MLB Player News

Kemp went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Thursday's game against the Tigers.

Kemp has been locked in during spring training, posting a .992 OPS with four stolen bases. He's going to start the season on the bench, but if he's making this type of impact, Kemp could get starts at designated hitter. Tyler White will open the season as the primary DH, but manager AJ Hinch said he'll rotate bodies at the position.

Drury went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Braves.

More interestingly, the third baseman was in the leadoff spot even though Billy McKinney and Randal Grichuk were both in the Jays' lineup as well. The identity of the players likely to hit at the top of the Toronto order remains one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in the Toronto camp. If Drury can put himself in that mix despite his .314 career OBP, his fantasy value could get a boost.

Semien went 3-for-6 with an RBI single and a run in an extra-innings loss to the Mariners in Tokyo, Japan on Thursday.

Semien's parlayed his move to the leadoff spot into one of two multi-hit efforts for the Athletics on the evening, and his fifth-inning single that drove home Matt Olson produced the team's first run. Semien's quest to put together an impressive contract year is off to a fine start, as he went 4-for-8 with two RBI and two runs over the season-opening two-game set against the Mariners.

Semien is starting at shortstop and hitting leadoff Thursday against the Mariners.

Semien hit seventh in the season opener, going 1-for-2 with an RBI single, two walks and a run scored. Ramon Laureano went 0-for-5 with a trio of strikeouts as the leadoff man Wednesday, prompting the A's to give the shortstop a chance atop the order. Semien hit leadoff In 69 games last season, slashing .243/.311/.394 with eight homers and eight steals in 322 plate appearances in those contests.

Semien went 1-for-2 with an RBI single, two walks and a run in a 9-7 loss to the Mariners in Tokyo, Japan on Wednesday.

Semien's single to shallow left gave the Athletics a second-inning lead that would begin evaporating in the following frame. The efficient performance at the plate was nevertheless a positive sign for the veteran shortstop, who was able to do his damage while hitting seventh. With a plethora of capable bats hitting ahead of him in the lineup, Semien should still have a fair share of RBI opportunities throughout the season despite his less-than-ideal slotting in the order.

Lowe agreed to a six-year, $24 million contract with the Rays on Tuesday that includes two club options, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Lowe has only 148 major-league plate appearances to his name and has been competing for an outfield spot on the Rays' Opening Day roster this spring. The 24-year-old enjoyed a hot spring training as he went 14-for-39 (.359) with nine extra-base hits and 14 RBI, though he also had 15 strikeouts. Lowe began 2018 at Double-A Montgomery, but worked his way to the majors and had a .774 OPS with six home runs after being called up in early August.

Torres is hitting .278 with three home runs and a pair of doubles through 38 at-bats in Grapefruit League play this spring.

The young infielder emerged as a potent offensive contributor during his rookie season last year when he logged an .820 OPS and launched 24 homers over 484 at-bats and he looks set to pick up where he left off with a robust .899 OPS during spring training. At just 22 years old, he's also an intriguing candidate to take a step forward at the plate as he accumulates more experience at the big-league level.

Lopez was assigned to minor-league camp Tuesday.

Lopez hit .278/.365/.417 in 57 games for Triple-A Omaha last season. He'll likely return there to make his case for a callup.

Drury went 2-for-3 with two doubles and a run scored in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers.

The 26-year-old is now slashing .351/.400/.649 through 14 games this spring, and over half his 13 hits (five doubles, two homers) have gone for extra bases. On the downside, Drury's 3:13 BB:K isn't ideal, but he's still set to open the season as the Jays' starting third baseman while phenom Vlad Guerrero Jr. (oblique) gets healthy. If he comes out of the gate hot, Drury could well shift over to the keystone and remain in the starting nine after Guerrero makes his debut rather than move into a utility role.

Polanco started at shortstop and batted second in Monday's spring training win over Boston in what was likely a dress rehearsal of the Opening Day lineup, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Polanco had been out since Tuesday for personal reasons, but the absence won't significantly impact his preparation for Opening Day. He went 2-for-3 on Monday and is hitting .296 (8-for-27) with a .752 OPS this spring.