MLB Player News

The Tigers optioned Rodriguez to Triple-A Toledo on Saturday, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

With Detroit demoting Rodriguez and opening up a spot on the 40-man roster by shifting Michael Fulmer (elbow) to the 60-day injured list, Gordon Beckham has secured a utility infield role with the big club. Rodriguez has little left to prove in the minors after slashing .338/.365/.558 in 275 plate appearances in Toledo a season ago, so he should be near the top of the list for a promotion when the Tigers need an extra infielder.

Forsythe was told Friday he'd made the Rangers' Opening Day roster, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Forsythe hasn't been officially added to the 40-man roster yet, but a transaction is presumably coming soon. The veteran will fill a bench role in the infield this season.

Kemp went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Thursday's game against the Tigers.

Kemp has been locked in during spring training, posting a .992 OPS with four stolen bases. He's going to start the season on the bench, but if he's making this type of impact, Kemp could get starts at designated hitter. Tyler White will open the season as the primary DH, but manager AJ Hinch said he'll rotate bodies at the position.

Ngoepe will head to minor-league camp Tuesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Unsurprisingly, Ngoepe wasn't able to crack the Opening Day roster. With a .181/.272/.236 line in 82 big-league plate appearances, there's no guarantee the Phillies will look to him when injuries strike their infield.

Drury went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Braves.

More interestingly, the third baseman was in the leadoff spot even though Billy McKinney and Randal Grichuk were both in the Jays' lineup as well. The identity of the players likely to hit at the top of the Toronto order remains one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in the Toronto camp. If Drury can put himself in that mix despite his .314 career OBP, his fantasy value could get a boost.

Petit was released by the Phillies on Thursday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Petit's chances of breaking camp with the team were always slim at best. He'll look to sign a minor-league deal elsewhere.

Semien went 3-for-6 with an RBI single and a run in an extra-innings loss to the Mariners in Tokyo, Japan on Thursday.

Semien's parlayed his move to the leadoff spot into one of two multi-hit efforts for the Athletics on the evening, and his fifth-inning single that drove home Matt Olson produced the team's first run. Semien's quest to put together an impressive contract year is off to a fine start, as he went 4-for-8 with two RBI and two runs over the season-opening two-game set against the Mariners.

Semien is starting at shortstop and hitting leadoff Thursday against the Mariners.

Semien hit seventh in the season opener, going 1-for-2 with an RBI single, two walks and a run scored. Ramon Laureano went 0-for-5 with a trio of strikeouts as the leadoff man Wednesday, prompting the A's to give the shortstop a chance atop the order. Semien hit leadoff In 69 games last season, slashing .243/.311/.394 with eight homers and eight steals in 322 plate appearances in those contests.

Semien went 1-for-2 with an RBI single, two walks and a run in a 9-7 loss to the Mariners in Tokyo, Japan on Wednesday.

Semien's single to shallow left gave the Athletics a second-inning lead that would begin evaporating in the following frame. The efficient performance at the plate was nevertheless a positive sign for the veteran shortstop, who was able to do his damage while hitting seventh. With a plethora of capable bats hitting ahead of him in the lineup, Semien should still have a fair share of RBI opportunities throughout the season despite his less-than-ideal slotting in the order.

Lowe agreed to a six-year, $24 million contract with the Rays on Tuesday that includes two club options, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Lowe has only 148 major-league plate appearances to his name and has been competing for an outfield spot on the Rays' Opening Day roster this spring. The 24-year-old enjoyed a hot spring training as he went 14-for-39 (.359) with nine extra-base hits and 14 RBI, though he also had 15 strikeouts. Lowe began 2018 at Double-A Montgomery, but worked his way to the majors and had a .774 OPS with six home runs after being called up in early August.