MLB Player News

Manager Jeff Banister said an X-ray on Andrus' elbow revealed a fracture, Levi Weaver of The Athletic Dallas reports.

Andrus suffered the injury after being hit by a pitch on his elbow during Wednesday's loss to the Angels. This is another brutal blow for the Rangers, who also lost second baseman Rougned Odor to a hamstring injury earlier in the week. Andrus will obviously be sent for additional testing in the coming days, but early indications are that he'll be forced to spend some time on the disabled list. More should be known once he's further evaluated Thursday. Assuming he misses extended time, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Jurickson Profar would likely hold down the middle of the Rangers' infield.

Initial x-rays on Andrus's right elbow show a fracture, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports. He's slated for more exams on Thursday.

Ugh, things keep getting worse for the Rangers. Not only did they get swept at home by the Angels, but they appear to have lost their middle-infield combo to injuries on successive days.

Andrus exited Wednesday's game against the Angels after being hit by a pitch on his right forearm, Levi Weaver of The Athletic Dallas reports.

Andrus immediately went to the ground and was in some noticeable pain afterwards. He was subsequently replaced by Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The severity of the issue remains unclear at this point, but more should be known once he undergoes some tests during the Rangers' off day Thursday.

Torres is hitting .348 with a home run, a steal and a 6:0 K:BB in five games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The strikeouts and lack of walks are a little concerning, but sometimes players with innate bat-to-ball skills get lulled into over-aggressive approaches against inferior competition, and that may be the case here. Everyone knows Ronald Acuna is coming up this weekend, and Nick Senzel also appears to be in line for a promotion in the coming days/weeks, but don't sleep on Torres. The Yankees could soon choose to deploy him as the everyday second baseman while shifting Neil Walker over to first base against righties.

Drury underwent numerous tests Monday in an effort to understand what's been causing his impaired vision and migraines, Coley Harvey of ESPN.com reports.

Although specific results of the tests have not been revealed, manager Aaron Boone said that the team has received good news from the examinations. Until Drury is ready to return, Miguel Andujar is expected to continue receiving regular time at the hot corner.

Andrus went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs in the Rangers' 8-3 loss to the Angels on Monday.

It was the second long ball of the season for the 29-year-old shortstop, who now sports a robust .362/.423/.553 slash line through 47 at-bats. Andrus is coming off a fantastic 20-homer, 25-steal year in 2017 and although he has yet to swipe a bag this season, he looks like he's poised to put up a similarly productive campaign in 2018.

Merrifield went 1-for-4 and had a strikeout Sunday in the Royals' loss to Cleveland.

After hitting 19 home runs and stealing 34 bases last season, Merrifield has yet to homer or swipe a bag in seven games to begin the year. The 29-year-old also only has one RBI to go along with his lackluster .222 average. However, as long as Merrifield keeps making solid contact at the plate -- he has only three strikeouts in 27 at-bats so far in 2018 -- those counting stats should eventually begin to build up when his .238 BABIP rises to the mean.

Semien went 1-for-4 with a two-run single and a walk in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Angels.

He slid down to second in the order while Matt Joyce handled leaoff duty, but Semien parlayed the move into his first multi-RBI outing of 2018. The 27-year-old shortstop extended his hitting streak to six games and has now knocked in four his five runs on the campaign during his last four contests. Semien's early success isn't necessarily surprising given his solid spring, and his overall value will see a nice boost once the extra-base hits, including home runs, start to kick in.

Barreto, just called up from Triple-A Nashville on Saturday, could see some time in the outfield during his current big-league stint, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Barreto is slated to primarily fill in for shortstop Marcus Semien and second baseman Jed Lowrie as needed, but he could also spend time in the outfield. The 22-year-old is likely to get in some outfield reps during batting practice to give the team "some options," in the words of manager Bob Melvin. One potential opening could come in center field as a result of Boog Powell's knee sprain, which is expected to land him on the 10-day disabled list Sunday.

The Angels optioned Fontana to Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Fontana was called up to the majors at the end of March when Ian Kinsler (groin) was placed on the 10-day disabled list, but only appeared as a pinch hitter, going 0-for-2. Ryan Schimpf replaces the 26-year-old on the Angels' 25-man roster.