MLB Player News

Since being demoted to Double-A to play second base alongside shortstop Dansby Swanson, Albies has 11 hits in 25 at-bats.

During the same stretch, Swanson is also swinging a hot bat, going 12 for his last 25 at the plate. The combination of Swanson and Albies looks to be the future Braves middle infield, and the fact that they are both enjoying success early on in their time together is a great sign. There is no reason for the Braves to call up either guy this season, but look for both to see some time in the big leagues in 2017.

Espinosa is out of the lineup Wednesday, MASN's Dan Kolko reports.

He has continued to shine at the dish of late, with five homers in his last six games. Not only is he holding the Nationals' presumed shortstop of the future, Trea Turner, at bay in Triple-A, but Turner has actually started playing some center field, suggesting Espinosa could hold regular playing time through the rest of the season, provided he continues to produce. Stephen Drew will start at shortstop and hit seventh Wednesday.

Franklin went 3-for-4 with two RBI in Tuesday's 13-5 loss to the Angels.

The 25-year-old has now hit safely in five of his last seven games with a pair of three-hit efforts over that span. Franklin has provided some badly-needed offense to a Rays lineup that is often starved for scoring, tallying 11 RBI, including five in one game, over just 30 at-bats. Following Tuesday's output, he's now slashing .300/.382/.467 with a pair of doubles and a homer as well.

Altuve was named to his fourth All-Star team on Tuesday.

Altuve was selected to the AL All-Star team as a starter after an MVP-caliber first half, hitting .352/.423/.564 with 24 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs, 49 RBI and 22 stolen bases through 84 games thus far in 2016. He joins Hall of Famer Craig Biggio as the only two players in Astros history to start consecutive All-Star Games.

Tomlinson (thumb) is not expected to return until after the All-Star break, Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area reports.

Tomlinson seems to be close to full health -- his rehab was moved to Triple-A Sacramento on Monday following a two-game stint with High-A San Jose -- but manager Bruce Bochy said none of the team's DL players will return before the break. Look for Tomlinson to slot back into a utility role in the second half, seeing occasional starts (mostly against left-handed pitching) between second base, shortstop, third and left field.

Beckham (hamstring) will play in a few more rehab games and hopes to be activated Thursday, Kevin McAlpin of 680 AM Atlanta reports.

Beckham has collected three hits in the last two games for High-A Carolina, and has hit safely in all but one of his rehab outings. Upon returning, he could threaten the playing time of Adonis Garcia, who is in the midst of a bit of a slump at the plate.

Forsythe has his average back up over .300 courtesy of a current nine-game hitting streak, freelance Rays writer Roger Mooney reports.

The veteran had seen his average noticeably dip following his June 10 return from a DL stint, with Forsythe bottoming out at a .284 figure following an 0-for-4 performance versus the Orioles on June 25. At the time, that number represented a 31-point drop from the .315 average he'd sported after his first game back from injury. Forsythe's current hitting streak began the next day with a two-hit outing against Baltimore, and he's gone on to tally three additional multi-hit efforts since then. The 29-year-old also has four two-baggers over that span, along with a homer and four RBI. His current .304 average is a robust 46 points over his career .258 figure.

Espinosa went 4-for-5 with two home runs and six RBI in Sunday's blowout win over the Reds.

The shortstop destroyed Cincinnati pitching over the course of their four-game series, going 7-for-18 (.389) with five homers and 15 RBI. Espinosa's hot streak not only gives him 18 home runs on the season, but it also puts him in the team HR lead, one ahead of Bryce Harper. Espinosa's previous career high is 21 HR in a season, but at this rate, he could pass that mark before the All-Star break.

Frazier went 2-for-4 with a double and triple Sunday against the A's.

The utilityman is making his mark, playing different positions for the Pirates while adding a spark with his speed. He has seven hits in 14 at-bats since his recall from Triple-A Indianapolis, including three stolen bases. Frazier isn't a speed merchant, but rather an aggressive baserunner. He batted .333 in 262 Triple-A at-bats and swiped 17 bases (in 32 attempts).

Giavotella is out of the lineup Sunday against the Red Sox.

The day off is certainly warranted for Giavotella, who had started 11 games in a row. He'll give way to Gregorio Petit at second base.