MLB Player News

Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien was given the night off on Friday against Tampa Bay, after an 0-for-4 performance that put an end to an eight-game hitting streak the previous day. With Semien out of the lineup, manager Bob Melvin gave newcomer Andy Parrino the start at shortstop.

Semien is hitting .338 (26 for 77) with three doubles, two triples, three homers and three RBI over his last 19 games played.

Seattle is an underdog (+126) at Tropicana Field, per VegasInsider.com.

Rays infielder Tim Beckham is in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the A's. Beckham, who is making his first start since Saturday, will play second base while batting eighth. 

The former first-overall draft pick has struggled at the plate this season, and has just four hits in 30 at-bats this month. Logan Forsythe, the team's regular second baseman, will be the designated hitter on Friday. 

Third baseman Conor Gillaspie is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Indians.

Gillaspie will be replaced by Gordon Beckham, who is starting for just the 10th time this season.

Gillaspie is hitting .261/.303/.424 with two home runs and 10 RBI in 92 at-bats this season.

Struggling Rays shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera is set to sit Thursday against visiting Oakland. Nick Franklin will play the position instead.

Cabrera has been steadily unproductive since mid-April. His batting average has not been higher than .225 since that point. He currently owns a stat line of .209/.264/.338 with two home runs and 11 RBI in 148 at-bats.

Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien extended his current hitting streak to eight games with a 1 for 5 effort in Wednesday's loss to the Astros. Semien has 12 hits, including a double, two triples and a home run in 33 at-bats during the eight-game stretch.

Overall this season, Semien owns a .309 batting average with six home runs in 160 at-bats.

He did commit his American League-leading 16th error of the season on Wednesday, as he continues to work on his defensive game. 

Angels second baseman Johnny Giavotella is out of the starting lineup for the first time since April 25. Giavotella had started each of the last 21 games for manager Mike Scioscia, hitting a .247 clip with three doubles and eight RBI over that stretch.

Scioscia decided to give him a day off, however, and will give Taylor Featherston the start at the keystone position. Featherstone was also in the lineup at third base on Tuesday, and has just one hit in 16 at-bats this season. 

Rays infielder Nick Franklin is already contributing in just his second day back with the team after a stint on the disabled list, according to MLB.com.

"We had a great conversation today," said manager Kevin Cash. "Nick's been very in tune to what's going on here. Followed us a lot [while he was on the DL]. He's excited to join us. He's going to definitely have a valuable role for us."

Cash will rotate Franklin into the starting lineup to get him acclimated.

"We will definitely get him some starts simply because we've asked a lot of Logan [Forsythe] and Cabby [Asdrubal Cabrera] early on this year," Cash said. "So we want to keep them fresh. We'll work him in probably a couple of times a week. Factoring in on how some of the other guys are doing."

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus is batting second in Tuesday's matchup with the Red Sox.

Andrus has been the team's No. 2 hitter for much of the season but was dropped to six for the last two games, with Delino DeShields moving up to second. However, Andrus will resume his regular role Tuesday against lefty Wade Miley. The shortstop has hit .362/.423/.511 with one home run and three RBI in 47 at-bats against lefties.

The Rangers are underdogs (+125) in Boston on Tuesday, per VegasInsider.com.

Rays second baseman Nick Franklin went 2 for 5 with a double and two runs scored in his season debut on Sunday as his team rolled over the Twins, 11-3.

Franklin is getting a late start to the season after suffering an oblique injury.

"I’m excited to play," Franklin said, per the Tampa Tribune. "When I found out what the MRI showed (after the injury), I prepared myself. It’s been a month and a half — plenty of season left."

Manager Kevin Cash said that Franklin's versatility and switch-hitting ability will be important, but that infielder Logan Forsythe has earned a big role with the team.

"Nick can play second base or shortstop and give some guys an extra day of rest," Cash said. "Logan’s been outstanding, but at the same time, we have to be smart about the workload of some of these guys. Logan’s a big part of what we’re doing."

Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien has become the main factor of Oakland's defensive issues this season. He added two more errors to his total, putting him at 13, the most in the league. It's something he's trying to fix, according to MLB.com.

"I don't focus on the number of errors," Semien said. "I focus on fixing them, making the play, making the next play. If I see the number of errors building up, it's not going to affect me. That's what shows up in the box score. That can't bother you as an infielder, as a defensive player."

Manager Bob Melvin is still looking for answers to his team's defensive miscues, racking up a total of 42 errors in 39 games.

"Just snowballing on us right now," Melvin said, "to where I think guys are thinking about it quite a bit -- don't make an error -- and we ended up doing it. We're not playing clean games at this point. They're ugly-looking games. It affects how you play. It affects your confidence."