MLB Player News

Franklin will start in left field and bat third in the order Sunday against the Twins, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays' recent trades of Steve Pearce and Brandon Guyer appear to have paved the way to more playing time for Franklin, who is making his eight straight start Sunday. He's seen action at first base or left field in those preceding games, going 5-for-25 with three RBI and a stolen base.

Altuve went 2-for-3 with a walk, two RBI and scored a run in Friday's 5-0 victory against the Rangers.

The second baseman hit a pair of doubles to move himself into a tie for fourth in the AL with 29 two-baggers on the season. Altuve is on pace to hit 40-plus doubles for the third straight season. He leads the majors in hits (153), and the 26-year-old is well on his way to destroying most of his career-best numbers from his five previous seasons.

Giavotella is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the A's.

Giavotella will be out for the second straight game as he takes a seat on the bench for Thursday's series finale against Oakland. In his place, Chad Pennington will man the keystone while batting eighth.

Barreto, 20, is hitting .425 with two home runs, nine RBI and two steals over his last 10 games for Double-A Midland.

After a slow start to the season, Barreto has been surging over the last month or so. His slash line now sits at .276/.337/.423 for the year. Barreto is also poised to hit double-digit home runs and swipe 25 bases for the second-straight season. This type of skill set for a shortstop makes him an extremely valuable commodity in dynasty leagues.

Motter was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Motter is hitting a weak .188 with two home runs, nine RBI and 11 runs this season but appeared to be in line for some playing time after the Rays traded Brandon Guyer to the Indians. However, he will now head back to Triple-A without seeing the field while Richie Shaffer gets promoted to the big leagues in a corresponding roster move.

Polanco went 2-for-4 with two doubles in Tuesday's win over Cleveland. He's 7-for-18 in four games since being recalled from Triple-A.

If Polanco continues to hit, he'll likely stay in the lineup even though it's not clear where he fits. He can play multiple infield positions, so he may take over the utility role, However, with the Twins looking toward 2017, Polanco could be a sneaky pick up as he could get regular at-bats the rest of the season.

Altuve homered and scored twice in a 2-for-6 game in a win Monday over the Blue Jays.

Altuve continues to extend his career high in home runs. After hitting 15 in 154 games last year, he now has 19 in just 105 this season. He already has 25 steals this year, so his next home run will add him to the 20-20 club. If he can get that home run soon, he might be the first to reach 20-20 this season -- however, he'll have to be quick, as Wil Myers is just one stolen base away.

Motter will be recalled from Triple-A Durham on Tuesday.

Motter becomes the ultimate beneficiary of the trade that sent Brandon Guyer to Cleveland. Despite slashing just .188/.290/.300 this season, he'll serve as outfield depth for the Rays. The rookie hasn't fared much better in Triple-A this year, hitting just .217 through 57 games, so it's hard to expect much out of him.

Marte (illness) is expected to begin a brief rehab assignment Wednesday for Triple-A Tacoma, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Marte has sidelined since July 17 due to mono. While he should be able to return within a week or so, it's unclear how much strength he has lost to the illness. That said, neither Shawn O'Malley nor Luis Sardinas have set the world on fire in Marte's absence, so if he shows well in his rehab assignment, he should be able to work his way back into the starting lineup quickly.

Andrus is out of the lineup Sunday against the Royals, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

The off day isn't out of the ordinary for Andrus, who will rest for the third time since the All-Star break. He's gotten off to a lukewarm start to the second half, producing a .262/.340/.333 batting line to go along with no steals and just three runs and RBI. Jurickson Profar will cover shortstop with Andrus sitting out.