MLB Player News

Merrifield went 2-for-4 with a home run, a triple and two runs scored in Monday's victory over the Indians.

The home run was the first of Merrifield's young career. The second baseman has been a revelation since being summoned from Triple-A, hitting a robust .330 with 15 runs scored and three stolen bases. Merrifield has hit safely in nine of 11 games this month, collecting five hits in his last two games.

Andrus finished 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI, two runs and a stolen base in Sunday's win over the Mariners.

The shortstop got things started for the Texas offense by doubling in a run and scoring on Mitch Moreland's homer in the fourth inning, and he helped put the game out of reach with another RBI and a run in the sixth. Andrus is now batting .282 on the season, putting him on track to rival his career-high .287 mark set back in 2012.

Semien went 2-for-4 with a two-run shot, his 12th home run of the season, in Sunday's win over the Reds.

He's had a fairly quite June so far, hitting .257 (9-for-35) with two homers, three RBI, three runs scored and two steals, but given his defensive improvements in 2016 the A's seem willing to give Semien plenty of leeway at the plate.

Altuve went 2-for-4 in Sunday's loss to the Rays.

If it weren't for Altuve, Matt Moore and two Tampa relievers would have combined for a no-hitter. The diminutive second baseman hasn't slowed down at all in June, racking up seven multi-hit performances in 12 games en route to a .422 (19-for-45) batting average on the month.

Forsythe (shoulder) enjoyed a triumphant return from the DL in Friday's 4-3 victory over the Astros, going 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and run.

The veteran picked up right where he left off before injuring his shoulder and reclaimed his leadoff spot as well. Forsythe's Friday effort brings his season line to .315/.402/.532, with the average representing a 59-point improvement over his career figure.

Franklin was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Friday.

The Rays activated Logan Forsythe from the 15-day disabled list (shoulder) and optioned Franklin as a corresponding move. Franklin only accumulated three at-bats during his time with the team, going 0-for-1 with two walks after being called up from Durham on Sunday. Throughout the 2016 season, Franklin is batting .258 with five home runs for Durham. Even though he spent less than a week with the big league team, there is a good chance that Franklin will see more time with the Rays later on this summer.

Forsythe (shoulder) was activated from the 15-day DL on Friday.

Forsythe only needed two rehab games with Triple-A Durham before the Rays deemed him healthy. He went 2-for-5 with a homer in those games while also drawing a walk and hit-by-pitch. Shoulder injuries can be a drag on a player's productivity even after they are activated, so Forsythe carries some risk for now. However, he's likely to immediately regain the starting duties at second base and hit near the top of the order.

Altuve went 2-for-3 with a go-ahead two-run double Wednesday to lift the Astros to a 3-1 win over the Rangers. He also drew a walk and stole his 18th base of the season.

Altuve is off to a hot start in June, hitting .400 (12-for-30) with a home run, five RBI and three stolen bases during the month. His offensive contributions are a big reason the Astros have won 12 of their last 16 games.

Dubon will represent High-A Salem in the Carolina League All-Star game, MiLB.com reports.

Dubon is hitting .301 in 52 games with 23 RBI, 10 doubles and 18 stolen bases. He's down a bit on the Red Sox's prospect list -- 12th or 13th depending on the organization doing the evaluating -- but has produced like top prospects Yoan Moncada and Andrew Benintendi and plays an important position defensively.

Marte (neck) is back in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Indians, batting eighth and playing shortstop.

Marte came down with some neck spasms prior to Tuesday's game and was eventually scratched from the lineup, but the dynamic young shortstop will be back in the order for Wednesday's matchup. His return bumps Shawn O'Malley back to a role coming off the bench, and provided that Marte can stay healthy moving forward, he should continue to see the bulk of the starts at shortstop.