MLB Player News

Espinosa agreed to a major-league contract with the Mariners on Sunday, Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports reports.

Just three days after being released by the Angels, the switch-hitting second baseman already has a new home (within the same division no less). This deal is an MLB agreement, so Espinosa would likely be in line to assume a reserve role once the pact is officially inked. Espinosa has a lot of pop in his bat for a second baseman, but his strikeout issues make him tough to trust, especially as a bench player.

Polanco has lost the everyday shortstop job for Minnesota as the team will use a committee approach that will involve Eduardo Escobar and Ehire Adrianza, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "We're going to look for more matchups than an everyday guy right now," manager Paul Molitor said.

Polanco is hitting just .157 with a .429 OPS since June 1. He also has eight errors in his last 32 games. It sounds like he may move to a limited bench role with a few spot starts until he gets hot at the plate.

Andrus went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and two runs Saturday against the Rays.

Andrus blasted his 13th home run of the season to open the scoring for the Rangers in the fourth inning of a game they'd go on to win. His strongest fantasy assets are his .291 batting average and 20 steals, but his .466 slugging percentage is hardly a liability.

Franklin is not in the lineup Saturday against the Red Sox.

This marks the second lefty in a row that Franklin will not face, which makes it seem like he and fellow switch-hitter Cliff Pennington are in a full-blown platoon at second base. Although Franklin has the fortune of being on the larger side of the timeshare, his uninspiring batting line on the season makes him a rather unattractive asset in most fantasy formats.

Semien went 4-for-5 with a pair of RBI singles, a stolen base and a run in Friday's 7-5 loss to the Mets.

The slugging shortstop has been sluggish at the plate since returning from his wrist injury, but perhaps Friday's outburst will serve as a springboard for better things. The extent of Semien's struggles is such that despite his four-hit night raising his average a whopping 41 points, it still sits at a sub-Mendoza-Line .192. However, the 26-year-old has only logged 43 at-bats overall since returning on July 6, and he certainly has the upside to considerably improve his numbers across the board in the second half.

Polanco is not in the lineup Saturday against the Tigers, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

This marks the second game in a row that Polanco will watch from the bench. Polanco still seems to be a big part of the Twins' future, although he continues to get plenty of rest while he struggles at the plate. For Saturday's contest, Eduardo Escobar will log a start at shortstop in his stead.

Andrus went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in Friday's extra-inning win over the Rays.

His first-inning solo shot got the Rangers on the board, while his 10th-inning single brought home Delino DeShields for the winning run. Andrus had been in a 2-for-29 rut since the All-Star break, but he snapped out of it in fine fashion Friday and his 12 homers on the season has already blown past his previous career high of eight.

Franklin is not in the lineup Friday against the Red Sox, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The utility man's struggles at the plate followed him to Anaheim, as he's just 2-for-20 with his new ball club. That, paired with the fact that he's historically performed worse against left-handed pitchers (like Boston starter Chris Sale), spelled a clear bench day for Franklin, who will cede Friday's start to Cliff Pennington.

Polanco is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Tigers.

Polanco has been struggling at the plate, going 1-for-27 during his last nine games including an 0-for-3 outing against the Yankees on Wednesday. He will take a seat in favor of Ehire Adrianza, who has been playing well since coming off the disabled list (abdomen) in early July

Jones was promoted to High-A Inland Empire on Thursday.

Jones has reversed course after a tough start to the season at Low-A Burlington, slashing .272/.338/.425 over 86 games with nine home runs and 30 RBI. The top prospect has also been tearing up the basepaths when he gets on, recording 18 stolen bases. Although the 19-year-old is still a couple years away from the big leagues, his ascent through the minors serves as a positive sign for the future.