MLB Player News

Rodriguez will start at first base and bat fifth Thursday against the Angels, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Rodriguez will draw his third start of the season at first base with the Tigers deploying Miguel Cabrera at designated hitter in the day game after the night game. Even when Cabrera resumes his usual duties at first base, Rodriguez seems likely to stick in the lineup at one of the two middle-infield spots for the foreseeable future with Jordy Mercer (quadriceps) joining Josh Harrison (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list Thursday. Rodriguez has already capitalized on the opportunity afforded to him by Harrison's absence with five multi-hit performances over his last seven starts.

Beckham will start at shortstop and bat seventh Thursday against the Angels, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Beckham will draw a second straight start at shortstop after the Tigers placed their primary option at the position, Jordy Mercer, back on the 10-day injured list Thursday. While Mercer and Josh Harrison (shoulder) are both sidelined, steady playing time in the middle infield should be available for both Beckham and Ronny Rodriguez. However, with Harrison expected to return from the IL in short order, Beckham may quickly slip back into a reserve role.

Altuve went 1-for-5 with a run scored in Wednesday's 9-0 win over the Royals.

Altuve is in a two-week slide (7-for-50) that's dropped his batting average to .236. Manager AJ Hinch told David Barron of the Houston Chronicle that Altuve is getting frustrated by the lack of hits and swinging "a little bit wildly around the strike zone and putting balls in play that aren't necessarily the ones he wants." The second baseman has managed to get on base via the walk during his slide and carries a career-high 10.8 BB% for the season.

Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, a run scored and four RBI in Wednesday's 10-3 win over the Angels.

Rodriguez continues to impress for the Tigers, as he now has a 1.096 OPS and 12 RBI through 14 games. He hit just .220/.256/.335 in 62 games last year, so it seems safe to say he's playing over his head right now, but fantasy owners should enjoy Rodriguez's production for however long it lasts.

Polanco went 5-for-5 with a double, a two-run home run and two runs scored Wednesday against the Blue Jays.

Polanco's big day at the plate began with a single in the first inning, but was highlighted by his seventh home run of the season in the second inning. While he appeared to be coming back to Earth after a very hot start to the season, Polanco recorded nine hits in 12 at-bats during the team's series in Toronto. He remains one of the more surprising early-season performers, hitting .344/.412/.649 across 148 plate appearances.

Andrus went 3-for-5 with a double, a pair of stolen bases and a run in a 9-6 victory against the Pirates on Wednesday.

It was a successful first game in the No. 2 spot in the batting order. Andrus had batted third in 27 of 29 games prior to Wednesday, but if this is a permanent switch, it might allow him more chances to steal bases as he did Wednesday. Andrus is hitting .338 with five home runs, 23 RBI, 21 runs and eight steals in 136 at-bats this season.

The Red Sox are considering using Chavis in the outfield, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Chavis hasn't officially starting working in the outfield yet, though he was tracking flyballs before Wednesday's game as the Red Sox are exploring different ways to keep the young slugger in the lineup once Dustin Pedroia (knee) returns from the IL. Through 17 games this season, the 23-year-old Chavis is slashing .293/.423/.638 with six homers and two steals.

Chavis is not starting Wednesday against the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Chavis sits for the first time since entering the lineup April 21. He was hitting an excellent .354/.466/.771 through Saturday but has since gone 0-for-10, dropping his season line to a still-strong .293/.423/.638. Eduardo Nunez gets the start at second base.

Andrus will bat second and start at shortstop Wednesday against the Pirates, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Andrus batted third in 27 of his first 29 starts of the season, but he'll hit out of the two hole for the fourth straight contest. It looks like he'll regularly hit between leadoff man Shin-Soo Choo and Nomar Mazara for the foreseeable future with Rougned Odor having yet to find his swing this season.

Merrifield went 4-for-5 with a triple, a home run, three runs scored, five RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 12-2 rout of the Astros.

The big blow was his seventh-inning grand slam off Framber Valdez, at which point Merrifield probably regretted not trying to stretch one of his earlier singles into a double to give him a cycle. The 30-year-old is having another outstanding campaign, slashing .299/.351/.545 through 37 games with six homers, seven steals, 19 RBI and 30 runs.