MLB Player News

On Monday, the Mariners promoted prospect Nick Franklin from Triple-A Tacoma to replace Dustin Ackley at second base, which can only be an improvement for Fantasy owners. Of course, by the time the Mariners made the switch, most had already given up on Ackley, his ownership rate dropping to about 40 percent.

So then, how many owners will actually benefit form this move?

Franklin is a legit prospect, but at age 22, he's hardly a finished product. His numbers at Tacoma, while impressive in terms of contact rate and plate discipline, were lacking in other areas. Four home runs in 142 at-bats are just par for the course in the heavy-hitting Pacific Coast League and especially disappointing for a player whose home run totals were lacking each of the last two seasons.

Naturally, if you need a shortstop or second baseman -- and many teams do -- Franklin is well worth your while, but if not, I'm thinking he's unlikely to perform well enough to establish much trade value. I'm expecting more along the lines of a Neil Walker than an Ian Kinsler.

White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham will resume his minor-league rehab assignment Wednesday with Triple-A Charlotte after he was shut down due to discomfort in his left wrist, MLB.com reports.

Beckham has been sidelined since April 9. He was hitting .316/.333/.316 in 19 at-bats before landing on the disabled list.

The Mariners called up infield prospect Nick Franklin, the Tacoma News Tribune reports Monday. 

Franklin was tearing it up with Triple-A Tacoma as he's hit .324 with a .472 slugging percentage with four homers and seven stolen bases over 39 games. He's likely to play as the Mariners wouldn't promote a top prospect to sit on the bench. 

Franklin began the 2013 season as the No. 47 prospect in the majors, according to MLB.com. 

Rangers manager Ron Washington said he plans to give shortstop Elvis Andrus a breather Sunday against the Mariners after watching the shortstop commit his third error in a week Saturday. Rookie Jurickson Profar will start in Andrus' absence.

"When he starts making errors like that, he’s tired," Washington said, per The Dallas Morning News.

Washington added he plans to rest Andrus during one game of Monday's doubleheader against the Diamondbacks. Aside from his defensive lapses, Andrus is mired in a 3-for-23 slump (.130) since a five-hit game May 18. Washington said a few games off should "refresh" the struggling shortstop. 

White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham, who is on the disabled list with a wrist injury, has been feeling soreness when hitting and will be taken out of the lineup for a day or two, MLB.com reports.

Earlier this week, White Sox manager Robin Ventura said Beckham could return this weekend, but that's a long shot with the second baseman experiencing soreness. Provided the soreness isn't a major setback, Beckham could return next week.

White Sox manager Robin Ventura told Comcast SportsNet Chicago that Gordon Beckham will not be switching from second base to shortstop, despite playing shortstop during Monday's rehab game.

Ventura worked out Beckham at shortstop during spring break but never used him in a game. Ventura wants to see if he is capable of handling a limited role at shortstop on days when Alexei Ramirez is not in the lineup.

"When everybody starts getting healthy you can only fit so many people in certain spots," Ventura said. "Alexei is the shortstop. But in case you need somebody there, is (Beckham) able to do that? That's more of a reason to have him do it. I want him to play second base here. But for one game, or if something happens before you could get somebody up here, would he be able to do it? … You start to find out if he's comfortable."

Beckham, who played shortstop in college, has gone 6 for 13 with two RBI in three rehab games and could be back with the White Sox at the end of the week.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve has dropped Scott Boras as his agent, according to MLB.com.

Altuve rejoined Scott Pucino and Wil Polidor of Octagon, where he left about a year ago for Boras. Altuve is still under team control through the 2017 season, so he won't be a free agent anytime soon. He won't be arbitration-eligible until 2015. Altuve is hitting .327/.361/.430 in 165 at-bats. 

White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham played shortstop during Monday's rehab game.

Beckham played shortstop in college, but has been used as a second baseman during his major-league career. The team has Alexei Ramirez at short, so there's no immediate need for Beckham to play the position. The White Sox are currently three games under .500, and could be looking to see whether Beckham can handle the position for trade purposes. Beckham is hitting .316/.333/.316 in 19 at-bats. 

White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham started at shortstop for Triple-A Charlotte Monday during his rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.

He's had five hits over starts at DH and at second base. 

Manager Robin Ventura mentioned that Beckham could rejoin the team this weekend. 

"Sometime by the end of the week you would think, but again, you never know how that hand is going to react," Ventura said of Beckham and his recovery from a fractured left hamate bone. "It's probably been sore because this is the first time he's been hitting on a daily basis. You would hope so, but nothing's guaranteed."

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus was slotted atop the team's lineup with Ian Kinsler out for a second-straight day, and he responded with a 5-for-5 performance that included a double, triple, three runs, two RBI and two stolen bases.

Andrus bumped his batting average 20 points, giving him a .282/.328/.350 line with 12 stolen bases in 192 plate appearances. Despite the excellent outing, Andrus won't retain the lead-off spot in the lineup when Kinsler returns.