MLB Player News

Hernandez got the start at shortstop and hit second Saturday, going 1-for-3 with a double, a run scored and an RBI in a 5-0 win over the Giants.

With Corey Seager getting the night off against Giants lefty Derek Holland, Hernandez saw his first action of the year at short while Chris Taylor remained in center field. The 26-year-old saw action at every position except pitcher and catcher last season, and Hernandez's fantasy value should again be tied more to his versatility than his bat in 2018 given his .235/.313/.413 career slash line.

Marte is not in the lineup Saturday against the Rockies.

Marte started the opening two games of the season at second base, going 1-for-8 with three strikeouts. Daniel Descalso will start at second in Marte's place.

Frazier will bat leadoff and serve as the designated hitter Saturday in Detroit.

He went 3-for-7 with a double and two runs Friday. Frazier also struck out three times, well above his 2017 strikeout rate (12.6 percent). The 26-year-old stole 21 bases in 2016 and will likely look to run as the team's table-setter this weekend.

Marte was ejected during the sixth inning of Friday's game against the Rockies, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Marte slammed his bat on the ground after taking a called third strike and was promptly tossed from the game. The 24-year-old was 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts prior to the ejection, but the incident didn't seem likely to be worthy of a suspension.

Franklin will start seeing action at catcher with Double-A Biloxi, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Franklin was originally expected to be headed for Triple-A Colorado Springs, but will instead move down a level for the catching experiment. Positional versatility was already the 27-year-old's best attribute, and adding catcher to his portfolio would only accentuate that, but his career slash line of .214/.285/.360 in 921 major-league appearances is a significant limiting factor to his fantasy value if he does make it back up to the bigs.

Rosario went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI in Thursday's 9-4 win over the Cardinals.

Hitting ninth behind the pitcher's spot, the young shortstop was able to deliver solid fantasy value thanks to the Mets' productivity up and down the lineup. Rosario likely won't produce eye-popping fantasy numbers this season, but if he can continue delivering when he gets his chances, the 22-year-old could work his way up into a better spot in the lineup in the second half.

Albies went 1-for-5 with a home run, one run scored, one RBI, and one strikeout Thursday against the Phillies.

Albies is one of the youngest and most exciting players in the league, and he began his age 21 season with a home run. Offering a power and speed combination sometimes likened to Jose Altuve, Albies showed only his ability to steal bases for much of his minor-league career. That changed in 2017, however, as he combined to hit 15 home runs across Triple-A and the major-league level. He flashed that power again on Opening Day, which will do nothing to slow the excitement surrounding his potential.

Rosario will hit ninth, with pitcher Noah Syndergaard hitting eighth, in the Mets' Opening Day lineup, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

This actually counts as a bit of good news for the young shortstop's fantasy value, as hitting in front of Brandon Nimmo -- and, eventually, Michael Conforto (shoulder) -- should allow Rosario to see better pitches and give him more opportunities to use his speed. The 22-year-old didn't produce much offense in his big-league debut last season, but his .328/.367/.466 slash line with seven homers and 19 steals in 94 games for Triple-A Las Vegas in 2017 gives a glimpse of his upside.

Manager Clint Hurdle revealed Tuesday that Frazier would serve as the Pirates' designated hitter and leadoff man in the team's season opener Thursday in Detroit, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Frazier, who will reprise the super-utility role he filled last season, is expected to be deployed at the top of the order in most of his starts this season. Playing time may be a little more difficult to come by when the Pirates are at full strength and don't have the DH spot available, but Frazier's multi-position versatility should at least afford him two or three starts per week.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday that Tomlinson claimed a spot on the Opening Day roster as a utility man, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Tomlinson faced competition from Josh Rutledge for the utility role during spring training, but the former entered camp as the heavy favorite for those duties and never relinquished his early edge in the job battle. With left-handed hitters in Brandon Belt, Joe Panik and Brandon Crawford atop the depth chart at three of the four infield spots, Tomlinson projects to receive regular starts against southpaws early on in the season.