MLB Player News

Polanco was optioned to Triple-A Rochester after Saturday's game.

The Twins needed to clear a spot for Tyler Duffey on the 25-man roster, and Polanco was serving as a depth infield option, so he will head back to Triple-A. Polanco has 32 games under his belt at Triple-A, so he could use some more work in the minors, specifically in the field. However, he could serve as an option at shortstop in the second half if that stands out as a position of need on the big league roster.

Kemp is hitting .341/.463/.386 with eight walks and eight strikeouts in 13 games with Triple-A Fresno.

The 24-year-old second baseman has struggled on the base paths, as he's been caught stealing on all three of his attempts thus far. Kemp was 35-for-49 (71 percent) in stolen base attempts last season, so he'll have to work on that area of his game to improve his chances of a big league call up. Even if he does, though, he's blocked by Jose Altuve, so he could spend all of 2016 in Fresno.

Forsythe went 3-for-4 with two walks, an RBI and three runs in Thursday's 12-8 victory over the Red Sox.

Thursday's game was the best of the season so far for the utility man. Through his first 52 at-bats, Forsythe is hitting .288/.373/.500 -- all of which are well above his career averages. A big part of the 29-year-old's value in recent years has been his versatility, however he has yet to start anywhere other than second base this season. Having his cleats stuck in the mud at second won't have much of an impact on his eligibility this season in most leagues, but those who own him in dynasty formats will certainly want to watch how this situation plays out.

Barreto has opened the season at Double-A Midland hitting .167/.186/.262 with a homer, three RBI, and three steals through 11 games.

Perhaps the most alarming number to this point is Barreto's 14 strikeouts in 42 at-bats. Just 20 years old, he's very young for the Double-A level, where he'll likely spend the entire 2016 campaign with the hope of pushing his way into the mix with Oakland in 2017.

Marte is out of the lineup Wednesday versus the Indians.

After another 0-fer Tuesday lowered his batting average to .186, Marte will get the day off Wednesday. Luis Sardinas will take over at shortstop and bat ninth in his place.

Giavotella is out of the lineup for Tuesday's matchup with the White Sox.

He will head to the bench to let Cliff Pennington get a go at the White Sox's righty Mat Latos. Giavotella has one hit in his last 16 at-bats, and a batting average of just .125 this season. Pennington will replace him at second base and bat ninth.

Polanco was recalled from Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday.

Minnesota placed Trevor Plouffe on the DL on Tuesday, so Polanco will come up to take the infielder's spot on the 25-man roster. The 22-year-old Polanco, who had a short stint in the big leagues last season, is hitting .286 with a home run in 10 Triple-A games in 2016.

Altuve was named American League Co-Player of the Week after hitting .407 with three doubles, three home runs, seven RBI and two stolen bases for the period ending April 17.

The three-time All-Star hit only .208 during the first week of the season, but his bat came alive against the Royals and Tigers and was one of the Astros lone offensive bright spots last week with four multi-hit performances. Altuve is hitting .314 with four home runs and eight RBI while leading the majors with six steals on the young season.

Polanco is expected to be called up by the Twins as Trevor Plouffe (ribs) heads to the DL, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Polanco is one of the most exciting prospects in the Twins' organization and had a short stint in the majors last season. At 22 years old, the shortstop is batting .286 with one home run in 10 games this season at Triple-A Rochester. The transaction is expected to be announced Tuesday.

Altuve went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI Sunday against the Tigers.

Altuve's fourth bomb of the season led off the game and gave the Astros a lead that they'd never surrender. He's now homered in three of his last five games and moved his OPS up to 1.024.