MLB Player News

Second baseman Jose Altuve was the lone bright spot for the Astros during Monday's 8-1 loss to the Athletics.

Altuve produced three hits including a solo home run, which was his first of the season. Only two players collected a hit for the Astros on Monday.

Gordon Beckham and Alexei Ramirez each delivered clutch hits in the eighth inning as the White Sox pulled away from the Twins en route to a 6-2 triumph Sunday. 

Ramirez tallied his second hit of the game, a single, to score Avasail Garcia and give the Sox a 4-2 lead, and Beckham, coming on as a pinch-hitter, crushed a two-run homer to left to provide the final margin. 

Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.

Calhoun went 2 for 4 with a double, a home run and three RBI Saturday. The Angels will use shortstop Erick Aybar as the leadoff man with Calhoun on the bench, and Collin Cowgill will play right field and bat seventh Sunday. The Angels are also starting Taylor Featherston over Johnny Giavotella at second base.

The Angels are favorites (-115) against the Royals Sunday.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve had two hits in four at bats in Saturday's 6-2 loss to Texas. 

Altuve drove in one of Houston's two runs on the day, on a bases-loaded walk. 

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus drove in two runs in a 6-2 win over Houston on Saturday. 

Andrus went one for four, raising his average for the season to .167. His two-run single in the fifth helped give the Rangers some breathing room. 

Athletics left fielder Mark Canha will hit second in Friday night's game against the Mariners, according to MLB.com. 

A day before in the series-finale against the Rangers, Canha hit seventh. This season, Canha is already 4 of 9 with two double and four RBI. Catcher Stephen Vogt will move down the lineup and bat seventh. 

Shortstop Marcus Semien and second baseman Eric Sogard also switched places from Thursday's lineup. Semien will hit eighth and Sogard ninth. 

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus hit seventh for a second straight game Friday against the Astros. Andrus, who hit second in the first three games, is not complaining about batting seventh after Thursday's 10-1 win against the A's.

“In the end, it's all about winning," he said, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Andrus is batting .125 (2 for 16) with no extra-base hits and no RBI in four games. He has one run, one strikeout and no walks.

Angels second baseman Johnny Giavotella is hoping to make a better impression with his new club than he did with the Royals, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Giavotella, who was acquired by the Angels from the Royals in exchange for right-hander Brian Broderick this offseason, beat out Grant Green and Josh Rutledge for the second base job. He is hitting .444/.500/.444 through three games. He entered 2015 with a .238 average in 125 big-league games.

"Any time you're called up to the big leagues, it's an opportunity to show them what you can do at this level," Giavotella said. "If it's 10 at-bats or 100 at-bats, you have to utilize that to your advantage.

"Unfortunately, in Kansas City, I don't think I made a big enough impression for them to feel confident enough to put me in the lineup every day at second base, so they chose to go with other guys."

Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien had an RBI in three of the four games against the Rangers, including an RBI double during Thursday's 10-1 loss. It was his first extra-base hit of the season.

Semien is batting .308 (4 for 13) with one run, one walk, three RBI and four strikeouts in four games, after batting .288 (19 for 66) with three home runs, five doubles, 11 RBI and 14 runs in 24 games during spring training.

Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius is expected to take a scheduled day of rest Friday against the Red Sox, manager Joe Girardi said, per MLB.com. The Yankees will face a left-handed starter for the second straight night, in Boston's Wade Miley, and it may open the door for Gregorio Petit to start.