MLB Player News

Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Royals.

Rodriguez is slashing just .233/.262/.346 in the majors this season, though he's shown decent pop with five home runs in 179 at-bats. The 26-year-old infielder is likely auditioning for a reserve role with the Tigers to begin the 2019 season, though with Jose Iglesias potentially out the door, there could be an opening to fill at shortstop.

Forsythe was held out of Friday's game against Oakland due to a left knee issue, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Forsythe's knee "was not functioning correctly" when he woke up Friday, Twins manager Paul Molitor stated. Forsythe is reportedly battling some inflammation, but the issue isn't believed to be serious, per Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The 31-year-old second baseman will be considered day-to-day moving forward.

Forsythe isn't in Friday's starting lineup against the Athletics.

Forsythe will catch a breather after going 1-for-5 with a double in Wednesday's series finale against Detroit. Gregorio Petit draws the start at the keystone and will bat ninth in Forsythe's absence.

Lowe is not in the lineup for Fridays game against against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lowe heads to the bench for the second time in the last three games as right-hander Sean Reid-Foley takes the mound for Toronto. Joey Wendle grabs the start at second base and will bat fifth for the Rays.

Semien went 3-for-5 with a double, five RBI and a run scored Thursday against the Angels.

Semien doubled with the bases loaded in the sixth inning, the hit that accounted for most of his production on the day. It was a slump-busting performance for him, as he had gone 0-for-9 across his last three games and hadn't driven in a run since September 9. Though he's never followed up his 27-home run season in 2016, Semien has scored plenty of runs and produces enough homers and stolen bases to be a solid option in deeper formats.

Merrifield went 3-for-5 with a double, two singles, two runs and a steal in Thursday's loss to the Tigers.

Merrifield continues to lead the American League with 37 steals, and the three-hit effort extended his hit streak to 11 games. He owns a .303 batting average with 12 home runs, 57 RBI and 84 runs over 665 plate appearances in 2018.

Andrus went 0-for-3 with a walk in Tuesday's loss to the Rays.

Andrus told Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News that's he's felt better in the last week or so than at any time since returning from an elbow injury in June. That may be the case, but one can't deduce that from his numbers. He doesn't have an extra-base hit or RBI over his last 10 games, a stretch in which he's hitting .103 (4-for-39).

Kemp started in center field and went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored in Tuesday's 7-0 win over Seattle.

With Josh Reddick (Achilles) sidelined, Kemp slotted into the starting lineup in center field while George Springer covered right field. With a day off looming Thursday, the Astros can keep Reddick out of Wednesday's series finale and allow three days for the Achilles to stop barking. In that case, Kemp could get another start Wednesday.

Johnson was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday.

Johnson has been at Triple-A for most of the season after earning an invitation to major-league spring training, and slashed .277/.359/.459 with the Bees. The 28-year-old bolsters the Angels' infield depth as David Fletcher deals with a hamstring injury.

Solarte is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Orioles.

Solarte sits for the fourth time in the last eight games. Devon Travis starts at second base Tuesday, with Aledmys Diaz at third.