MLB Player News

Mariners shortstop Ketel Marte hit his first career home run in a 1 for 4 effort in a loss to the Angels on Saturday.

Marte has solidified a very nice role with the Mariners starting every day and batting atop the lineup. With the speed and average he provides out of the shortstop position, he'll definitely be worth keeping an eye on in fantasy drafts next season. In 50 games played this season, Marte has a .288 average to go with 14 doubles and seven steals.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve showed no ill effects from Friday's collision with Carlos Correa, going 2 for 4 Saturday with a walk and two solo shots, giving him 14 home runs on the season.

Correa cranked two home runs of his own in the game, but the Astros aren't likely to encourage their two star middle infielders to bump into each other again looking for a repeat performance. Altuve's 14 homers double his previous career high, but his .315 batting average and 38 steals are right in line with expectations.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (head) is still in the lineup for the key battle Saturday against Texas after leaving Friday due to a collision.

Altuve took a forearm to the head in the frightening crash, but he showed no concussion-like symptoms after the game and should be considered good to go as the Astros continue battling for a playoff spot.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve has no concussion-like symptoms, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. "We feel like we dodged a little bit of a bullet there. Maybe something went our way," said manager A.J Hinch following Friday's loss.

Altuve was involved in a scary collision with Carlos Correa during Friday's contest and left the game after being examined by team trainers. While it's certainly a positive sign that Altuve appears to have avoided suffering a concussion, his availability for Saturday may be in question.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve exited Friday's game after colliding with teammate Carlos Correa, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Correa and Altuve collided in shallow center field going after an Elvis Andrus blooper. Altuve made the catch but remained down on the field after taking a forearm to the head. He was replaced by Jonathan Villar at second base and further information on the extent of Altuve's injury should be made available following Friday's contest.

Angels second baseman Johnny Giavotella (illness) is back in the lineup Friday against the Mariners.

Giavotella was placed on the disabled toward the end of August with a condition known as fourth nerve palsy, but he has apparently been progressing well despite the issue. He's back in the lineup as the second baseman, batting ninth, and figures to see the majority of the starts down the stretch.

Mariners shortstop Ketel Marte stayed hot Wednesday, going 3 for 5 with a triple, two RBI and a run against the Royals.

He's now on a 10-game hitting streak, and Marte's racked up multiple hits in six of the last seven, lifting his average back into the neighborhood of .300 -- .298, to be specific -- after a cooling period that saw it fall as far as .261. There've been no signs of power for Marte, and his stolen-base success rate (7-for-11) isn't as good as you'd like to see, but the young shortstop's shown plenty of promise in his first taste of the big leagues.

Angels second baseman Johnny Giavotella (illness) could return this weekend, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports.

A condition known as fourth nerve palsy has inhibited Giavotella's vision, causing him to see double and miss over a month of action, but manager Mike Sciscia said Tuesday that the second baseman's vision is all good now. Giavotella progressed from normal batting practice to facing live pitching Tuesday, and it sounds like he could bump Taylor Featherston to the bench as soon as Friday.

Rays second baseman Logan Forsythe reached base four times in Sunday's win over the Orioles, going 2 for 3 with a three-run home run, double, and two walks.

Forsythe also pitched in two runs, while his homer gave the Rays a 4-3 lead in the fifth inning. The second baseman had seen some of his production tail off as he moved deeper into September, but he remains a high-on-base hitter with a respectable amount of power.

Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien went 1 for 3 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs scored in a 10-6 loss to the Astros.

Semien has a pretty nice bat, but it's hard to overlook 34 errors. Despite the errors, Semien is one of the best power-hitting shortstops in baseball, as he has 13 homers in 144 games. A surprising stat for Semien is that he has 11 steals and those two stats alone make him relevant in nearly every format.