MLB Player News

Hernandez will be added to the Dodgers' roster for the NLCS, and is expected to start Saturday in Game 1 versus the Cubs, Buster Onley of ESPN reports.

Although Hernandez made frequent starts during the regular season, he did not make the Dodgers' NLDS roster. He will face off against Cubs' starter Jon Lester on Saturday. The Dodgers are likely looking to put a right-handed batter at the plate to matchup with the shouthpaw. Hernandez slashed just .189/.308/.361 versus lefties this season. He's also gone 3-for-12 with a home run, triple, and three RBI against Lester in his career.

Merrifield is among the candidates being considered for the Royals' second base job in 2017, the Kansas City Star reports.

The Royals will likely face significant financial restrictions in their bid to upgrade the roster this winter, leaving second base as a position where internal options may have an open competition for the starting job in spring training. In addition to Merrifield, the Royals are considering Cheslor Cuthbert, Christian Colon, and Raul Mondesi for the job. Merrifield hit .283/.323/.392 with two homers and eight steals in 81 games, but he seems better suited for a part-time role as he'll turn 28 in January.

Hernandez did not make the Dodgers' NLDS roster, J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group reports.

Hernandez made frequent starts for the Dodgers during the regular season, especially against left-handed pitchers. However, his numbers were terribly underwhelming. Over 109 games, he posted a bleak line of .190/.283/.324 and struck out in 26 percent of his at-bats. While the Dodgers play their series against the Nationals, Hernandez will participate in workouts in Arizona and remain an option for the NLCS, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.

Drury went 3-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Padres.

Drury's third and final hit was a game-tying homer with two outs in the eighth, setting Arizona up for a walkoff win in the ninth. Drury was excellent over the season's final month, batting .357/.417/.633 with six home runs and 19 RBI from Sept. 2 onward. The 24-year-old finishes his rookie season with a solid .282/.329/.458 slash line to go along with 31 doubles, 16 homers and 53 RBI in 499 plate appearances.

Franklin is out of the lineup Sunday against the Rangers.

The versatile Franklin has kept himself in the lineup for much of the final month of the season because of his ability to play multiple positions. However, he'll hit the bench in Game 162 after falling into a 3-for-20 slump at the plate dating back to Sept. 15.

Marte is not in Sunday's lineup against Oakland, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Over the last two games, Marte has gone 0-for-6 with two strikeouts. Shawn O'Malley will start at shortstop for Seattle's final game of the season while Marte heads to the bench.

Andrus is out of the lineup Saturday against the Rays.

Andrus will be afforded a breather as Jurickson Profar steps in at short after the Rangers clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win Friday. The 28-year-old finished September on a five-game hitting streak, pushing his average above .300 and his OPS above .800. He turned in just a .666 OPS last year and never posted a mark above .727 in any of his first seven major league seasons.

Forsythe is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Rangers, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

Forsythe's batting average has fallen from .281 on Sept. 15 to .266 as of Friday, so manager Kevin Cash decided to hold him out Friday. Juniel Querecuto will get the start at second base in Forsythe's place.

Beckham could be in line to see starts both Friday and Saturday if Eduardo Nunez (hamstring) is indeed shutdown for the remainder of the regular season, CSN Bay Area.

With two lefties lined up to start for the Dodgers this weekend, the newly-acquired Beckham could see his first start at the hot corner this weekend. The veteran infielder was acquired from the Braves to form a platoon with Conor Gillaspie for however long Nunez remains sidelined. Beckham is batting just .233 with two homers in 40 at-bats against southpaws this season, so he is nothing more than a punt play in daily formats if he does indeed get a start Friday.

Franklin (hamstring) is starting at DH and hitting sixth Wednesday against the White Sox, MLB.com's Bill Chastain reports.

Franklin wanted to make it back before the end of the season, and he will get his wish Wednesday. The fact that he is at DH and not in the field speaks to the fact that he's probably not at 100 percent health, but Franklin has hit well enough this season (.280/.341/.463) to justify a start at DH, especially relative to his teammates. He has started at six positions this year, with left field representing the only position he has logged double-digit starts (17).