MLB Player News

Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday.

After going 2-for-4 in his big-league debut, Rodriguez proceeded to go hitless in his next 15 at-bats. He'll head back to the minors to free up a roster spot for Alex Wilson (foot), who is set to return from the disabled list Thursday. The 26-year-old was hitting .318/.341/.540 with eight homers and eight steals through 48 games with the Mud Hens prior to being promoted to the majors.

Merrifield is starting in center field and hitting leadoff Wednesday against the Angels, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

With regular leadoff man Jon Jay being traded to the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, manager Ned Yost will turn to Merrifield to take over as the team's table setter. The 29-year-old is hitting a solid .286/.368/.419 with four homers and 14 stolen bases across 58 games this season.

Andrus (elbow) was able to throw to first base from shortstop Tuesday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

This marked the first time Andrus was able to throw to a base since breaking his elbow. He continues to make progress, and he's expected to begin a rehab assignment in the near future, barring any major setbacks.

Barreto went 4-for-5 with a double and a game-tying solo home run in Triple-A Nashville's extra-inning win over Round Rock on Sunday, his first game back with the Sounds.

Barreto went hitless over six at-bats during his recent stay with the Athletics, but he made his presence felt in a return to Nashville.The 22-year-old has found consistent success at the plate to be quite evasive at either level this season, as this performance only pushed his season average with the Sounds to .258. However, some above-average pop in the form of 15 extra-base hits (eight doubles, seven homers) has helped Barreto to a solid .492 slugging percentage, and perhaps Sunday's four-hit day will get him back on track towards approaching the .290 average he generated with Nashville over 510 plate appearances in 2017.

Beckham, who could have become a free agent after being optioned to Triple-A Tacoma last Friday, elected to stay with the Mariners organization and reported to the Rainiers on Sunday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Beckham's 976 career MLB games afforded him the opportunity to become a free agent upon being optioned, but the veteran opted to stay put. The 31-year-old has logged a total of 23 appearances at the big-league level with the Mariners over the last season-plus, but he's been more effective in Triple-A over that span. After generating a solid .262/.313/.393 line over 355 plate appearances with Tacoma in 2017, Beckham is slashing an even more impressive .298/.407/.489 over 118 minor-league plate appearances this season.

Torres will start at second base and bat ninth in the first game of the Yankees' doubleheader Monday against the Tigers, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

Yankees fans were likely holding their collective breath after Torres was drilled in the wrist by a 94 mile-per-hour fastball in Saturday's game against the Orioles, but manager Aaron Boone confirmed that the rookie would have been available for the series finale with Baltimore on Sunday had that game not been postponed, per Brendan Kuty of NJ.com. The day off Sunday was likely beneficial nonetheless for Torres, who could be cleared to play both halves of the twin bill if he experiences no unexpected soreness during the afternoon contest.

Kemp will start in center field and bat ninth Sunday against the Red Sox.

Kemp hit the bench for the Astros' past two games with the Red Sox bringing a pair of lefty starters to the hill. With Rick Porcello on the mound for Boston in the series finale, Kemp will reenter the starting nine and look to break out of his funk at the dish. Kemp has recorded just two hits in 14 at-bats over his last five contests.

Semien went 1-for-5 with a double and a run in a loss to the Royals on Saturday.

Semien officially returned from paternity leave for Friday's game, but he entered the contest as a defensive replacement late and never logged an official plate appearance. However, he was back in the starting nine Saturday, hitting safely for the fourth time in the last five games with an official at-bat. Semien's season line is a serviceable .267/.318/.383, but he's been on a bit of a power drought, not having homered over his last 41 plate appearances (nine games) despite making hard contact at a solid 36.0 percent clip during that stretch.

Rodriguez will start at second base and bat ninth Sunday against the Blue Jays.

Rodriguez pushed his way to the big leagues after hitting .318 with eight home runs and eight stolen bases over 209 plate appearances for Triple-A Toledo, and it looks like the Tigers may give him an extended opportunity to stake his claim to a full-time role at the big club. With Dixon Machado, Detroit's primary second baseman this season, sitting on a lowly .575 OPS, Rodriguez will replace him in the starting nine for the third time in four games. It's probably too early to call Rodriguez the team's new preferred option at the keystone, but the heavy usage he's received since his promotion Wednesday could make him worth a flyer in AL-only formats.

Solarte went 2-for-4 with a homer, a double, two RBI and two runs in Saturday's loss to the Tigers.

Solarte tied the game up at 1-1 with his RBI double in the third inning, while his solo homer in the fifth inning put the Blue Jays ahead 4-2 (though it would be the final run Toronto scored en route to a 7-4 loss). The 30-year-old is now hitting a solid .256/.316/.479 with 12 homers and 35 RBI this season.