MLB Player News

Altuve went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in a loss to the Rays on Thursday.

Altuve blasted a 428-foot shot to center field in the sixth inning for his 25th home run of the season. That surpasses his previous career high of 24 long balls, established twice in the previous three campaigns. The 29-year-old has been red-hot since the start of July, hitting .346 with 15 homers and 37 RBI in 208 at-bats.

Andrus is not in the lineup Thursday against the Mariners.

Andrus has started the past eight games for Texas, slashing .188/.257/.313 with one home run and two stolen bases during that stretch. Danny Santana is starting at shortstop in this one, with Logan Forsythe getting the nod at first base and Isiah Kiner-Falefa manning the hot corner.

Rojas is not in the lineup Thursday against the Dodgers.

As per usual, Rojas will take a seat on the bench with a southpaw (Hyun-Jin Ryu) toeing the rubber for the opposition. Adam Jones is starting in right field and hitting sixth in his place.

Rosario is starting at shortstop and hitting leadoff Thursday against the Cubs.

Rosario is back atop the order for Thursday's series finale after going 2-for-5 with an RBI from the seven-hole Wednesday. The shortstop has been dialed in at the dish in August, slashing .345/.368/.445 with eight extra-base hits (six doubles, one triple and one home run) and three stolen bases in 24 games.

Marte (hamstring) is starting in center field and hitting leadoff Thursday against the Dodgers.

Marte exited Tuesday's game with a right hamstring cramp, but he's good to go for Thursday's series opener after a scheduled off day Wednesday. The 25-year-old is in the midst of a 10-game hitting streak -- during which he's slashing .415/.467/.805 with four home runs, nine RBI and a steal -- and will look to keep things rolling against lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu on Thursday.

Merrifield went 2-for-3 with two runs in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Athletics. He also reached base after being hit by a pitch.

Merrifield has put together a 10-game hitting streak, batting .302 over that stretch while providing a home run, a stolen base, five RBI and four runs. He'll occupy the leadoff spot in Thursday's series finale as he looks to extend the streak.

Castro (calf) will start in center field and bat third Thursday against the Indians, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Castro sat out Wednesday's 4-2 loss after suffering a calf injury a night earlier, but his re-entry into the lineup for the series finale suggests he's reasonably healthy now. The versatile rookie should continue to garner extensive playing time over the final few weeks of the season as the Tigers assess whether he's a long-term piece in their rebuild.

McNeil went 3-for-5 with a double and a two-run homer Wednesday against the Cubs.

McNeil took Kyle Hendricks deep in the fifth inning for his 15th homer of the season. It was his first notable contribution since being activated from the injured list Saturday. Still, he should have plenty of chances to produce down the stretch, as he has started regularly and either led off or batted second since returning to the field. Overall, he's slashing .333/.400/.535 across 457 plate appearances for the season.

Semien went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Royals.

Semien opened the game with a solo home run off Jakob Junis, good for his 24th long ball of the season. The 28-year-old shortstop has turned up the heat in August with seven homers and 18 RBI. Overall this season, Semien leads Oakland in hits (147) and on-base percentage (.359).

Jones will play with Mesa in the Arizona Fall League, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Jones took part in the AFL with Mesa last year as well, hitting .321 with a pair of homers and four stolen bases in 78 at-bats. He has stalled somewhat in his development with Double-A Mobile this year, hitting only .232 and succeeding in only eight of 18 stolen base attempts while striking out 104 times in 466 at-bats.