MLB Player News

Altuve went 3-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and a second run scored in Monday's 15-0 win over the Athletics.

Altuve has hit safely in 15 of the last 16 games, slashing .364/.394/.652 during that stretch. That's just one chunk of games during a monster second half in which he's been a different hitter than he was in the first half. That suggests the hamstring injury he dealt with during May and June played a role in his depressed early season numbers. Altuve, who had .781 OPS in 55 first-half games, has a 1.051 OPS over 54 games since the All-Star break.

Lux was named the Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America on Monday.

The prestigious award is the crowning achievement of a spectacular season in which Lux slashed .347/.421/.607 with 26 home runs, 76 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 113 games between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City. His overall brilliance also earned Lux a September callup to the Dodgers, though he is hitting only .150 in 20 at-bats in the majors.

Frazier isn't in the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Giants.

Frazier is in line for a night off after taking the collar in Sunday's series finale against St. Louis (0-for-3). Kevin Newman draws the start at the keystone and will hit leadoff.

The Cubs will call up Hoerner from Double-A Tennessee ahead of Monday's game against the Padres, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. He's starting at shortstop and hitting sixth in his big-league debut.

Hoerner is one of the top prospects in the Cubs' farm system, but the 22-year-old wasn't expected to make his big-league debut until 2020 before late-season injuries to Javier Baez (wrist) and Addison Russell (head) decimated the team's depth at shortstop. Expect Hoerner to immediately step in as the Cubs' everyday option at the position while the aforementioned two players are unavailable, but he shouldn't be counted on to provide a major fantasy impact in his first taste of the majors. Hoerner boasts strong bat-to-ball skills and could deliver a useful batting average in September, but he's unlikely to offer much counting-stats production while presumably occupying a spot near the bottom of the order.

Marte went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Reds.

Marte's sixth-inning blast gave the Diamondbacks a lead the bullpen would later give away. He has four homers and 14 RBI over the last six games. Marte has hit safely in his last 18 starts, posting a .427/,469/.853 slash line with eight home runs and 23 RBI dating back to Aug. 14.

Torres went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, a stolen base and four runs batted in while scoring twice in Sunday's win over Boston.

Torres got the Yankees on the board with a two-run blast to left field in the second inning, produced another run with a fielder's choice in the fifth, and plated the team's final tally with a double in the ninth. The 22-year-old leads the Yankees with 35 home runs this season while slashing .286/.347/.546 with 83 RBI in 548 plate appearances.

Mendick went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs in a 5-1 victory against the Angels on Sunday.

The 25-year-old has a hit in each of his three starts, and now he has his first career MLB homer. Mendick is 5-for-14 with one extra-base hit, one RBI and three runs across five games to begin his major-league career.

Castro is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.

Castro will take a seat as the Tigers go with a more righty-heavy lineup to counter Athletics southpaw Sean Manaea. The 25-year-old has slashed just .222/.236/.222 (18 wRC+) versus left-handed pitching this season.

Estrada (hamstring) was activated off the 10-day injured list Sunday.

Estrada played a couple of minor-league rehab games over the weekend and will rejoin the big-league club after spending the last three weeks on the shelf with the hamstring strain. The 23-year-old has a .739 OPS in 61 plate appearances this season and figures to serve as a utility option off the bench.

Semien went 1-for-4 with a two-run triple with a walk and a run in a win over the Tigers on Saturday.

Semien began the Athletics' onslaught in earnest with his fourth-inning three-bagger that plated Seth Brown and Ramon Laureano. The slugging shortstop has now equaled a career high with seven triples, while his pair of RBI carried him to a new career-best total (77).