MLB Player News

Frazier is hitting leadoff and starting in right field Tuesday against the Cardinals.

With Starling Marte being suspended 80 games for performance-enhancing drugs, Frazier is in line to see more time in right field. Frazier is off to a hot start at the plate this season and is slashing .308/.372/.487 after making 43 plate appearances.

Merrifield was recalled by the Royals on Tuesday, Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star reports.

Merrifield was recalled as a corresponding roster move after the club optioned Jake Junis to Triple-A Omaha on Sunday. The Royals will waste no time getting Merrifield at-bats, as it was also reported that he'll get the start Tuesday, though the Royals haven't confirmed that yet. The 28-year-old was off to a hot start at Triple-A, going 14-for-34 (.412) with three homers and nine RBI, and could gradually take at-bats from Raul Mondesi if he's able to carry that production to the big leagues.

Hernandez started in center field Monday, going 1-for-4 with his first home run of the season in a loss to Arizona.

Hernandez has received two starts over the Dodgers' last three games with the Diamondbacks tossing two southpaws over that span. The super utility man is batting just .235 early on, but he should see a start or two per week against lefties due to his multi-position eligibility and the Dodgers' lefty-heavy starting lineup.

Motter went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 6-1 win over Miami.

Motter, who is filling in for the injured Jean Segura (hamstring) at shortstop, has now homered three times since April 12. He's hitting a respectable .321 with six RBI, but he's also struck out nine times in his 31 plate appearances. The 27-year-old has already surpassed his homer total with the Rays in 2016, but his days of fantasy relevance in AL-only leagues will disappear once Segura is back from the DL -- likely later this week.

Altuve went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI in Monday's 3-0 win over the Angels.

After a bit of a slow start, Altuve now has a five-game hitting streak and has upped his average to .320 on the year with seven runs scored, four RBI and five steals. Last season may have been the pint-sized superstar's career year, but he still offers five-category production in a potent offense. Expect the home runs to follow shortly for Altuve.

Barreto won't be called up despite the fact that Marcus Semien (wrist) is out until June, Joe Stiglich of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Athletics GM David Forst cited Barreto's lack of at-bats at Triple-A, but it's fairly easy to figure out what's going on here. It's not that the Athletics think that Barreto, who's hitting a cool .310/.375/.524 for Triple-A Nashville, wouldn't be an upgrade over career backup Adam Rosales. It's that they don't want Barreto to pick up MLB service time that could potentially allow him to become a free agent one year earlier. As such, don't expect Barreto to get called up before early June no matter how badly he destroys minor-league pitching.

Forsythe (hamstring) is batting leadoff and playing second base Monday against the Diamondbacks.

As expected, Forsythe is back in action after missing Sunday's contest with hamstring tightness. He'll continue to bat leadoff against southpaws, with Andrew Toles doing so against righties.

Drury is not in the lineup Monday against the Dodgers.

Drury is off to a nice start to the season, slashing .295/.311/.386 through 13 games, but he'll take a breather after playing in nine straight contests. Daniel Descalso will take over at second base Monday.

Semien will have surgery on his right wrist after a CT scan revealed a fracture of the scaphoid bone, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Although the shortstop was initially diagnosed with a bone contusion, further tests revealed troubling news for Semien and the A's. There is currently no timetable for his recovery, though he won't even be reevaluated for another six weeks after the procedure, so it could be a while until he's back with the A's. Adam Rosales has been filling in at shortstop during his absence and could see the majority of the reps in Semien's place, though Chad Pinder has been recalled and could get a look as well.

Albies, 20, is batting .300 (15-for-50) with seven RBI and five steals through 11 games for Triple-A Gwinnett.

The acquisition of Brandon Phillips has temporarily blocked Albies, but that has not served as a deterrent for the 20-year-old middle infielder. He has the ability to hit .300 and swipe 30 bases, but Albies will likely spend the majority of the 2017 campaign at Triple-A, barring injury.