MLB Player News

Semien went 2-for-4 with a triple and a run in Monday's 6-2 loss to the Royals.

Semien extended his hitting streak to six games with Monday's performance, which included his first triple of the campaign. The slugging shortstop has yet to hit a home run in August, but he's slashing a respectable .269/.339/.365 over his first 13 games of the month. Semien has enjoyed an excellent second half overall and has raised his average 101 points to .246 since July 18.

Altuve went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Rangers.

Altuve, who has three homers and three steals over the previous nine games, has been a nice blend of power and speed. With 18 homers and 26 steals, the second baseman is closing in on a second consecutive 20-homer, 30-steal season.

Merrifield went 3-for-6 with a triple, a homer and five RBI Sunday against the White Sox.

Merrifield finished a double shy of the cycle, driving in three runs with a third-inning homer before adding two more RBI on a triple in the sixth. This was the leadoff man's fourth multi-hit effort since Aug. 6, and he's flashed solid power with three long balls in that stretch. He's now slashing .296/.333/.486 and needs six more home runs and one stolen base for a 20-20 season.

Andrus went 3-for-4 with two doubles, three runs scored and an RBI in Friday's 6-4 win over the Astros.

The 28-year-old's power surge continues -- having already shattered his previous career high with 15 homers, Andrus has now taken aim at a new personal best in doubles and sits just two back of the 35 he collected in 2014 after rapping out seven in his last six games.

Andrus went 0-for-6 with two stolen bases and a run scored in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Mets.

After a blistering seven-game stretch in which he went 14-for-29 at the plate, Andrus has gone 1-for-10 over the past two contests, but the pair of steals he picked up Wednesday should lessen the sting of the minor skid. Both Andrus' batting average and on-base percentage are down from a season ago, but with the shortstop showcasing more power than ever and still remaining active on the bases, his overall fantasy value has risen to new heights in 2017.

Merrifield cranked out four singles in five at-bats with a stolen base and two runs against the Cardinals on Wednesday.

The big effort improved his average to an even .300 on the season, and it's almost surprising that he wasn't at that lofty height already, considering that he seems to get a hit in just about every game. Indeed, since the start of July, Merrifield has gone hitless just five times in 35 games, and he's been contributing both pop and speed steadily, establishing himself as one of the league's most surprising breakout stars. With an impressively low 13.2 percent strikeout rate, it should be no problem for him to keep hitting for average.

Polanco made his sixth consecutive start at shortstop and went 1-for-3 in Tuesday's win over the Brewers. He's 9-for-17 in his last six games.

Polanco lost the starting shortstop job in late July after hitting just .148 with a .410 OPS in June and July. It looks like he's back to being the everyday shortstop, but manager Paul Molitor hasn't made an official announcement.

Espinosa went 1-for-3 with an RBI double in Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader, an 8-1 loss to the Royals.

The veteran infielder drove in the only run of the contest for the Mariners when he opened the scoring with his second-inning two-bagger. Espinosa's struggles at the plate made the trip with him to Seattle from Los Angeles, as he's gone just 2-for-11 over the five games he's seen action in. Furthermore, the 30-year-old's playing time projects to dwindle even further now that Yonder Alonso has arrived in town.

Andrus went 3-for-4 with two doubles in Sunday's 6-5 loss to the Twins.

Andrus has amassed five doubles over the last three games, bringing his total to 31 -- just four shy of matching his career-best mark from 2014. Though he's hitting for more power this season than ever before, Andrus hasn't had to sacrifice much of the contact-hitting skills that have been a hallmark during his nine years in the majors. His 16.7 percent strikeout rate is the worst mark of his career, but it's still far better than the MLB average.

Rengifo was traded Sunday to the Rays along with minor-league pitcher Anthony Misiewicz and a player to be named later in exchange for minor-league pitcher Ryan Garton and minor-league catcher Mike Marjama.

The 20-year-old Rengifo is the main prize headed back to Tampa Bay in the trade, as the switch-hitting infielder had emerged as an interesting prospect for the Mariners in the Midwest League this season. Over 450 plate appearances for Low-A Clinton, Rengifo has produced 39 extra-base hits and has gone 29-for-43 on stolen-base attempts, which has helped make up for a pedestrian .250 average and .318 on-base percentage. Rengifo is expected to remain at the Low-A level with his new organization and report to Bowling Green.