MLB Player News

It appears very doubtful the Yankees will make a trade to acquire Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, according to ESPN senior writer Andrew Marchand. Andrus has been rumored to be a potential option to replace longtime Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who played his final season in 2014.

CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman reports White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez is a more likely option for the Yankees than Andrus, but nothing is close at the moment.

As the Yankees prepare to move forward without Derek Jeter as their everyday shortstop, one option that interests the team as a potential Jeter replacement is Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Although, Sherman suggests the Yankees would have to feel Andrus is a buy-low candidate and he can bounce back from his 2014 struggles. The 26-year-old shortstop hit a career-low .263 in 157 games in '14.

Rangers infielder Elvis Andrus is losing weight this offseason, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Andrus said he's already lost 10 pounds since the end of the year, and is hoping to lose 10 additional pounds going forward. Andrus struggled this past season, hitting .263/.314/.333 over 619 at-bats. 

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve has been inserted into the team's starting lineup for Sunday's season finale after initially finding himself on the bench.

Altuve has a .340 batting average that is three points ahead of Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez's .337 mark, and the team initially left Altuve out of the lineup to presumably protect his lead, though a big day by Martinez could have pushed his mark ahead of that of Altuve. However, the second baseman was passionate about playing in the season finale, and the team ultimately decided to acquiese to his wishes.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's season finale against the Mets.

If he doesn't see action later in the game, Altuve will finish the season with a .340/.376/.451 line along with seven home runs, 58 RBI, 56 stolen bases and a league-leading 223 hits in 656 at-bats.

Rays second baseman Logan Forsythe went 2 for 3 with a double, a home run and three RBI in his team's 4-3 defeat against the White Sox.

Forsythe hadn't collected an extra-base hit since homering on Aug. 14, but he was swung a hot bat Friday, driving in two runs with a first-inning double before smacking a solo home run in the fourth inning to put his team up 3-0. Unfortunately, that was all the offense they'd find, leading to a loss after the White Sox scored four times in the fifth inning. Forsythe has hit .231/.296/.343 with six home runs, 26 RBI and two stolen bases in 286 at-bats.

Astros infielder Jose Altuve was the lone bright spot for the club Wednesday.

Altuve accounted for the team's only two hits of the night. He went 2 for 4, with two singles. The Astros were shut out, so Altuve did not register any runs or RBIs. 

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve went 2 for 5 Tuesday to become the franchise's new single-season hit king in his team's 4-2 loss to the Indians.

Altuve tied Craig Biggio's franchise record of 210 hits with a double in the fifth inning Tuesday, and No. 211 came on a seventh-inning single. The major-league leader in batting average, Altuve has hit .343/.379/.456 with seven home runs, 54 RBI and 52 stolen bases in 616 at-bats. He has 11 more games to add to his new record.

Rays infielder Nick Franklin is in the starting lineup for Tuesday game against the Yankees, as he gets set to make his team debut.

Franklin was acquired from the Mariners at the trade deadline, and hit just .210 with two home runs in 27 games at Triple-A Durham. He hit just .128/.192/.170 in 17 games with the Mariners prior to the trade. 

The Tampa Tribune reports that the Rays will recall shortstop Nick Franklin, starting pitcher Alex Colome and reliever C.J. Riefenhauser from Triple-A Durham on Monday.

Franklin has hit .210 with two home runs since coming over to the Rays' organization in a July 31 deadline deal. Colome posted a 7-6 record and 3.77 ERA in 15 starts, and Riefenhauser went 3-3 with a 1.40 ERA for Durham.