MLB Player News

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus has a nine-game hitting streak after going 1 for 5 in Wednesday's loss to the White Sox. However, he also struck out three times in the loss, including with two outs and two men on in the ninth inning of a three-run deficit.

Andrus has boosted his batting average from .194 to .248 during his hitting streak, but he left six men on base Wednesday out of the second spot in the order.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve singled in the fifth inning Tuesday in New York to set a team record for most hits in April by a player at his position, MLB.com reports. Altuve's 34 are one more than Craig Biggio had in 1998.

Altuve entered Tuesday batting .327 with a homer, six doubles and 12 RBI. The 22-year-old also two steals.

White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham, who underwent surgery earlier in the month to remove the hamate bone from his left hand, had his stitches removed Tuesday, according to MLB.com.

Beckham is waiting to be cleared for baseball-related activities. He hopes to start taking flips next week while accompanying the team in New York. Beckham was batting .316 in seven games before getting hurt.

The Rangers gave shortstop Elvis Andrus a scheduled day off Saturday against Minnesota. Leury Garcia got the start at short.

Andrus is sitting with a six-game hitting streak in which he's gone 10 for 28 (.357) with three doubles, an RBI and a stolen base. He's scored five runs over that span.

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus has put together a four-game hitting streak following a 0-for-13 slide that dropped his batting average to a season-low .194 April 20. Andrus has since hit .389 (7 for 18), lifting his season average to .235.

Mariners manager Eric Wedge announced Wednesday he was making a change at shortstop, replacing Bredan Ryan with Robert Andino. It's not such an interesting move because Andino is now in the lineup as what it might mean for infield prospect Nick Franklin, who is off to a promising start for Triple-A Tacoma.

Franklin is one of the Mariners' top prospects, as Baseball America and MLB.com consider Franklin a top-100 prospect. Through 11 games for Tacoma, Franklin has a .325/.449/.500/.949 slash line. He also has two home runs and eight RBI, while having more walks (eight) than strikeouts (seven).

Let's face it -- Andino is not the long-term solution at shortstop for Seattle. While Ryan is a good defensive presence, he has very limited offensive upside. It seems this move could just be a temporary solution until the Mariners feel Franklin is ready to play regularly in the majors. Franklin has been splitting his time at second base and shortstop, so he could also be a possible substitute for struggling second baseman Dustin Ackley.

Although Franklin has had a slow progression through the minors, he's only 22 years old and has plenty of upside. If you are in deeper Fantasy formats and have ample reserve spots, then using a bench spot on Franklin could be a viable move.

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus hit three singles Monday.

Andrus went 3 for 5, scoring one run. Andrus has struggled to begin the season, hitting just .224/.280/.276 in 84 plate appearances. 

White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham (wrist) said Monday he is feeling good, but he's not progressed baseball-related activities. He said he is not feeling any pain following surgery to remove a hamate bone in his left hand.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve extended his hitting streak to seven games in Sunday's series finale against the Indians. He went 1 for 3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Altuve also walked twice in a 5-4 loss.

Altuve has hit safely in 10 of the previous 11 games and is batting .422 (19 for 45) with one homer, seven RBI and two stolen bases during that stretch.

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus went hitless for the third-straight game, a 5-0 win over the Mariners Saturday, making him 0 for 13 over the past three days. But the slump doesn't have his manager concerned.

"Elvis has been stroking the baseball," Washington told MLB.com before the game. "I don't want him to change anything. When he starts finding holes, it will come in droves. He's smacking the baseball. I told Elvis, 'Don't change a thing.'"

Andrus has hit .190/.260/.254 in 75 plate appearances this season.