MLB Player News

Giavotella is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Brewers.

It will be the second day off in three games for Giavotella, as his 0-for-4 performance Monday dropped his slash line down to .169/.183/.237. Cliff Pennington will man second base in his stead Tuesday, and it appears as though the days off could start becoming more regular if Giavotella isn't able to get going at the plate.

Forsythe has excelled in his leadoff role to date in 2016, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune reports.

The 29-year-old has validated manager Kevin Cash's decision to place him at the top of the lineup, leading the Rays with a .337 average, and hitting .364 during the first inning. Forsythe had adjusted to the nuances of being the first man up against the opposing pitcher by making his warm-up process more efficient. "The routine is actually the big thing," he said. "I've been able to shorten it up. Make sure my body's ready. Get a couple of more swings before I step in for that first at-bat of the game. It's going well right now. I want to continue to grow on it, try to get better in early counts." The five-year veteran sees his presence at the top of the order as somewhat of a break from the norm, given that leadoff men have traditionally been profiled as low-power speed merchants. "There seems like there's more and more contact guys, guys who can put the ball in play. Very good with pitch-recognition," he said. "They give you that quality at-bat. I've noticed it not necessarily being that speedster. (It's) maybe even a power guy."

Polanco is expected to be optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday as Trevor Plouffe (ribs) returns from the DL, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Polanco once again returns to Triple-A following his second call-up of the season. The 22-year-old is 1-for-7 in the majors and will get more chances to hone his skills in the minors. Polanco had a great spring, and it's clear the Twins are optimistic about their young shortstop going forward.

Altuve went 1-for-3 Sunday with a walk and a solo shot, his seventh home run of the season.

It was also his fourth leadoff home run on the young campaign, and Altuve seems determined to break Alfonso Soriano's MLB record of 13 leadoff homers in a season. Last year's power spike is clearly for real, and the diminutive second baseman is now slashing an impressive .306/.404/.633 through 98 at-bats.

Forsythe went 3-for-3 with a solo homer and two RBI in Saturday's 4-3 victory over the Blue Jays.

While the Rays' offense as a whole has been mired in a season-long malaise, Forsythe has been one of the few exceptions to the struggles. He's slashed an outstanding .341/.426/.610, and has multi-hit outings in four of his last six games. He's also walked in four straight contests, making him a constant presence on the basepaths. The 29-year-old's contributions at the top of the order have rendered him an invaluable piece of an attack that's needed all the help he's been able to provide in the early going in 2016.

Giavotella is out of the lineup Sunday against the Rangers, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Though the Angels will be facing lefty Cole Hamels on Sunday, the right-handed hitting Giavotella will ride the pine after Saturday's 0-for-4 showing dropped his batting average to .182. Backup Cliff Pennington will get the start at the keystone Sunday, and could parlay the opportunity into more playing time if he's able to provide the sort of offensive punch that Giavotella has lacked this season.

Semien went 1-for-3 with a solo homer Friday against the Astros.

Semien's sixth home run of the season started a rally in the eighth inning of a game the Athletics would come from behind to win. Overall he's having a difficult month while batting .197, but the homers have helped him keep his slugging percentage (.447) at a respectable level.

Altuve went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a homer, two RBI and three runs against the Mariners on Wednesday.

As the season's first month winds toward a close, Altuve has been perhaps fantasy's most valuable asset, with six homers and nine steals to go with his typically fantastic batting average, now at .330. He's clearly fantasy's top second baseman, and it's not particularly close.

Giavotella is out of Wednesday's lineup against the Royals, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

The former Royal hit his first home run of the season Tuesday, but has been dropped from Wednesday's lineup in favor of switch-hitting Cliff Pennington. Giavotella is hitting only .154 against righthanders this year, and is 0-for-4 in his career against Royals starter Chris Young.

Marte went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI and three runs in Tuesday's 11-1 hammering of the Astros.

Marte was hitting a measly .186 when he was given a day off on April 20. Since then, he has a six-game hit streak including three multi-hit performances, all three of his season's extra-base hits, one steal, two RBI and seven runs while raising his average to .265. If the switch hitter can continue to get on base, he'll have the opportunity to capitalize on his speed which is arguably Marte's top attribute. At this point, the shortstop is best suited for dynasty and the deepest of leagues, but certainly possesses the potential to develop into a more useful asset in a plethora of formats.