MLB Player News

Chavis will start at second base and hit fifth Wednesday against the Athletics, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

The No. 5 spot is the highest assignment to date for the rookie, who had been used as either Boston's No. 6 or 7 hitter in his prior nine starts. Chavis is probably just benefiting from heart-of-the-order fixture Xander Bogaerts getting the day off more than anything, but the move up the lineup has been a deserved one. The 23-year-old has recorded exactly two hits in each of his past three starts and has compiled a 1.061 OPS while striking out at a manageable 25.6 percent clip during his first taste of the big leagues.

Forsythe is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Pirates.

Forsythe will head to the bench for what appears to be a routine day off following a string of 20 straight starts. The veteran infielder slashed .278/.369/.486 with a trio of homers and one stolen base over that stretch. In his place, Danny Santana is starting at first base and hitting seventh.

Semien will start at shortstop and serve as the Athletics' leadoff hitter Wednesday against the Red Sox.

Semien has been serving as the Athletics' primary table setter against left-handed pitching all season, and now it seems his hot start at the plate has allowed him to unseat Robbie Grossman as the leadoff man versus righties, too. He'll slot in atop the order for the Athletics' third consecutive matchup against a right-hander, with Oakland taking on Hector Velazquez in the series finale in Boston.

Drury went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Angels.

With Vlad Guerrero Jr. finally in the majors, the Jays have moved Drury into a utility role. He got the start in right field Tuesday, the first time he's seen action there since 2016, but shifted to second base after Eric Sogard (illness) left the game. Drury's current form at the plate gives the team plenty of incentive to find ways to get him into the lineup -- he has all five of his homers on the season in the last nine games, hitting .361 (13-for-36) over that stretch.

Lowe went 1-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and three runs in a win over the Royals on Monday.

Lowe's final line was one befitting of his top-of-the-order role, as he was a constant presence on the bases. The 24-year-old has enjoyed a highly productive April during which he's racked up 12 extra-base hits (five doubles, one triple, six home runs) and 17 RBI. Monday's single also extended his modest hitting streak to four games, and given the domino effect of the ongoing absences of both Joey Wendle (wrist) and Matt Duffy (back/hamstring), Lowe's current everyday role looks to be locked in for the foreseeable future.

Chavis went 2-for-4 with three RBI in Monday's 9-4 win over the A's.

The rookie got the start at first base, the third different position he's played since his promotion to the majors, and a super-utility role could be in Chavis' future once the Boston infield gets healthier. The team has every reason to want to keep his bat around right now -- through his first nine MLB games, he's slashing .286/.429/.643 with three homers and eight RBI.

Estrada went 2-for-4 with a stolen base Sunday in the Yankees' 11-5 win over the Giants.

Estrada was promoted to the majors April 20 to give the banged-up Yankees some extra depth in the infield and corner outfield and was thrust into action Sunday when starting second baseman DJ LaMahieu departed early due to knee inflammation. The 23-year-old proceeded to give the Yankees some quality at-bats and now has a hit in four consecutive games. The Yankees are labeling LeMahieu as day-to-day and hoping he'll avoid the injured list, but his potential absence for a few games could open up some extra playing time for Estrada.

The Rays optioned Arroyo to Triple-A Durham on Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

With the Rays bringing up first-base prospect Nate Lowe from Triple-A, Arroyo became expendable with both Brandon Lowe and Daniel Robertson capable of filling the utility infield role that had been Arroyo's domain of late. Arroyo should at least rank near the top of the list for another callup if another injury hits the Tampa Bay infield.

Rodriguez went 0-for-2 with a walk, stolen base and caught stealing in a 4-1 loss to the White Sox on Sunday.

The 27-year-old stole second in the second inning, but then when he tried to do it again in the fifth, he got caught. These were his first two stolen-base attempts of the year. Rodriguez is batting .280 with six extra-base hits, including two home runs, four RBI and six runs in 25 at-bats this season.

Drury went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run Sunday against the Athletics.

Things were looking bleak for Toronto heading into the bottom of the 11th inning facing a three-run deficit, but a three-run homer by Drury would tie things up before Justin Smoak won the game on a single to left field. Drury turned in a solid weekend series and went 6-for-12 with two homers and five RBI over three games.