MLB Player News

Kemp started at designated hitter and went 0-for-3 with a stolen base and run scored in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Rays.

Kemp made his season debut with the start, filling the DH role that went to Tyler White on Opening Day. He stole second after being hit by a pitch and eventually scored the game's first run on a double by Michael Brantley in the third inning. Manager AJ Hinch will rotate players through the DH spot, so expect Kemp to get occasional starts there. If he can make contributions consistently, Kemp may grab a larger slice of the plate appearances.

Marte started at second base and went 0-for-6 with an RBI in Friday's 5-4 extra-innings win over the Dodgers.

Marte has made one start in center field and one at second base. He's expected to see most of his time in center field, but there will be nights when manager Torey Lovullo wants to get Jarrod Dyson in the lineup, so expect Marte to move around to accommodate those managerial decisions. Thus far, Marte is hitless in nine at-bats but does have an RBI in both contests.

Solarte is batting third and will play second base Friday against the Padres, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Solarte failed to pick up a hit in one at-bat Opening Day, but he'll receive a few more opportunities Friday night. Joe Panik will head to the bench as a result.

Lowe is not in the lineup for Friday's game against Houston, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Lowe went 0-for-4 with one strikeout out of the cleanup spot in Thursday's season opener as the designated hitter. The 24-year-old can play both corner infield and outfield spots but will nonetheless take a seat Friday. Austin Meadows will be the designated hitter as Avisail Garcia starts in right field.

Semien went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in a shutout win over the Angels on Thursday.

Semien's 394-foot shot to center off Trevor Cahill extended the Athletics' lead to 3-0, and the shortstop's season-opening hitting streak to three games. The 28-year-old ceded the leadoff spot to Robbie Grossman on Thursday, but manager Bob Melvin is likely to rotate Semien into the top of the order fairly frequently over the course of the season.

Hernandez went 3-for-3 with two home runs, three runs and three RBI to help pace the Dodgers to a 12-5 Opening Day romp over the Diamondbacks.

Hernandez joined Joc Pederson as one of two Dodgers to notch multi-homer days, cranking a fourth-inning two-run blast off Zack Greinke before following that up with a seventh-inning solo shot off Matt Koch. The 27-year-old is expected to be the starter at second base for the Dodgers to start the season, so he should rack up plenty of plate of appearances as he looks to build on last year's .256/.336/.470 slash line he posted over 462 at-bats.

Andrus went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Thursday's 12-4 loss to the Cubs.

Andrus hit safely in his first three at-bats and picked up where he left off in spring training during which he batted .432. The Rangers' three-hole hitter is healthy after an elbow injury cost him two months and sapped his power stroke in 2018.

Altuve went 2-for-4 with a home run and double Thursday against the Rays.

Altuve went hitless in his first two at-bats, but got things going with a solo home run in the fifth inning. He followed that up with a leadoff double in the eighth frame, but was ultimately stranded there. It's an encouraging start to the season for Altuve, who was hampered in the second half of the 2018 season with a knee injury that required offseason surgery.

Barreto was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday.

Barreto looked to have made the team even after the Japan Series (he did not record an at-bat) until the Kendrys Morales deal Monday. Unfortunately for the 23-year-old, the deal pushed him down the pecking order. Barreto hit .351 in Cactus League play with a .429 on-base percentage, so if he keeps up the good work he'll remain one of the top guys on the callup list.

Drury will start at third base and bat leadoff in Thursday's game against the Tigers.

After slashing .315/.373/.574 in spring training, Drury will be rewarded for his performance with a spot atop the lineup to begin the season. The assignment won't come with much job security, however, so Drury may need to get off to a hot start in order to avoid dropping down in the lineup. While the leadoff duties should provide a temporary boost to Drury's fantasy stock, his season-long outlook is still somewhat hazy given the expectation that top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (oblique) will eventually settle in as the Jays' everyday third baseman.