MLB Player News

Giavotella is out of the lineup for Tuesday's matchup with the Tigers, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Giavotella will sit out in favor of Cliff Pennington batting seventh and getting the start at shortstop. Giavotella has gotten at least one hit in his last five games, so it looks like this is just a routine rest day.

Forsythe is progressing in his rehab, and is aiming for a mid-June return, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Forsythe took some swings off a tee again Tuesday, and was able to take groundballs and practice turning double plays. There has been no word on when he may start a rehab assignment, but he will need to take batting practice then live BP before heading out to an affiliate.

Motter is out of the lineup for Tuesday's matchup with the Royals, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Motter will sit out in favor of Brad Miller starting at shortstop. He's gotten just on hit in his last 11 at bats, but has drawn four walks in that time as well. Miller will bat second against right-hander Dillon Gee. This continues the trend of Motter usually seeing starts against left-handed pitchers only.

Marte (thumb) will start his rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Tacoma, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Marte suffered a thumb sprain May 21 after he appeared to jam his hand while stealing a base against the Reds. The 22-year-old will return to game action with Tacoma on Tuesday and stay with the minor league club through Saturday. It appears that Seattle will then activate Marte next Monday assuming there are no setbacks during his five game rehab stint.

Forsythe (shoulder) hit off a tee for the first time in his rehab, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays' second baseman reached the milestone in his rehab Monday, just over two weeks after landing on the DL on May 14. A mid-June return remains the goal for Forsythe, who was slashing .308/.398/.523 over 107 at-bats before being hit in the left shoulder by a Felix Hernandez pitch on May 10.

Semien went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI against Minnesota Monday.

Semien ranks second in the team with 23 RBI. He's his safely in six of the last nine games, but his average over that span is a paltry .206. It's no secret he needs to produce a bit more at the plate, although at least he's doing better in May (.236) when compared to his struggles during April (.205).

Altuve went 4-for-6 with an RBI during Sunday's win against the Angels.

Altuve might be not hitting in the leadoff spot, but he continues to pace Houston's offense at the top of the lineup. Four more hits raised his average to .323, and the Venezuelan infielder is quietly riding a four-game hitting streak in which he's hit 6-for-15 (.400).

Petit is out of the lineup Sunday against the Astros.

Petit has taken over as the Angels' primary shortstop since Andrelton Simmons (thumb) hit the DL, but he'll get the afternoon off after starting 13 of the past 14 contests. He's hit for an acceptable batting average, but lacks power and could be at risk of losing playing time to Cliff Pennington (hamstring), who was activated from the DL on Saturday.

Andrus is out of the lineup Sunday against the Pirates.

With a pair of 0-for-4 outings over the first two games of the series, Andrus will get a breather in Sunday's matinee. In Andrus' stead, Hanser Alberto will pick up a start at shortstop and bat ninth in the order.

Merrifield is starting at second base and will bat second in the order Sunday against the White Sox, Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star reports.

Merrifield has started the previous five games and has produced two hits in each contest, making a strong case for playing time over the struggling Omar Infante. Even if Infante eventually ends up reclaiming regular at-bats at the keystone, Merrifield's versatility could allow him to see frequent starts at third base and left field while Mike Moustakas (torn ACL) and Alex Gordon (wrist) remain on the DL.