MLB Player News

Franklin will start seeing action at catcher with Double-A Biloxi, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Franklin was originally expected to be headed for Triple-A Colorado Springs, but will instead move down a level for the catching experiment. Positional versatility was already the 27-year-old's best attribute, and adding catcher to his portfolio would only accentuate that, but his career slash line of .214/.285/.360 in 921 major-league appearances is a significant limiting factor to his fantasy value if he does make it back up to the bigs.

Solarte will serve as the Blue Jays' starting third baseman while Josh Donaldson deals with a "dead arm" phase, MLB Network Radio reports.

Donaldson will be the team's designated hitter until his arm is ready to make throws from third base. Solarte was going to get plenty of playing time this year regardless, but it looks like he will be an everyday player in the short term.

Rosario went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI in Thursday's 9-4 win over the Cardinals.

Hitting ninth behind the pitcher's spot, the young shortstop was able to deliver solid fantasy value thanks to the Mets' productivity up and down the lineup. Rosario likely won't produce eye-popping fantasy numbers this season, but if he can continue delivering when he gets his chances, the 22-year-old could work his way up into a better spot in the lineup in the second half.

Semien went 3-for-5 with an RBI, two runs scored, one walk and one strikeout Thursday against the Angels.

Semien was quietly pushed up in the A's batting order in 2017, batting nearly exclusively in either the first or second spot in the lineup. In that role, he managed to post a 9.8 BB%, which helped him score 53 runs in just 386 plate appearances. On Thursday, he was again slotted into the second spot in the A's lineup, and if he can maintain that spot, he should produce counting stats more consistently. Given his established capability of producing power and speed numbers, Semien appears to be trending up as a fantasy asset.

Albies went 1-for-5 with a home run, one run scored, one RBI, and one strikeout Thursday against the Phillies.

Albies is one of the youngest and most exciting players in the league, and he began his age 21 season with a home run. Offering a power and speed combination sometimes likened to Jose Altuve, Albies showed only his ability to steal bases for much of his minor-league career. That changed in 2017, however, as he combined to hit 15 home runs across Triple-A and the major-league level. He flashed that power again on Opening Day, which will do nothing to slow the excitement surrounding his potential.

Andrus batted third and went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run scored in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Astros.

Andrus has hit at the extreme ends of batting orders during his career, but was exposed to the three-hole last season when he posted increased power numbers. It looks like he'll be a fixture in the middle of the Rangers' lineup and could build off his career-high 88 RBI in 2017.

Rosario will hit ninth, with pitcher Noah Syndergaard hitting eighth, in the Mets' Opening Day lineup, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

This actually counts as a bit of good news for the young shortstop's fantasy value, as hitting in front of Brandon Nimmo -- and, eventually, Michael Conforto (shoulder) -- should allow Rosario to see better pitches and give him more opportunities to use his speed. The 22-year-old didn't produce much offense in his big-league debut last season, but his .328/.367/.466 slash line with seven homers and 19 steals in 94 games for Triple-A Las Vegas in 2017 gives a glimpse of his upside.

Motter was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.

The Mariners kept Motter around in case Ichiro Suzuki wasn't ready to go for the start of the season, but with Suzuki being cleared to return, Motter will open the season in the minors. The 28-year-old utility man hit an impressive .350/.427/.640 across 117 plate appearances with Tacoma last season, but he failed to translate that success to the majors, hitting just .198/.257/.326 across 280 plate appearances with the Mariners. Given his versatility, he'll likely be back with the big club at some point in 2018.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Tuesday that Ngoepe secured a spot on the team's Opening Day roster, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The Blue Jays haven't announced as much, but Ngoepe's inclusion on the team likely means that Danny Espinosa will be reassigned to minor-league camp, if not released. Ngoepe, who debuted last season with the Pirates and appeared in 28 games, is regarded as a glove-first utility man, so he wouldn't attract much interest in the fantasy realm if he ends up falling into semi-regular at-bats at any point.

Manager Clint Hurdle revealed Tuesday that Frazier would serve as the Pirates' designated hitter and leadoff man in the team's season opener Thursday in Detroit, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Frazier, who will reprise the super-utility role he filled last season, is expected to be deployed at the top of the order in most of his starts this season. Playing time may be a little more difficult to come by when the Pirates are at full strength and don't have the DH spot available, but Frazier's multi-position versatility should at least afford him two or three starts per week.