MLB Player News

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus had two RBI in a win over the Rays Monday. 

Andrus had a two-run single in the seventh inning that gave the Rangers a 5-1 lead. They won 5-4. 

The 24-year-old Andrus is batting .250 and has tripled twice. He has three RBI and a steal. Andrus stole 21 bases last year. 

Houston second baseman Jose Altuve has been perhaps the Astros' best hitter after six games. But he went 0 for 4 batting leadoff Sunday in a 9-3 loss to the Athletics.

Altuve, who had a walk, is batting .333 after starting with a five-game hitting streak. He has an extra-base hit (double) and has driven in two runs. 

White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham collected a game-high four hits (all singles) in his four at-bats in the No. 9 spot during Thursday's loss to the Royals. It was Beckham's first four-hit game since May 27, 2012 against the Indians.

Beckham has a .566/.600/.566 line on the season after the outburst.

The Rangers are set to announce Elvis Andrus' new eight-year deal at a press conference Thursday. 

The deal can be worth $146 million depending on whether Andrus' options are exercised. Andrus does have an opt-out clause following the 2018 season. The 24-year-old's main assets are his speed and defense. He's posted good on-base percentages over his career, but hasn't hit for much power.

Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa went 0 for 4 in Wednesday's game against the Marlins, making him hitless in seven at-bats over his first two games.

He scored a run after reaching first on an error.

Espinosa has only faced Thursday starter Wade LeBlanc once in his career, but he performs much better against southpaws historically, hitting .276/.346/.467 over 357 plate appearances against them in his career.

Elvis Andrus' eight-year, $120 million contract extension includes an opt-out clause the shortstop can exercise after either the 2018 or 2019 season, Fox Sports reports.

The extension doesn't kick in until after the 2014 season; in all, the Rangers have committed $131 million to Andrus through the 2022 season. Although full details of the contract aren't out yet, Andrus would likely leave some $45 million on the table if he chooses to opt out in 2019 or $60 million if he opts out in 2018. 

Either way, the Rangers have Andrus entrenched at shortstop for the foreseeable future. But given the ever-swelling salaries in baseball, we may see Andrus hitting the free-agent market in five or six years, not a full decade down the line.

After going 0 for 4 with a pair of strikeouts on opening day, Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus had a much better showing Tuesday night against the Astros. He went 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. Andrus also walked once in the 7-0 win.

The 24-year-old tripled in the fifth inning before singling in the seventh. In the ninth, he drove in Ian Kinsler with another three-bagger.

Elvis Andrus and the Rangers have agreed on an eight-year, $120 million contract extension, CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman comfirmed early Monday. The deal means the team now has a total of $131 million committed to the shortstop over the next 10 years.

Andrus would have been a free agent at the end of the 2014 season.

The team is now stacked with middle infield options, with Ian Kinsler at second base and top shortstop prospect Jurickson Profar in the minors.

The team could move Kinsler to first base next season -- or somewhere else -- making room for the highly touted Profar, Heyman suggested. But the team has not announced such a plan.

Shortly after the Rangers' 8-2 loss to the Astros on opening day, Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reported Texas and shortstop Elvis Andrus were close to finalizing an eight-year contract worth $120 million.

Andrus went 0 for 4 with a pair of strikeouts in the season opener.

Andrus, 24, batted .404 (21 for 52) in 19 Cactus League games with two homers, nine RBI and three stolen bases.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve enjoyed a solid performance in Sunday's opener against the Rangers.

Altuve, who hit .290 and stole 33 bases last season, led off the game with a single in the first inning. He singled in a run in the fifth inning as he finished 2 for 4 with an RBI in an 8-2 victory.