MLB Player News

Forsythe (back) remains out of the lineup Friday against the Rangers, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

While Forsythe was able to field groundballs on the turf during pregame drills he did not gain clearance to start Friday. It will mark his third consecutive absence, but there has been nothing to suggest Forsythe is in any immediate danger of landing on the DL. Tim Beckham will man second base Friday as Mikie Mahtook leads off.

Polanco started at shortstop and hit second in the batting order, going 1-for-4, in Thursday's loss to Kansas City. He's hitting .348 (23-for-66) in August.

Polanco has started the last three games at shortstop and has been in the starting lineup the last 13 games. It looks like he's taking over the everyday shortstop job as the Twins evaluate him for 2017.

Marte is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Angels.

Shawn O'Malley will get the start at shortstop for Thursday's series finale against the Angels, bumping Marte from the order. Marte has started turning things around at the dish over the last two weeks, slashing .385/.467/.731 in his last 26 at-bats.

Andrus went 3-for-4 with a steal and two runs in Wednesday's win over Oakland.

He'd been scuffling over the last few games, going just 1-for-13, but as he has all year, Andrus was able to pull out of his tailspin rapidly and avoid a lengthy slump. That's why he's hitting .293, which would be a career high if the season ended today. He doesn't have the high-end speed that he once did and has never been one to pile up RBI and runs, but Andrus has still rounded out his fantasy line with 16 steals and remains a solid shortstop option for those not lucky enough to own the luminaries at the position.

Franklin left Wednesday's game in the second inning with a head contusion and will undergo further observation, presumably for a possible concussion, the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin reports.

He was hit on the head by Kevin Kiermaier's bat in the on-deck circle as he was getting ready to lead off the game, and while he was initially checked out and left in the game to draw a leadoff walk, the team pulled him shortly thereafter. He should undergo testing for a possible concussion, and his status should therefore be updated in the coming days as the results of those tests are made available.

Semien will be placed on the paternity list at some point in the next week, the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser reports.

It is not clear when Semien will need to leave the team for the birth of his child, but according to Slusser, it will be sometime in the next week. Chad Pinder was recalled from Triple-A on Wednesday, and figures to play shortstop when the time comes for Semien to leave the team for a few days.

Forsythe (back) is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Padres, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Forsythe will sit for the second straight day after being scratched from Tuesday's lineup due to back spasms. The Rays are considering the infielder day-to-day, and he said he's aiming to return for Friday's matchup against the Rangers. Nick Franklin will get the nod at second base Wednesday.

Franklin has been added to Tuesday's lineup.

With Logan Forsythe scratched due to back spasms, Franklin will step in at second base and atop the batting order to face Padres right-hander Edwin Jackson. Franklin has fared reasonably well in a semi-regular role this month, going 10-for-41 with two home runs, seven RBI and two stolen bases.

Forsythe was scratched from Tuesday's lineup due to back spasms.

Nick Franklin is now slated to man second base and lead off against Padres right-hander Edwin Jackson. Forsythe has been going strong since his return from a shoulder injury in mid-June, starting 59 straight games and completing all but one of them. The extent of this setback is uncertain.

Forsythe went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer and another RBI on a sacrifice fly in Monday's victory over the Padres.

The veteran infielder snapped a 1-1 tie in the second with a 440-foot blast off Luis Perdomo, plating Corey Dickerson. Forsythe's eighth-inning sacrifice fly that drove in Logan Morrison extended the Rays lead to 5-1 at the time and served as his fourth RBI over the last two games. Forsythe's five homers in August represent his best monthly total this season and he's also raised his average 14 points since Aug. 1.