MLB Player News

Altuve is dealing with soreness in his left index finger, Angel Verdejo of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Altuve injured the finger while diving for a ball Thursday, and it's since swelled up in the area where he grips the bat. As a result, he'll be held out of the lineup Saturday for the first time all season

Polanco is in the lineup Saturday against the White Sox, Audra Martin of FOX Sports North reports.

Polanco was recalled from Triple-A Rochester earlier in the day, and he'll join the lineup immediately with Eduardo Escobar hitting the DL and Brian Dozier (hamstring) still unavailable. Polanco will hit seventh and man second base.

Altuve is not in the lineup Saturday against the Astros, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports.

Altuve will get his first day off of the season, as Marwin Gonzalez takes over second base duties. Gonzalez will bat second, while George Springer assumes the leadoff spot.

Polanco was recalled from Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, Mike Berardino of MLB.com reports.

With Eduardo Escobar hitting the DL on Saturday, Polanco will come up from Triple-A to fill the open spot on the 25-man roster. Polanco and Eduardo Nunez figure to handle shortstop duties over the next few weeks in Polanco's absence. Polanco is hitting .283 at the plate in 13 games with Rochester this year.

Altuve went 4-for-4 with a double, a homer, two RBI and two runs against the Mariners on Thursday.

He's now led off four of the last eight games with home runs, so Altuve's making sure the Astros start most every game on the right foot lately. It's scary to think of a version of Altuve who's capable of approaching 30 homers in addition to 30-plus steals, but he's actually on pace for 50 long balls right now. Even though there's no way he can keep that up, Altuve certainly looks like he's going to leave last season's total of 15 in the dust.

Barreto left Thursday's game with Double-A Midland after fouling a ball off his leg in the first inning.

After a slow start to the season, the 20-year-old Barreto put together an eight-game hitting streak to end April, with six multi-hit games over that span. He added his third homer with the affiliate last week and two more stolen bases to give him seven in 11 attempts. The team has yet to elaborate on the exact nature or severity of this setback.

Andrus is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Blue Jays, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Andrus has started 15 consecutive games, so a day off to rest is much needed. The 27-year-old is off to a fantastic start this season, hitting .293/.323/.413 with eight extra-base hits and 13 RBI through 26 games this season.

Altuve went 3-for-5 with a double, a homer, three RBI and three runs in Wednesday's 16-4 blowout of the Twins.

He led off the bottom of the first with a homer, setting the tone for a huge offensive day on the part of the Astros. Altuve's hitting leadoff homers like Rickey Henderson come again, and if his steal totals don't equal Rickey's, well, they're still some of the best you'll see in today's game. There are precious few players who can be considered more valuable fantasy assets.

Semien continued his struggles on Tuesday against the Mariners, going 0-for-3 to drop his average to .195.

Semien does have six homers already in 2016 which has helped fantasy owners a lot, but he is really struggling to hit for average. Semien has not had a multi-hit game since April 12 which is affecting his ability to steal bases as he only has one swipe on the year as a result. Semien's average is keeping him from moving up from the No. 9 spot in the A's batting order, impairing his fantasy value.

Altuve went hitless Tuesday, but he walked, scored a run and recorded his league-leading 10th stolen base of the season during Houston's win over Minnesota.

In addition to his stolen base prowess, Altuve is hitting a robust .292/.390/.604 with seven home runs, 14 RBI and 22 runs scored for the Astros. He's been a five-category contributor thus far for fantasy owners.