MLB Player News

Motter is in the lineup and batting seventh for Monday's game against the Marlins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Motter is slashing .200/.273/.500 with one home run and two RBI in five games since being recalled from Triple-A in mid-May. He will get the start tonight against southpaw Wei-Yin Chen of the Marlins.

Polanco was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Monday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The Twins were in need of a roster spot following the activation of Eduardo Escobar off the disabled list, and Polanco proved to be the odd man out despite logging three doubles and a home run in limited playing time with the parent club. He'll likely get more playing time with the Triple-A squad, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the 22-year-old back up with Minnesota later in the season considering his solid hitting and defensive versatility across the infield.

Marte (thumb) was placed on the 15-day DL on Sunday, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Marte suffered the thumb sprain Saturday, and although he was initially expected to miss a few games, a DL stint had not necessarily been in consideration. Now, the Mariners will make it official, calling up shortstop Chris Taylor to take his roster spot. While Taylor travels, the Mariners will award Shawn O'Malley the starting nod at shortstop Sunday.

Marte (thumb) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds, according to Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune.

Marte injured his thumb in Saturday's game in Cincinnati, and the setback is not initially believed to be serious. However, he will miss at least one game due to the setback, and sit out Sunday for the first time since April 20. Shawn O'Malley will get the start at shortstop in Marte's place.

Andrus went 1-for-4 with a solo homer Saturday at the Astros.

Andrus' first homer gave the Rangers a lead in the second inning that they'd never relinquish. He's now hit safely in seven straight games, and he's slashing .290/.338/.406.

Marte (thumb) is only expected to miss a few games after injuring his thumb Saturday against the Reds, Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

X-rays have come back negative on Marte's thumb, so fortunately nothing is broke. He is still expected to miss a few games however, as the Mariners will likely be conservative. Shawn O'Malley should fill in for him at shortstop while he is out.

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.