MLB Player News

Semien went 2-for-4 with a double, a walks and two runs in a win over the Cardinals on Saturday. He also was caught stealing on his only attempt.

Semien snapped out of a brief 1-for-10 funk in fine fashion, lacing his second double in the last three games while recording his fourth two-run effort in the last seven contests overall. Semien is enjoying one of his better all-around seasons, already producing the second-best doubles (28), triples (four) and home run (17) totals of his career while currently generating a career-best .273/.360/.466 line.

Albies went 2-for-4 with a walk, a triple, two runs scored and two stolen bases in Saturday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the Reds.

The 22-year-old has been on fire at the plate lately, slashing .320/.382/.540 over his last 12 games, but Saturday's steals were the first for Albies during that stretch. He's now 10-for-12 on the basepaths overall this season, and hitting second behind an aggressive leadoff hitter like Ronald Acuna -- who's been running up a storm since the All-Star break -- could be rubbing off on Albies.

Lowe (shin) fielded grounders and did some hitting before Saturday's game against the Marlins, but he remains without a timetable for return, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Lowe's right shin bone bruise has been extremely stubborn throughout the healing process, although the rookie did confide Saturday that a cortisone shot he received before the Rays traveled to Toronto last week helped significantly. Nevertheless, Lowe is still experiencing discomfort when fielding, keeping him on the shelf for the foreseeable future.

McNeil went 2-for-2 with a solo home run and two runs in a 7-5 victory over the Pirates on Saturday.

The rookie entered as a pinch hitter in the seventh and launched a solo homer. He stayed in after a double switch and scored following a single in his second at-bat. The two hits raised McNeil's batting average to .334, and he has 12 homers, 47 RBI and 57 runs in 365 at-bats this season.

Altuve went 2-for-5 with a double, a solo home run and two additional runs scored in Saturday's 9-0 win over the Mariners.

The second baseman has been on a tear since the All-Star break, hitting .404 (36-for-89) with eight homers, 20 RBI and 21 runs in his last 21 games. The hot streak has boosted Altuve's OPS on the year to .907, and with 18 homers he's on pace to top his career high of 24 despite having missed over a month of the season with a hamstring strain.

Urias is not in the lineup Saturday against the Dodgers.

Despite hitting .315/.398/.600 for Triple-A El Paso, Urias hasn't come close to getting things going in the big leagues, hitting .113/.286/.177 in 23 games. Greg Garcia will start at second base in his absence.

Barreto was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Saturday.

The A's tried to give Barreto another opportunity to take over the job at second base, but he hit .106 with an 18:1 K:BB in 16 games this time around. Stephen Piscotty was reinstated from the injured list in a corresponding move, and Jurickson Profar now figures to be the full-time starter until they are ready to give Jorge Mateo a shot at the keystone.

Biggio is not in Saturday's lineup against the Orioles, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

He has heated up a little at the plate, hitting .267/.389/.500 with two home runs and two steals over his last 30 at-bats. Freddy Galvis will start at second base and hit second.

McNeill is not in the lineup Saturday against the Pirates.

McNeil battled wrist discomfort earlier in the week, though there hasn't been any indication that Saturday's day off is anything other than a routine one. Michael Conforto will start in right field in his absence, with Juan Lagares entering the lineup in center.

Chavis is not in the lineup for Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Yankees.

Since the start of July, Chavis is hitting .247/.301/.416 with three home runs and a 33.7 percent strikeout rate in 77 at-bats. Brock Holt will start at second base, hitting sixth.