past week, so he'll sit out for the second time in three games. Nolan Fontana will man the keystone in his stead.

Motter will play first base and bat sixth in Tuesday's game against the Nationals, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Motter was originally slated to watch the game from the dugout, but with Danny Valencia (wrist) being scratched from the contest, Motter was thrust into action. The 27-year-old utility man could see some extra playing time while Valencia is sidelined, but he could see the bench more frequently now that Robinson Cano is back from injury.

Motter is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Nationals, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Motter has been a mainstay in the Mariners lineup for the past few weeks thanks to some injury woes plaguing Seattle, but with Robinson Cano returning from the DL and no DH available in Washington, Motter will head to the bench for a night off. The 27-year-old utility man has been struggling at the plate over the past few weeks, as he's batting just .200 over his past 30 games, so even when the Mariners return to American League action, it seems like he'll sit out more often than not until another injury strikes the Mariners' regulars.

Barreto, who's slashing .314/.362/.500 over 41 games with Triple-A Nashville, is expected to be the first call-up this summer if it becomes evident the Athletics are out of playoff contention, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "I'm impressed with how well (Barreto) is starting to turn on pitches. He's very aggressive on the bases and he's consistent defensively," one National League scout said. "I still see him as an offensive second baseman - Oakland will be much better with him at second in the second half."

The promising infielder has 203 plate appearances at the Triple-A level between last season and 2017, so he's certainly had a solid amount of seasoning. Barreto has been playing shortstop for the Sounds, but with Marcus Semien (wrist) slated to come off the disabled list in mid June, there will not be a vacancy at the position with the big-league club. Barreto's arrival would presumably be preceded by the trade of veteran Jed Lowrie, who presently occupies second base and is enjoying his best season since 2013.

Altuve went 1-for-4 with a first-inning RBI double that proved to be the difference in Monday's 1-0 victory over Detroit.

Altuve's ninth double of the season surprisingly held up on a night when the Astros deployed a committee of pitchers to fill in for Dallas Keuchel (neck). The second baseman is riding an eight-game hitting streak that includes seven extra-base hits (three doubles, two triples, and two homers), seven RBI and five runs. It's safe to say Altuve is running hot right now.

Espinosa is not in the lineup Monday against the Rays.

Despite reaching base three times during Sunday's contest against the Mets, Espinosa will head to the bench for Monday's series opener. Nolan Fontana will draw the start at second base in his stead.

Fontana was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday.

He'll replace C.J. Cron on the active roster, giving the Angels some more versatility around the infield. Fontana has carried a .374 on-base percentage over 166 plate appearances with Salt Lake this season, but it's uncertain that he'll receive an opportunity to put his offensive skills on display during his stint with the Angels. He may just be asked to play a depth role at multiple infield spots.

Andrus went 2-for-5 with a run scored in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Tigers.

Andrus was one of six Rangers to record two hits on the evening as part of a balanced offensive attack. With no homers and three extra-base hits since May 4, Andrus' power production is beginning to taper off, but he's at least batted a respectable .281 in his subsequent 16 games, making him a satisfactory lineup option in most fantasy leagues.

Torres was promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, MLB.com's Matt Kardos reports.

The Yankees are promoting one of their top prospects amid a power surge. Torres clobbered four home runs over the last week and will now pack his bags and head to Triple-A. While it's still unlikely that Torres will crack the major league roster this season, the fact that he'll be exposed to a higher level of competition for the rest of the way will help his cause for next year.

Chavis went 3-for-4 with two home runs, a double, three RBI and three runs scored for High-A Salem on Saturday.

Chavis has hit safely in seven straight, going 12-for-30 with eight extra-base hits, nine RBI and eight runs scored. Saturday's homers give him a system-high 10 for the season, with nine of those occurring at the cavernous park in Salem. The 21-year-old has made more line-drive contact this season at the expense of what had been a high groundball rate. The Red Sox have been waiting and waiting for a return on investment from their 2014 first-round pick (26th overall), though what he's doing this season is more than anyone expected. Don't be surprised if the Red Sox sell high and use Chavis as a trade chip later this season, as the team already has top prospect Rafael Devers at third base ahead of him.