MLB Player News

Espinosa is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Mets.

Cliff Pennington will take over at second base with Espinosa taking a seat following his three-strikeout evening Friday. Espinosa is striking out in an alarming 34.3 percent of his at-bats this season, which has contributed to his .231 on-base percentage. His next chance to return to the lineup will come Sunday against left-hander Tommy Milone.

Semien had the cast on his injured wrist removed Friday, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Semien will work with trainers over the next few days to determine his timetable for getting back into baseball activity. He will likely require a substantial rehab assignment before he can return to the diamond, so it would still be a surprise if he suits up for the Athletics by the end of May.

Barreto went 3-for-6 with five RBI from a double and three-run home run in Triple-A Nashville's 13-3 win over Fresno on Thursday. He also scored twice.

Barreto is now slashing .320/.369/.510 with six homers and 27 RBI over 37 games with the Sounds. The 21-year-old shorstop is one of several promising prospects simmering just below the big-league level for Oakland, although the team currently appears committed to having him continue to get regular reps in the minors despite Marcus Semien's extended absence with a wrist injury.

Polanco is not in the lineup for the second game of the Twins' doubleheader against the Rockies.

Polanco went 1-for-4 in the first game to raise his batting average to .248 on the season, but he'll head to the bench for the nightcap. Ehire Adrianza will man shortstop in his place.

Altuve went 4-for-5 with two triples and two doubles in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Marlins.

The last time a player hit two triples and doubles in the same game was in 2005 when Carl Crawford did it for Tampa Bay. Altuve's feat was just the 14th time it's occurred in MLB history. Making the accomplishment even odder was that he didn't score a run despite being in scoring position four times. Altuve, who leads the AL with a road batting average of .403, finished Houston's current trip hitting .379 (11-for-29) with six extra-base hits, five runs scored and four RBI in seven games.

Torres went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in a game Tuesday with Double-A Trenton.

Torres has connected on homers in back-to-back games and has collected 12 extra-base hits in just 101 at-bats to bring his OPS up to .849 on the campaign. Despite missing some time in April with right shoulder inflammation, the 20-year-old hasn't seemed to experience any issues with getting dialed back in at the dish.

Altuve went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and three RBI during Monday's win over Miami.

Altuve was hit by a pitch on his hand in the top of the first inning, so it was encouraging to see him still have a productive game. The home run was his third of the month, and he's now up to six homers, 18 RBI, nine stolen bases and 24 runs with a .292/.364/.458 slash line for the season.

Andrus went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI in Sunday's 6-4 win over the Athletics.

Andrus gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead with an infield single in the first inning and then tied the game with an RBI double -- his eighth of the season -- as part of a four-run seventh inning. With 14 extra-base hits in 159 plate appearances this season, Andrus remains on pace to turn in a career-best slugging percentage to complement what's shaping up to be another 20-plus-steal campaign.

Polanco went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Sunday's loss to Cleveland.

The 23-year-old shortstop has started 31 of Minnesota's 34 games this season and sports a .254/.308/.373 slash line with two home runs, two stolen bases, 16 RBI and 13 runs. Those numbers don't move the needle in most fantasy leagues, but full-time at-bats make Polanco a serviceable option in cavernous mixed and AL-only settings.

Espinosa went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Sunday's win over Detroit.

The streaky second baseman has now started two consecutive games after being benched in four of the previous five. The veteran responded with a fourth-inning homer off Justin Verlander that put the Angels ahead Sunday. With Yunel Escobar (hamstring) hitting the disabled list, infield playing time may open up again for Espinosa. He's batting just .147 on the season, but the 30-year-old has been known to go on power binges at times, so he could be worth a speculative add in deep leagues in hopes of catching one of his patented hot streaks.