MLB Player News

Semien went 1-for-5 with a run scored in Thursday's loss to the Rangers.

Semien extended his hit streak to four games and he appears to be locked in as the Athletics' leadoff hitter. The San Francisco native's 12 strikeouts in 34 at-bats is concerning, as this sample size, albeit small, suggests Semien hasn't improved on his 22 percent strikeout rate from 2017. Still, the 27-year-old bats first for a team that has the most aggregate hits across the league so far in 2018, meaning Semien should be a solid source for runs and RBI.

Drury is out of the lineup against the Orioles on Thursday.

Drury will head to the bench for a standard day off as Miguel Andujar gets a start at the hot corner. Through six games, Drury is hitting .250 with an .825 OPS. Expect to see him back in the lineup for Friday's game.

Estrada (hip) will open the season on the disabled list at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, MLB.com's Jim Callis reports.

He is still recovering from a gunshot wound in his right hip from a robbery attempt this winter in Venezuela. It's noteworthy that he will open the year at Triple-A, as he had previously never played above Double-A. Estrada is a great real life depth piece, as he is a quality infield defender who excels at making contact. Unfortunately, his power and speed tools are a little light for him to realistically project as a decent fantasy option, unless he ends up being a .300 hitter in the big leagues. He is also blocked by better young players at every position in New York, so a trade would help his value in deep leagues.

Chavis (oblique) was placed on the minor-league disabled list Tuesday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

There was some hope that the top prospect would be able to avoid a DL stint, but he apparently hasn't progressed as well as the team had hoped. He'll need to stay on the sideline for at least seven days. It seems like he could be back after the minimum DL stint given the glimmer of hope that he'd be ready for Opening Day.

Motter was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday.

With Nelson Cruz (ankle) hitting the disabled list, the Mariners were in need of another bat. Motter will fill that void, though it's unlikely that he'll fill a regular role during his time in Seattle. The utility man demolished Triple-A pitching last season to the tune of a 1.067 OPS, but he failed to translate it to the big leagues, batting .198 in 258 at-bats.

Andrus batted third in the order and went 1-for-5 in Monday's 3-1 loss to the Athletics.

Andrus, who hit leadoff the previous two games as the replacement for Delino DeShields (hand), was dropped back to third in the order. Manager Jeff Banister indicated Andrus would likely get most of the leadoff at-bats while DeShields is sidelined, but altered course Monday when he had Shin-Soo Choo atop the order.

Mathias (shoulder) will start the 2018 season at Double-A Akron.

Mathias struggled with a shoulder injury a season ago, but appears healthy for the upcoming season. He slashed a disappointing .212/.328/.308 in 104 at-bats for Double-A Akron in 2017 and will look to bounce back in 2018.

Merrifield went 1-for-4 in Monday's 6-1 loss to the Tigers.

Although he's gone just 2-for-12 (.167) over the Royals' first three games, Merrifield has managed to score on two occasions. After hitting a respectable .288/.324/.460 over 145 games last season, Merrifield will see consistent time at second base as he tries to find his groove at the dish.

Jones is transitioning from the outfield to playing second base, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Jones worked his way up to High-A Inland Empire last season, where he hit .302/.368/.488 and stole nine bases over 41 games. Although he was on his way to becoming a promising outfield prospect for the Angels, the club has opted to have the 20-year-old continue his development as a second baseman. Because Jones played the keystone during high school, general manager Billy Eppler is confident that the transition should be smooth. If Jones adapts well and continues impressing offensively, a promotion to Double-A Mobile could be in order this year.

The Blue Jays assigned Espinosa to Triple-A Buffalo on Monday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Espinosa's status had been in limbo for the last few days after Gift Ngeope beat him out for a reserve spot in the infield, but it appears the veteran has elected to remain in the organization for now. Since Espinosa's contract contains an out clause if he's not promoted to the big-league roster before the end of April, he's unlikely to stick around at Buffalo for more than a few weeks.