MLB Player News

Athletics left fielder Coco Crisp is in the lineup and batting second in Monday's game against the Red Sox, bumping shortstop Marcus Semien to the No. 8 spot.

Crisp has led off in each of his three starts since coming off the disabled list but is 0 for 15 at the plate. Semien became a fixture in the second spot in late April and early May and also filled that role over the weekend, but he'll move back to the No. 8 spot for Monday's matchup.

The Athletics are favorites (-118) at home against the Red Sox, per VegasInsider.com.

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus has hit just .222/.283/.286 with one home run, eight RBI and four stolen bases in 126 at-bats, and much of his offensive issues can be traced back to his work against right-handed pitchers.

Andrus has taken advantage of a high .394 BABIP to post a .333/.391/.476 line against southpaws, but he's hit just .167/.228/.190 in 84 at-bats against righties to torpedo his overall numbers. On the positive side, the shortstop is finding an alternate way to get on base in May while struggling at the plate, as he's managed to draw eight of his 11 walks this season this month. A more selective Andurs in the batter's box could be a precursor to an offensive rebound.

Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien went 3 for 4 at the plate in Oakland's 4-2 loss to the Mariners on Sunday.

Semien was the only player for Oakland to find success against Seattle's ace Felix Hernandez. Semien ripped a solo home run in the third inning before matching his success in the sixth with a second solo shot, his fifth of the season.

He is just the fifth player ever to have multiple home runs in a game against Hernandez.

"His at-bats are terrific," said A's manager Bob Melvin to MLB.com. "Hits two home runs off a guy that just doesn't give up many."

Semien is now hitting .307 with 14 RBI in 127 at-bats this season.

Center fielder Adam Eaton and third baseman Conor Gillaspie were both out of the White Sox lineup for Sunday's game. 

Eaton will be replaced by J.B. Shuck, who starts for just the fourth time this season. He'll bat ninth. 

Replacing Eaton at leadoff is second baseman Emilio Bonifacio, who leads off for the first time this year. 

Conor Gillaspie will be replaced at third by Gordon Beckham for the second straight game. 

Rays first baseman James Loney is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against Texas. 

Logan Forsythe replaces Loney at first and bats cleanup for the third time in four games.

The Rays are -156 money line favorites over Texas. 

For a guy who plays infrequently, White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham sure swung the bat Saturday night against Cincinnati like he was in the groove.

Beckham singled in a run in the fourth, ripped a solo homer in the sixth and put the cherry on top with a sacrifice fly in the seventh. He nearly doubled his season RBI output in the process.

The fine game ended a 1-for-13 slump.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve went 1 for 3 at the plate in Houston's 6-5 win over the Angels on Saturday.

Altuve did his damage in the first inning when he crushed a solo home run over the left field wall off of Matt Shoemaker, his fourth of the season. Altuve is now hitting .349 with 21 RBI in 129 at-bats this season.

White Sox third baseman Gordon Beckham and catcher Geovany Soto are in the starting lineup for Chicago's second game against the Reds on Saturday.

Beckham replaces Conor Gillaspie and Soto replaces Tyler Flowers, who both started in game 1. 

Astros center fielder Jake Marisnick has been bumped up to lead off in Houston's batting order for Saturday's game against the Angels, moving Jose Altuve to second, the team announced.

It's the first time all season someone other than Altuve will lead off for Houston. Marisnick, who has hit in the bottom third of the lineup all year, is hitting .325 with three home runs in 83 at-bats this season. However, Marisnick is hitting .121 in 33 at-bats from the lead off role. 

"I'm excited," Altuve said. 'It's fun. … I'm kind of hoping we feed off each other and get rolling and get this offense going a little bit. We've been a little bit sluggish here the last couple of games. It would be nice to get it rolling."

For just the second time this season, someone not named Evan Longoria will start at third base for the Rays on Thursday. Longoria will be the designated hitter for manager Kevin Cash as the Rays start a four-game series against the Rangers.

Longoria has been hitting the ball well lately, batting over .300 in his last 10 games, including a two-homer night on Wednesday. He'll cede third base duties to Logan Forsythe on Thursday.