MLB Player News

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus went deep for his first home run of the season, snapping the longest active streak in the majors without a home run (481 at-bats) during Tuesday's contest against the Angels.

Andrus took Jose Alvarez deep for a solo home run in the sixth inning for his first home run since May 21, 2015. He added a single and finished 2 for 4 with two runs scored, a stolen base and an RBI in an 8-2 victory. He is hitting .184 (7 for 38) with a home run and four RBI in nine games.

Yangervis Solarte will make his fourth consecutive start at second base on Tuesday for the Padres. 

Solarte is seven of 19 this season (.368) with three doubles and seven runs scored.

Jedd Gyorko, who's 3-for-21, will sit for the third straight game.

Rays left fielder Brandon Guyer is leading off Tuesday as the team uses an all-rightly lineup against the Blue Jays and left-handed starter Daniel Norris.

The Rays actually have eight righties and one switch hitter in the lineup, loading up against the rookie southpaw. Guyer is just 2 for 11 this season but hit .297/.366/.396 in 111 at-bats against lefties in 2014.

In addition to Guyer, the Rays have Logan Forsythe at second base, Rene Rivera at first base, Tim Beckham at shortstop and Bobby Wilson at catcher in the final four spots of the lineup.

The Rays are underdogs (+135) against the Blue Jays Tuesday.

Athletics third baseman Brett Lawrie, short stop Marcus Semien and designated hitter Billy Butler all collected their first home runs of the season during Monday's 8-1 win over the Astros.

"One through nine, you never know what can happen, any given day," Lawrie said, per MLB.com. "We've been stringing hits together, and when you can do that you can be loose and just play and not worry too much. You know someone's going to pick you up. It's good to know anyone who gets in the box can do some damage."

All three home runs came of pitcher Scott Feldman. The home runs were the only hits for Lawrie and Butler, with Semien going 2 for 4.

Second baseman Jose Altuve was the lone bright spot for the Astros during Monday's 8-1 loss to the Athletics.

Altuve produced three hits including a solo home run, which was his first of the season. Only two players collected a hit for the Astros on Monday.

Gordon Beckham and Alexei Ramirez each delivered clutch hits in the eighth inning as the White Sox pulled away from the Twins en route to a 6-2 triumph Sunday. 

Ramirez tallied his second hit of the game, a single, to score Avasail Garcia and give the Sox a 4-2 lead, and Beckham, coming on as a pinch-hitter, crushed a two-run homer to left to provide the final margin. 

Padres second baseman Jedd Gyorko is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Manager Bud Black will use switch-hitter Yangervis Solarte at second base and slot him second in the starting lineup Sunday. Gyorko gets a break after going 3 for 21 in his first six games.

The Padres are favorites (-130) at home against the Giants Sunday, per VegasInsider.com.

Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.

Calhoun went 2 for 4 with a double, a home run and three RBI Saturday. The Angels will use shortstop Erick Aybar as the leadoff man with Calhoun on the bench, and Collin Cowgill will play right field and bat seventh Sunday. The Angels are also starting Taylor Featherston over Johnny Giavotella at second base.

The Angels are favorites (-115) against the Royals Sunday.

Nationals infielder Danny Espinosa worked exclusively on hitting right-handed this spring but batted left-handed against a right-handed reliever Saturday against the Phillies, the Washington Post reports.

Espinosa was expected to hit exclusively from the right side this season but will still hit left-handed when he feels comfortable.

"It’s a mutual decision," manager Matt Williams said. "We want him to be free of mind when he gets out there. He hit a lot right-handed in spring, so he’s got experience doing that so if he gets a match-up that he feels comfortable with, righty-righty, he can do that."

Espinosa has struggled from the left side and still managed to work on his lefty hitting this spring despite only hitting righty during games.

"Just kind of in the cages a little bit just to maintain it a little bit because we weren’t 100 percent sure if it would work so it was something that we had to maintain a little bit, and that’s what I tried to do," Espinosa said.

Espinosa went 1 for 4 with a double in Saturday's season debut.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve had two hits in four at bats in Saturday's 6-2 loss to Texas. 

Altuve drove in one of Houston's two runs on the day, on a bases-loaded walk.