MLB Player News

Andrus went 3-for-6 with a double, RBI and stolen base in Friday's 3-1 win over the Mariners in 13 innings.

Andrus recorded almost half of the Rangers' seven hits on the evening and continues to justify manager Jeff Banister's decision to deploy him in the cleanup spot. Though the shortstop has been regarded as a speed merchant for most of his career and still paces the team with six steals on the season, it's his growth as a power hitter that has really sent his fantasy value on an upward trajectory. His .504 slugging percentage is a career-best mark and trails only Joey Gallo among regulars in the Rangers lineup.

Andrus went 2-for-5 with a solo homer and two runs scored in Thursday's 10-4 win over the Rangers.

Following a 12-game stretch where he failed to deliver an extra-base hit, Andrus has started tapping back into the power he displayed in the first two weeks of the season. He's now compiled a pair of doubles and homers to go with four walks over his last seven games, boosting his OPS to a career-best .823 mark. If Andrus is able to maintain his power gains to go along with his typically steady batting average and skills as a base stealer, he could finish as a top-10 fantasy shortstop in most leagues.

Espinosa is not in the lineup against the Mariners, Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

This marks the second time in a week Espinosa will sit out. He has slumped badly to begin the season, hitting just .160 with a .511 OPS. Cliff Pennington will hit eighth and play second Wednesday.

Polanco is out of Wednesday's lineup against the A's.

This will be his fourth game off in the past 13 contests, and he is hitting just .176 with no home runs over that stretch. He will make way for Eduardo Escobar, who is hitting seventh and manning shortstop against righty Kendall Graveman.

Andrus went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI in Monday's 6-2 loss to the Astros.

With three two-hit games in his last five starts, Andrus is starting to heat up again, but it hasn't resulted in a permanent move up the lineup just yet. Though the slumping Nomar Mazara was dropped from the No. 3 spot in the order to the eighth, it was on-base machine Shin-Soo Choo who instead received the appointment to the upper third of the lineup. Andrus has drawn walks in back-to-back games, but since he still only has a 4.9 percent walk rate for the season, he may need to scale back his free-swinging ways before manager Jeff Banister is convinced the shortstop is worthy of a more prominent lineup spot.

Merrifield is out of the lineup Monday against the White Sox, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Merrifield displaced the struggling Raul Mondesi as the Royals' primary second baseman in mid-April, but he's been unable to provide the team's hapless offense with much of a spark. The 28-year-old is slashing .229/.308/.457 since his promotion to the big club, but with no better alternatives seeming to be in sight, he should still have decent job security. Christian Colon will spell Merrifield at the keystone Monday, however.

Kemp was optioned to Triple-A Fresno on Monday.

Kemp was up with the Astros for a little less than a week while injuries to Jake Marisnick (concussion) and Teoscar Hernandez (knee) depleted the team's depth in the outfield. With Marisnick deemed ready to return from the 7-day disabled list, Kemp's services were no longer needed. The 25-year-old appeared in two games during his stay with the Astros, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

Donaldson (shoulder) was activated from the DL on Monday and will return to action for Double-A Akron.

The Tribe's No. 12 prospect dislocated his non-throwing shoulder and suffered a minor tear in his labrum during a Cactus League game in early March. He'll begin his first full season at Double-A after slashing .274/.359/.405 with 60 RBI and 70 runs for High-A Lynchburg in 2016.

Kemp will be optioned to Triple-A Fresno on Monday, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Jake Marisnick is ready to come off the disabled list, so Kemp's brief stint in the majors will come to an end. Kemp appeared in two games for the big club and went 0-for-3 at the plate.

Motter is out of the lineup Sunday against the Indians, Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Motter's pathway to everyday at-bats is a little more muddled now that Jean Segura is healthy, so he'll sit for a second consecutive game after striking out in a pinch-hitting role Saturday. It's likely that most of Motter's starting opportunities may come in the corner outfield now that Mitch Haniger (oblique) is on the disabled list, but he'll still have to fight Guillermo Heredia, Ben Gamel and Boog Powell for at-bats.