MLB Player News

Marte is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Blue Jays, the Tacoma News Tribune's Bob Dutton reports.

Marte is 3-for-19 over his last six games and 0-for-9 over his last three games. Shawn O'Malley will start at shortstop and bat ninth Tuesday.

Franklin (hamstring) hopes to return for the final weekend of the season, Roger Mooney of the Tamp Bay Times reports.

He has a moderate hamstring strain that could keep him out for the remainder of the season, but he's hoping to get back out for the final series in Texas to end on a healthy note. Franklin hit .280/.343/.465 with six home runs and six steals in 174 plate appearances this year, marking easily his most productive season to date at the plate. However, he grades out as a below-average defender and started games at left field (17), first base (nine), second base (eight), right field (six), shortstop (four) and DH (two), so it's possible he may enter 2017 as nothing more than a part-time utility player.

Franklin (hamstring) remains out of the lineup Tuesday against the Yankees, Steve Carney of 620 WDAE reports.

He underwent an MRI on Monday, the results of which have not yet been made public. This will be the fourth game in a row that Franklin will miss with the hamstring strain. Mikie Mahtook will start in right field and bat sixth Tuesday.

Andrus homered and scored twice in a 3-for-4 game Monday against the Angels.

Andrus is on fire in September. Monday's home run marks his 10th extra-base hit in just 15 games, and he has now scored 11 runs to go with eight RBI and an excellent .340/.417/.622 batting line this month. Andrus has his OPS up to .784 after three consecutive years of posting an OPS below .700.

Merrifield went 2-for-5 with a double, a steal, an RBI and two runs against the White Sox on Monday.

A cold stretch got Merrifield demoted in late July, but he's been doing plenty of hitting since getting recalled Sept. 2 -- the 27-year-old rookie has gone 20-for-57 (.351) with a couple steals, nine RBI and 10 runs this month. Merrifield's been an everyday lineup presence lately, making him a viable down-the-stretch play in deeper formats.

Franklin (hamstring) is scheduled for an MRI on Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The utility man has been sidelined since straining his hamstring Thursday. The exam will likely give Franklin a realistic picture of whether he'll be able to return at some point before the conclusion of the regular season in less than two weeks. The 25-year-old has slashed a solid .280/.343/.465 for the Rays in 2016, while playing five different positions and also logging time at DH.

Marte is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.

Marte has gone 0-for-6 over the last two games, so he'll get his first day off since Sept. 8. With Marte out of the lineup, Shawn O'Malley will head to shortstop and hit ninth against Doug Fister and the Astros.

Forsythe is out of Sunday's lineup against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Coming off an 0-for-4 outing Saturday, Forsythe will sit out for the first time since September 5. In his place, Alexei Ramirez will start at second base and hit eighth.

Semien went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, a walk, two runs and a strikeout Saturday in an 11-2 win over Texas.

Despite struggling over much of the second half, Semien has come alive over the past week. He recorded eight hits, three walks, five runs and 13 RBI in Oakland's last six games, over which the squad averaged 10 runs a pop. He is slashing .237/.298/.440 with 67 runs, 26 homers and 69 RBI on the season.

Altuve (oblique) is back in the lineup for Friday's game against the Mariners, batting third and playing second base Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

This is extremely encouraging for Altuve to get back into the lineup Friday after leaving Wednesday's game with dreaded oblique discomfort. He'll bat in his usual spot and start at the keystone with the Astros facing ace Felix Hernandez.