MLB Player News

Altuve went 4-for-5 with a pair of RBI and a run against the Twins on Tuesday.

He's in the midst of a monstrous four-game stretch in which he's gone 11-for-18 (.611) with three doubles, five RBI and five runs. Altuve's batting average has lingered below his typically elite level for much of the season, but it's now at .320 and seemingly rising by the game. He's far short of last year's paces in terms of RBI and runs, but Altuve hits in the middle of a strong lineup and should pile up plenty of counting stats as the season wears on.

Hernandez went 1-for-3 with a pair of RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's win over the Cardinals.

The 25-year-old has been heating up at the plate recently, batting .300 (9-for-30) with two home runs and seven RBI over his last 11 games (seven starts). Hernandez has gained some deep-league value while he moves around the diamond filling in for injured and resting starters. Despite his recent hot stretch, the utility man will likely move back into a reserve role when Justin Turner (hamstring) and Joc Pederson (concussion) return from their respective DL stints.

Tomlinson was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

With Michael Morse landing on the concussion DL, Tomlinson was needed for reinforcements on the big-league bench. Not only can Tomlinson play all over the infield, but he has also been working on playing center field recently at Triple-A. He was hitting .290/.372/.346 with eight steals in 121 plate appearances at Triple-A.

Fontana was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday.

Fontana only managed to collect one hit during his cup of coffee in the big leagues, so he was an obvious choice to ship back to the minors to make room for Tuesday's starter Parker Bridwell. Fontana could be back on the shuttle to the big leagues soon if he continues to walk nearly 15 percent of the time with the Bees, however.

Semien (wrist) played catch Tuesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

This represents the first baseball-related activity for Semien since he underwent wrist surgery in April. He'll look to ramp up his throwing in the coming days as he aims for a return during the month of June. Adam Rosales will continue to man shortstop in his stead.

Frazier is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Diamondbacks, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Frazier will take a seat for the second day in a row as the Pirates decided to shift Josh Harrison to left field, opening up a spot for Gift Ngoepe to start at second base. There has been no indication of an injury, and given he played the last three innings in Monday's contest, it's likely manager Clint Hurdle is giving the 25-year-old a breather after an 0-for-14 skid over the last four games.

Rosario went 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run, three runs scored and three RBI for Triple-A Las Vegas in Monday's win over El Paso.

He's now hit safely in 16 straight games, posting a .356/.390/.589 slash line over that stretch with three homers, three steals, 17 RBI and 14 runs. Rosario is certainly being aided by his hitter-friendly home park, but regardless of venue the 21-year-old shortstop's performance this season at the highest level of the minor leagues has still been outstanding. The Mets avoided the temptation to promote their top prospect when Asdrubal Cabrera was on the DL with a thumb injury, but it seems only a matter of time before Rosario makes his big-league debut, particularly if the team remains out of the playoff picture and begins to trade away veterans in the second half.

Andrus went 2-for-5 with two stolen bases and a run scored in Monday's 10-8 loss to the Rays.

Much has been made about Andrus' gains in the power department this season -- he's only two home runs off matching his career high -- but the shortstop also remains quite active on the basepaths in his age-28 campaign. With five steals in his last four games, Andrus is now halfway to last season's total of 24. The increase in power coupled with his contributions on the bases and a .281 batting average could put Andrus on track to deliver the best all-around fantasy season of his career.

Merrifield went 3-for-4 with two RBI from a triple and solo home run in Monday's 10-7 loss to the Tigers. He also doubled and scored three runs overall.

Merrifield was a thorn in the side of Tigers pitching throughout the night and was responsible for the Royals' first two runs via his 401-foot solo shot in the third and RBI triple in the fourth. The 28-year-old now boasts a 14-game hitting streak, a stretch that's included six multi-hit efforts, three homers and six RBI. While Merrifield has actually seen a drop in hard contact from April's 41.9 percent to 31.5 percent in May, his line drive rate has nearly doubled (12.9 percent to 24.6 percent), which has helped his BABIP shoot up from last month's .207 to .338.

Forsythe went 1-for-4 with his first home run of the season in Monday's win over St. Louis.

The homer was just Forsythe's second hit since returning from the disabled list May 23, indicating that he may finally be regaining his feel at the plate. Despite his recent slump, the veteran continues to lead off for a potent Dodgers offense. Make sure that he isn't sitting on the waiver wire, as he can provide excellent value as a middle infielder once his bat catches up to his career norms.