MLB Player News

Altuve (illness) is in the lineup at second base and batting third in the order Sunday against the Cubs, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports.

Altuve came down with an illness during Saturday's contest and was forced to exit early, but his presence in the lineup for the series finale suggests he's gotten over the worst of the sickness. Don't expect the temporary setback to derail Altuve's MVP-worthy season.

Andrus is out of the lineup Sunday against the Angels.

The Rangers will give some of their veterans a day off on getaway day, with Andrus, Jonathan Lucroy and Carlos Beltran all hitting the bench. In Andrus' place, Jurickson Profar will get the starting nod at shortstop.

Altuve (illness) told manager A.J. Hinch that he will be fine to play Sunday, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Altuve was able to play seven-plus innings Saturday despite reportedly getting sick before and during the game, finishing 1-for-3 with a run scored. It sounds like he's confident he'll be able to tough it out Sunday, but Hinch will have the final say.

Altuve left Saturday's game with an illness, Alyson Footer of MLB.com reports.

Tony Kemp pinch hit for Altuve in the eighth inning, and manager A.J. Hinch revealed afterward that Altuve got sick before and during the game. Altuve's status for Sunday won't be known until the Astros' lineup is released a few hours before first pitch, but the hope is that it's just a 24-hour bug.

Marte is not in the lineup Thursday against the Rangers, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Marte is only hitting .208 over his past seven games, so he'll head to the bench for a day off. Shawn O'Malley will take over at shortstop for the series finale with Texas.

Franklin went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, a walk and two runs scored in the Rays' 7-6 win over the Orioles on Wednesday.

The homer was Franklin's sixth of the year, and brought his RBI total to 26. Franklin is actually hitting a solid .290 in 2016, spending most of the year as a backup to Logan Forsythe and Brad Miller. But the power-hitting Miller was moved to first base around a month ago, opening up more playing time for Franklin, who looks like he's going to start most games for the Rays moving forward.

Andrus homered, scored three times, and knocked in two runs in a 4-for-6 game in Tuesday's win over the Mariners.

Andrus set a season high in hits and tied a season high in runs with the Herculean effort. His career-high OPS is now up to .775, 48 points better than his previous best, set all the way back in 2012. Luckily, Andrus' offensive performance was enough to overshadow the fact that he made his 13th and 14th errors in the field.

Polanco is out of the lineup Monday against the Royals, MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger reports.

With an 0-for-6 showing in Sunday's 13-11 loss to the White Sox, Polanco was one of the few players on either side who failed to turn in a strong day at the plate in the series finale. As such, Polanco will bow out of the lineup Monday in what amounts to a day of rest while Eduardo Escobar slots in as the Twins' shortstop.

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

Forsythe has been scorching hot while starting the previous six games for the Rays, going 11-for-22 with a homer, five RBI, six runs and seven walks. Manager Kevin Cash will just be giving Forsythe a breather Monday with the Rays playing the second half of back-to-back day games, allowing Nick Franklin to log a turn in the lineup at second base.

Forsythe went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and two runs in a 7-5 victory over the Blue Jays on Saturday.

The veteran leadoff man was a spark plug at the top of the order, recording his third multihit effort in his last four games. Forsythe has gotten September off to a scorching start, going 5-for-7 with three walks and four runs over the first two games of the series against the Blue Jays.