MLB Player News

Altuve went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run and three runs overall Wednesday against the White Sox.

Altuve took Evan Marshall deep in the eighth inning, briefly knotting the game at nine. It was his 22nd homer of the season, nearing his career-best mark of 24 that he posted in both the 2016 and 2017 seasons. While Altuve continues to deliver at the plate to the tune of .307/.368/.561 line, he has managed just four steals -- putting him on pace for the lowest total of his career by a wide margin.

Castro went 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Mariners.

Castro has shown some skills at the plate this season, and he's now batting .285 after the three-hit performance. The 25-year-old doesn't offer a ton of pop -- he has just a .687 OPS and three home runs through 60 games -- but he's certainly earned himself regular playing time on a Detroit team badly in need of any offensive output.

Andrus went 4-for-5 with a double and two RBI in a 7-3 victory against the Blue Jays on Wednesday.

Coming into the afternoon, Andrus was on a 3-for-21 (.143) skid and had four hits in his last seven games. Reaching that total in Wednesday's game alone probably indicates Andrus is ready to emerge from his slump. He is batting .285 with nine home runs, 57 RBI, 57 runs and 25 steals in 438 at-bats this season.

Joseph is expected to occupy the strong side of a platoon at second base going forward, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

He displaces Jurickson Profar as the primary second baseman in Oakland. Joseph, who is starting at the keystone and hitting seventh Wednesday against the Giants, is a 30-year-old journeyman, with the A's representing is fifth organization. He only has 26 career MLB plate appearances, but this year he has hit .371/.421/.585 with 13 home runs and a 10.8 percent strikeout rate in 425 plate appearances at Triple-A. Chad Pinder and Profar are expected to compete for starts against lefties.

Lowe (lower leg) could begin a rehab assignment with the Rays' rookie-level Gulf Coast League affiliate as soon as Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lowe's recovery from a right lower leg bruise has taken longer than anticipated, but the 25-year-old has seemed to make some encouraging progress while working out at the Rays' spring-training complex in recent days. He'll likely play a few games in the GCL before advancing his rehab to a higher-level affiliate, which would mark the final step before his eventual reinstatement from the 10-day injured list.

Joseph's contract was selected from Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday, and he will start at second base against the Giants, batting seventh.

The move was widely expected, and Joseph will get his first chance to start for the Athletics on Wednesday. The 30-year-old has slashed .371/.421/.585 with 13 home runs and 73 RBI for Triple-A Las Vegas this season. Nick Martini was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas and Beau Taylor was designated for assignment in corresponding moves.

Arraez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Brewers.

Arraez will sit for the day game after the night game, opening up second base for Jonathan Schoop. The rookie had logged starts in each of the past five contests, going 6-for-16 with five RBI and a 3:0 BB:K. His on-base percentage now rests at .422 for the season, placing him fourth among all players in the majors with at least 200 plate appearances.

Estrada was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday.

With D.J. LeMahieu due for a breather, Estrada was called up to play second base and bat ninth against Baltimore. In 50 major-league at-bats this season, Estrada is hitting .280 with three homers and 11 runs batted in.

Forsythe is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Forsythe will take a seat after going a collective 2-for-16 while starting four of the previous five games at either corner-infield spot. Danny Santana and Isiah Kiner-Falefa appear to be manager Chris Woodward's preferred options at first and third base, respectively, so Forsythe doesn't look like he'll be bound for an everyday role in the near future.

Andrus went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Tuesday's 3-0 loss to the Blue Jays.

Like many of the Rangers' hitters, Andrus' bat has gone cold of late. He's 3-for-21 (.143) over the last six games and batting .208 since the All-Star break.