MLB Player News

Altuve went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Athletics.

Altuve's eighth-inning homer, his third of the season, made the game interesting but the Astros didn't have the comeback bats working Saturday. After sitting out a couple of games due to a shoulder injury, Altuve is back to full strength, hitting third in Houston's order.

Torres (shoulder) was activated from the DL on Friday.

He was slashing .237/.341/.342 with zero home runs and one steal (on three attempts) in 38 at-bats with Double-A Trenton before landing on the DL with mild rotator cuff tendinitis. Torres remains one of the top prospects in the game, and has an outside shot of forcing his way to the majors before September, but he will need to heat up in a hurry to accomplish that lofty feat.

Altuve (shoulder) is back in Friday's lineup, hitting third and playing second base, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports.

After missing Wednesday's game with a shoulder injury, Altuve appeared as a pinch hitter Thursday, and it comes as no surprise that he is ready to return for the opener of this weekend's series against the A's. George Springer (hamstring) is also returning, so the Astros' lineup will be operating at full strength. Deploy Altuve with confidence in all formats.

Altuve (shoulder) came on as a pinch hitter in Thursday's game and reached base on an infield single.

Although the team has yet to comment on whether Altuve will draw back into the lineup Friday against the A's, things seem to be trending in that direction after he was able to get into the game for Houston's series finale against the Indians. Altuve also attempted a stolen base after his infield single, but was caught stealing for the first time this season. However, if Altuve is given one more day off Friday, look for Marwin Gonzalez to get another start at second base.

Espinosa is not in the lineup Thursday against the Athletics.

Espinosa will start on the bench for just the third time all season, giving way to Cliff Pennington at second base. The 30-year-old is slashing just .195/.259/.351 through 77 at-bats this season, though he has collected hits in consecutive games. He should be back in the lineup for the weekend series against the Rangers.

Altuve said his left shoulder was still a little stiff Thursday but he feels good swinging a bat, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Altuve is being held out for the second straight game after violently colliding with outfielder Teoscar Hernandez during Tuesday's contest, though it appears to be precautionary more than anything. The 26-year-old remains hopeful he'll be able to return Friday, but manager A.J. Hinch will continue to handle him carefully.

Altuve (shoulder) is not in the lineup Thursday against the Indians, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The stud second baseman left Tuesday's contest after a collision with outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, and it appears that Altuve's ailments still haven't subsided. He'll get another day off with the hope to return Friday, allowing Marwin Gonzalez to land a start at the keystone Thursday.

Motter is batting second and playing first base Thursday, Bob Dutton of The News Tribune reports.

The rising 27-year-old had mostly batted fifth or sixth in his outings this year and had played third base the past two games while Kyle Seager (hip) was resting. Motter had two previous appearances at first base this year, and if Seattle keeps moving him around the diamond, he could boast exciting positional eligibility the rest of what could be a breakout season.

Andrus went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 14-3 win over the Twins.

After scoring no more than six runs in any of their last eight games, the Rangers finally broke out of the offensive doldrums Wednesday, with Andrus being one of five batters in the lineup to record multiple hits. While it's looking increasingly likely that the eight extra-base hits Andrus accrued in the first nine games of the season were fluky -- he's delivered only singles in his subsequent 12 contests -- the veteran shortstop should remain a quality source of batting average, runs and stolen bases as the season wears on.

Altuve (shoulder) is out of Wednesday's lineup against the Indians.

It was reported earlier that Altuve would likely be in the lineup, but he will get a day off after being involved in a collision with teammate Teoscar Hernandez in Tuesday's game. Marwin Gonzalez will start at second base and hit ninth in his place.