MLB Player News

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.

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus notched two triples in the team's first game of April as part of a three-hit game. Andrus hasn't picked up an extra-base hit in 12 games since then, giving him a .241/.317/.315 line through his first 62 plate appearances.

Despite the deficiency in extra-base hits, Andrus has gotten on base in all but one of his 14 games played in April.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve notched three singles, a run and an RBI while also recording his first stolen base of the year in his team's 7-5 loss to the A's Wednesday.

Altuve has hit safely in seven of his last eight games and is leading his team in batting this season with a .365/.412/.460 line in 68 plate appearances. He'll try to stay hot when the Astros open a series against the Indians Friday.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve collected his sixth multi-hit game Tuesday against the Athletics. He finished 2 for 3 with one run, one double and one walk. 

Altuve, who was caught stealing on his first stolen-base attempt Tuesday, has hit safely in six of his last seven games. He's batting .400 (12 for 30) with one home run, two doubles, three walks, five runs and five RBI in that span.

White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham had successful surgery on his hamate bone Tuesday.

Beckham is expected to miss six to eight weeks. Jeff Keppinger and Tyler Greene will likely fill-in at second while Beckham is sidelined.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve added three more singles to his impressive start to the season in Friday's 5-0 win over the Angels. He has eight hits over his last three games, raising his line to .350/.381/.475, but has yet to steal a base this season.