MLB Player News

Angels infielder Johnny Giavotella has never caused pitchers to tremble on the mound. His batting average peaked at .247 in 2011 and has dropped every year since.

But he sure has been hot to start this season.

Giavotella continued to rake Tuesday night in a thrashing of Oakland. He ripped a three-run homer off Drew Pomeranz in the second inning and added a run-scoring single in the sixth before crossing the plate himself. He finished with a career-high four RBI and now boasts a fine slash line of ..317/.383/.439.

Yankees right fielder Carlos Beltran and shortstop Didi Gregorius are not in the lineup for Tuesday's matchup with lefty starter Kyle Lobstein and the Tigers.

Beltran missed two games due to illness before returning to the lineup Monday. He had been batting third but was slotted fifth in his return Monday. Designated hitter Alex Rodriguez will make his fourth straight start in the No. 3 spot in the lineup Tuesday.

Gregorius has started 11 of the team's 13 games this year at shortstop. Backup infielder Gregorio Petit will play shortstop and bat ninth.

The Yankees are underdogs (+105) in Detroit Tuesday.

Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien went 1 for 4 with a solo home run in his team's 6-3 win over the Angels Monday.

Semien has been better against lefties than righties but was able to take righty starter Matt Shoemaker over the fence in the fourth inning Monday. He's hit .250/.304/.423 with two home runs, nine RBI and one stolen base in 52 at-bats.

Semien will get to face three lefty starters in a four-game span starting Tuesday against Angels pitcher Hector Santiago.

Rays infielder Tim Beckham has hit well since entering the starting lineup in the opening week of the season. Beckham is hitting .267 with two home runs and six RBI in 30 at-bats. 

"What I've seen the past two weeks is a player who is hungry, a player who understands the opportunity in front of him," Rays president of baseball operations Matt Silverman said. "I've seen a guy whose confidence is increasing every game. He's had some success, and I think that is making him a more confident and productive player."

Beckham got his chance when Nick Franklin strained an oblique muscle late in spring training. But he may be headed back to Triple-A once Franklin is healthy enough to return.

"I'm not looking at how Franklin is doing, and I'm not worrying about what the front office is thinking," Beckham said. "As a player, I can only control what's in front of me. I'm trying to maximize my performance every day, and adding pressure by worrying about what other people are doing is not going to help me."

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve carries a nine-game hitting streak into Monday's game at Seattle. He is batting .385 (15 for 39) with one double, one home run, four RBI, four runs, three walks, three strikeouts and two stolen bases in that span.

Taking the mound for Seattle on Monday is Hisashi Iwakuma. Altuve is batting .400 (10 for 25) with three doubles and five RBI in his career against the right-hander.

The Astros are in Seattle for three games before playing Oakland for three games. Altuve has a .323/.358/.462/.820 slash line in 38 career games vs. Seattle and has a .347/.384/.457/.840 slash line in 41 games vs. Oakland.

Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien is 4 for 10 against lefties over the first two weeks while hitting just .211/.250/.368 against right-handers.

Semien has struggled with the bat over the last week, going just 2 for 17, but he could be in for a boost during the upcoming week. He'll match up with three southpaws over a four-game span starting Tuesday. Semien also delivered an OPS 98 points higher against lefties in 2014, so any string of left-handed matchups could indicate an impending boost in production.

White Sox third baseman Gordon Beckham didn't start Sunday but entered the game in the eighth inning as a defensive replacement and doubled in his only at-bat in his team's 9-1 loss to the Tigers.

Beckham has seen just three starts this season but has played well in limited time, going 5 for 13 with a home run and three RBI. With starting third baseman Conor Gillaspie failing to get things going offensively over the first two weeks, it's possible Beckham could carve out some more playing time if he continues to perform at the plate.

Angels second baseman Johnny Giavotella is in the midst of a four-game hitting streak that has boosted his season line to .314/.359/.371 in 35 at-bats.

Batting in the No. 9 spot in six straight games over the last week, the second baseman has been able to find some offense, going 7 for 19 with two doubles, three RBI and three runs. He's rewarded manager Mike Scioscia's decision to give him the starting job over Josh Rutledge before the season so far.

After opening the season with a 10-game on-base streak, Rays infielder Logan Forsythe has been kept off the basepaths for two straight. 

Forsythe is hitless in his last five at bats, which has dropped his average to .262.

Forsythe has walked five times this season and had a six-game hitting streak. He's played three infield positions and has changed positions mid-game seven times already this season.  

Rays second baseman Nick Franklin and first baseman James Loney both fielded ground balls prior to Saturday's game against the Yankees. Franklin and Loney, who are both dealing with an oblique issue, will still require minor-league rehab games before they're activated form the disabled list.