MLB Player News

Espinosa went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run scored Wednesday against the Braves.

A continued strong start to the season is going to be crucial for Espinosa, who needs to establish his place in the Washington lineup in order to hold off top prospect Trea Turner. That means the career .230 hitter needs to show improved plate discipline and contact skills lest he wind up as a utility player.

Drury is starting in left field and hitting sixth against the Rockies on Wednesday.

Drury had a monster spring and can play left field, in addition to second base and third base, so he should find his way into the lineup a couple times each week in the early going. Of course, if he carries his hot bat into the regular season, he could start to earn more playing time, especially if one of the Diamondbacks' other hitters are struggling.

Marte will drop to ninth in the order for Wednesday's game against the Rangers, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News-Tribune reports.

After batting out of the second spot in the order for the first two games of the Mariners' series against the Rangers, Marte will drop down to ninth in the order Wednesday to allow the Mariners to get more left-handed bats higher in the order against righty Colby Lewis. In fact, manager Scott Servais said over the weekend that Kyle Seager will be batting second against right-handers, so Marte batting out of the ninth spot could be a regular occurrence against righties early in the season.

Andrus is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Mariners, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

He started the season 2-for-6 with a RBI, a walk and a strikeout. This seems a little early in the year for Andrus to be getting the day off, but Hanser Alberto will start at shortstop and hit ninth, nonetheless.

Forsythe went 3-for-4 with a double, a two-run homer and a run scored in Tuesday's 3-2 victory over the Blue Jays.

The new Rays leadoff hitter broke out with his first three hits of the new season, and his one-out, eighth-inning homer proved to be the game winner. He was also involved in the game-ending controversial play, as his errant throw to first baseman Steve Pearce that had apparently allowed the go-ahead runs to score was negated by an application of the new slide rule. Despite the slow start over the first two games prior to Wednesday, confidence in Forsythe's ability to be a table-setting presence at the top of the lineup-- and provide occasional pop with the bat as well-- is high.

Motter was selected as the winner of the 2016 Al Lopez Award for most outstanding Rays rookie in spring training, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

Motter tallied a .250 average with a homer and four RBI while impressively manning six different positions in the field. With the Rays starting lineup firmly set barring injury-- and some effective depth across the roster in the form of Steve Pearce, Tim Beckham and Brandon Guyer-- Motter's propsects of cracking the big-league roster this season aren't overly bright.

Altuve will start at second base and lead off against the Yankees on Tuesday.

The three-time All-Star will return to the lead-off spot for the Astros' season opener Tuesday after spending most of his time there last season. Altuve did hit second or third in the lineup on occasion, but George Springer and Carlos Correa, respectively, are expected to occupy those spots in the batting order.

Adames will start the season as the primary utility infielder off the bench now that Daniel Descalso (hand) will begin the season on the disabled list.

Adames was in the running for the starting shortstop job this spring, but he was relegated to a bench role after Trevor Story thrashed Cactus League pitching. The switch-hitter won't get a ton of playing time as a reserve, but he should be the first player off the bench if a starting infielder needs rest given his ability to play shortstop, second base, and third base.

Drury made the Diamondbacks' opening day roster, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Drury claimed one of the last remaining bench spots to start the season along with Rickie Weeks. Drury will be able to provide depth at multiple positions on the 25-man roster after an impressive spring.

Giavotella is hitting .288/.319./485 with a homer and nine RBI over 23 games during Cactus League play.

Before prospective owners get excited regarding the performance, it should be pointed out that Giavotella often fares well prior to the start of the season, as he has slugged over .500 in the previous two springs. The 28-year-old could potentially hold value in deeper leagues as an everyday second baseman, but it seems likely that he will revert to posting something closer to his .355 career slugging percentage once the year begins.