MLB Player News

Torres went 0-for-4 with a strikeout during Sunday's 5-1 victory over the Blue Jays.

Although Torres' first game with the Yankees was subpar, the highly regarded prospect will have plenty of chances to improve as he's in line to serve as the team's everyday second baseman. Prior to being called up, Torres had hit .347 with a .903 OPS over 14 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that the team's "general" plan is to use Torres as its everyday second baseman, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

Torres is a natural shortstop, but with Didi Gregorius proving to be both an offensive and defensive standout at that position, the 21-year-old will instead have to pick up reps at the keystone. Since he has already seen plenty of action at both second and third base in spring training and the minors, Torres doesn't enter the big leagues with many defensive concerns, which should help his case for sticking in a full-time role even if his bat doesn't play as well as expected in his first exposure to the majors. Given his seemingly stable playing time, long track record of strong on-base percentages and contact rates in the minors and presence in a powerful Yankees lineup, Torres is worth an immediate speculative pickup in most fantasy formats.

Torres was officially promoted from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and will start at second base and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

Torres was likely in line for a promotion to the big leagues last season, but his efforts were derailed by an elbow injury in June that required Tommy John surgery. The 21-year-old required only 14 games at Triple-A this season to prove to the Yankees' brass that he's back to full strength, with Torres' .347/.393/.510 line in the International League prompting his callup to the big club. It's expected that Torres will see at least semi-regular action at either second or third base initially, though if he struggles more than expected offensively, a demotion to Triple-A isn't out of the question. Neil Walker -- who is sitting out Sunday -- Tyler Austin and Miguel Andujar would seem most at risk of losing out on starts while Torres is up with the Yankees.

Semien went 2-for-3 with a home run, three runs scored and an RBI while also stealing a base Saturday against the Red Sox.

Semien scored all three of his team's runs Saturday, with the highlight being a solo home run against Chris Sale in the third inning. He also stole his second base of the season in as many attempts. While many of his numbers don't stand out as impressive in the early going, he has benefitted from batting exclusively first or second in the A's lineup, scoring 16 runs with just a .320 on-base percentage.

The Yankees plan to promote Torres to their 25-man roster Sunday, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

Torres was dealing with back tightness earlier this week but is apparently healthy enough for his long-awaited promotion to the majors. The Yankees' top prospect has raked at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season with a .370/.415/.543 slash line in 46 at-bats. Miguel Andujar has seen significant time at third base with Brandon Drury (impaired vision) on the disabled list, but Torres could seize that opportunity if he hits the ground running in the majors.

Merrifield went 1-for-5 with a solo home run during a 3-2 win over the Tigers in the second game of Friday's doubleheader.

After going 3-for-5 in the opener, Merrifield came through with his second homer of the season in the nightcap -- both of which have come in the last three games. The 29-year-old is now slashing .271/.354/.400 on the year, and the surprising power he displayed in 2017 appears to be returning along with warmer weather.

Solarte went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Friday's 8-5 win over the Yankees.

The 30-year-old now has five homers in 17 games to begin the season, with three of them coming in the last five contests. Solarte hit a career-high 18 home runs for the Padres last year, but the offseason change in league and home venue seems to have brought his power stroke to another level.

Ngoepe was sent down to Triple-A Buffalo on Friday.

Ngoepe appeared in 12 games for Toronto over the first few weeks of the season but wasn't able to make an impact at the plate, going just 1-for-18 (.056 average) with one walk and 12 strikeouts. The infielder will head back to the minor leagues to get everyday at-bats while Lourdes Gurriel takes his place on the Blue Jays' active roster.

Barreto is 0-for-6 with three walks and five strikeouts in his two games since returning to Triple-A Nashville from a stint with the Athletics.

The 22-year-old recently spent time with the big-league club while Chad Pinder was sidelined with a knee injury, yet ended up logging just one at-bat during his nine days with the Athletics. He's had trouble making contact since returning to the Sounds, but he'll look to work his way back to the form that led to a solid .290/.339/.456 line, 15 home runs and 54 RBI over 111 games with Nashville in 2017.

Altuve went 3-for-4 with a walk, double, run scored and four RBI Thursday against the Mariners.

To no one's surprise, Altuve has been getting on base at an excellent rate to begin the season, as he's now hitting .342/.398/.392 in 79 at-bats. However, in that same span, he has failed to hit a home run and has only one stolen base on one attempt. To live up to his lofty draft price, those stats will have to increase but his pedigree and track record suggest his lack of production in those areas won't last long.