MLB Player News

Torres was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with Double-A Trenton due to right shoulder soreness, Matt Kardos of MLB.com reports.

This is the first news of Torres dealing with shoulder soreness, so it's likely that the team is just being cautious with their prized prospect by sitting him out Tuesday. He'll be considered day-to-day for the time being.

Merrifield was recalled by the Royals on Tuesday, Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star reports.

Merrifield was recalled as a corresponding roster move after the club optioned Jake Junis to Triple-A Omaha on Sunday. The Royals will waste no time getting Merrifield at-bats, as it was also reported that he'll get the start Tuesday, though the Royals haven't confirmed that yet. The 28-year-old was off to a hot start at Triple-A, going 14-for-34 (.412) with three homers and nine RBI, and could gradually take at-bats from Raul Mondesi if he's able to carry that production to the big leagues.

Motter went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 6-1 win over Miami.

Motter, who is filling in for the injured Jean Segura (hamstring) at shortstop, has now homered three times since April 12. He's hitting a respectable .321 with six RBI, but he's also struck out nine times in his 31 plate appearances. The 27-year-old has already surpassed his homer total with the Rays in 2016, but his days of fantasy relevance in AL-only leagues will disappear once Segura is back from the DL -- likely later this week.

Altuve went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI in Monday's 3-0 win over the Angels.

After a bit of a slow start, Altuve now has a five-game hitting streak and has upped his average to .320 on the year with seven runs scored, four RBI and five steals. Last season may have been the pint-sized superstar's career year, but he still offers five-category production in a potent offense. Expect the home runs to follow shortly for Altuve.

Barreto won't be called up despite the fact that Marcus Semien (wrist) is out until June, Joe Stiglich of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Athletics GM David Forst cited Barreto's lack of at-bats at Triple-A, but it's fairly easy to figure out what's going on here. It's not that the Athletics think that Barreto, who's hitting a cool .310/.375/.524 for Triple-A Nashville, wouldn't be an upgrade over career backup Adam Rosales. It's that they don't want Barreto to pick up MLB service time that could potentially allow him to become a free agent one year earlier. As such, don't expect Barreto to get called up before early June no matter how badly he destroys minor-league pitching.

Semien will have surgery on his right wrist after a CT scan revealed a fracture of the scaphoid bone, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Although the shortstop was initially diagnosed with a bone contusion, further tests revealed troubling news for Semien and the A's. There is currently no timetable for his recovery, though he won't even be reevaluated for another six weeks after the procedure, so it could be a while until he's back with the A's. Adam Rosales has been filling in at shortstop during his absence and could see the majority of the reps in Semien's place, though Chad Pinder has been recalled and could get a look as well.

Espinosa went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in Sunday's 1-0 loss to the Royals.

The three-strikeout performance drops Espinosa's average to just .200 on the season. Three of his nine hits on the year have been home runs, and he's been fortunate to have 12 RBI in 13 games. The soon-to-be 30-year-old has an ugly line of 17 strikeouts to just one walk. His owners will have to live with his high strikeout rate and low batting average in order to utilize his pop at the keystone.

Andrus will start at shortstop and bat second in the order Sunday against the Mariners, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Manager Jeff Banister has been using Andrus in the No. 2 hole against opposing lefties lately, but in recognition of the veteran's excellent contributions at the plate of late, the Rangers skipper will move Andrus up in the batting order Sunday against Mariners right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma. The struggling Shin-Soo Choo, meanwhile, slots lower in the lineup to make room for Andrus.

Semien (wrist) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Sunday.

Semien underwent an MRI on his ailing right wrist Saturday, and although he was diagnosed with merely a contusion, the Athletics ordered a CT scan Monday to further investigate the issue. While it's possible those scans won't reveal any new information, the Athletics will err on the side of caution and shelve Semien for at least the next week and a half in order to avoid an aggravation. Chad Pinder was recalled from Triple-A Nashville in a corresponding move and is expected to share duties at shortstop with Adam Rosales for the duration of Semien's absence.

Motter went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer and a walk during a 5-0 win over the Rangers on Saturday.

Motter stepped up with two men on in the sixth inning and blew the game open with a 404-foot shot to left. He has been swinging the bat well over the last four games, going 7-for-15 with two homers, five RBI and three runs scored. Motter is as hot as anyone on the team at the moment and will seemingly maintain a role even after Jean Segura (hamstring) returns to action next week.