MLB Player News

Marte exited Saturday's game with a sprained left thumb, but the Mariners have yet to announce the severity of the injury, Bob Dutton of the News Tribune reports.

Marte was replaced at shortstop by Shawn O'Malley after he appeared to jam his hand while stealing second base in the top of the fifth. There's still no word on whether Marte will need to miss additional time beyond Saturday, but if he does, O'Malley would likely continue to serve as his replacement at shortstop.

Altuve pounded out another three hits in four at-bats Wednesday against the White Sox, adding a walk while driving in two runs and scoring one.

That's now 10 straight games with a hit as Altuve continues his springtime assault on opposing pitchers. It's been a couple weeks since he hit a homer, but it's hard to complain about that when he seems to rack up multi-hit games on a near-daily basis. Only Nick Castellanos (.350) owns a higher average in the American League than Altuve's .348, and he continues to pace all of baseball with 38 runs scored.

Kemp went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk in his first MLB start Wednesday against the White Sox.

After making his debut as a pinch runner on Tuesday and coming around to score, Kemp got the start batting ninth and certainly didn't look out of place in a major league batter's box. The ability he's demonstrated to hit for average and steal bases makes Kemp an intriguing fantasy pickup, especially in AL-only and keeper formats; it helps that he's eligible at second in most leagues even though he'll see nearly no playing time there with Jose Altuve manning the position for Houston.

Merrifield had his contract selected by the Royals on Wednesday, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star reports.

Jose Martinez was designated for assignment Wednesday to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for the 27-year-old utility man. Merrifield has never played at the major league level, but he has put together a strong start to the season down at Triple-A Omaha this spring, slashing .278/.342/.458 with 11 doubles and 16 steals. In addition to the speed he brings to the basepaths, Merrifield also brings defensive versatility with his ability to play almost any position. In 2016 alone, he's made at least one start at every position aside from pitcher or catcher.

Kemp is in the lineup Wednesday against the White Sox, Julia Morales of ROOT Sports reports.

Kemp will make his first career major league start after serving as a pinch runner in Tuesday's game. the 24-year-old will bat in the nine hole while manning left field.

Andrus (suspension) is back in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the A's.

After serving his one-game suspension Tuesday, Andrus will reclaim his spot at shortstop and bat seventh in the order against Oakland lefty Rich Hill. Andrus has performed well against southpaws this season, slashing .333/.357/.519 in 27 at-bats. With Andrus' return Wednesday, Hanser Alberto will return to the bench.

Motter hit his first home run, a two-run shot in a pinch-hit role in the ninth inning in a blowout Tuesday against the Blue Jays.

Motter is expected to mostly play against left-handed pitching, but his first major league home run came against right-handed Blue Jays reliever Drew Storen. The Rays of all teams aren't going to let one home run spoil a platoon plan, but if Brad Miller continues to struggle -- he was hitting .212/.287/.400 against righties entering Tuesday's game -- Motter could eventually work his way into at-bats against right-handers as well as southpaws.

Andrus will not appeal his one-game suspension and will serve it Tuesday night, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

It's typical for players to appeal suspensions when handed them, but it appears Andrus will simply take his medicine for his role in Sunday's brawl with the Blue Jays and be done with the matter. It remains to be seen if Ian Desmond or Hanser Alberto will fill in at shortstop in Andrus' place Tuesday, but Andrus figures to be back in his regular role for the Rangers next game Wednesday afternoon.

Andrus has been suspended one game for his role in Sunday's brawl with the Blue Jays, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Andrus was levied a one-game penalty for throwing a punch at Toronto's Kevin Pillar during Sunday's melee. The report did not confirm one way or another, but Andrus figures to appeal the suspension and continue playing for the time being.

Semien hit a solo home run in a 1-for-3 game in Monday's win over the Rangers.

Semien's one-dimensional season continues. He now has 10 home runs, ranking him third among major league shortstops, one behind both Manny Machado and Trevor Story. However, he is still hitting just .220/.307/.472 as a 22.9 percent strikeout rate and .207 BABIP are dragging him down. Semien will probably find more hits in play soon, but it's doubtful he'll keep slugging like this, as his career high in home runs is 15 in 155 games last year.