MLB Player News

Altuve injured his right knee but remained in Saturday's game against the Indians, Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Altuve stumbled out of the batter's box on a grounder and beat out an errant throw. He limped noticeably, prompting a visit from manager A.J. Hinch and a trainer, but Altuve said the pain was already subsiding. That all said, it's worth noting that issues with the right knee cut into Altuve's production for a good chunk of the season.

Marte went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and scored twice Sunday in the Diamondbacks' 4-3 loss to the Padres in 10 innings.

While Marte's efforts weren't enough for the Diamondbacks to end their season with a win, his performance down the stretch at least offers optimism about his prospects heading into 2019. Over Arizona's final six games, Marte turned in four multi-hit performances and posted a 4:4 BB:K. Though speed was his primary calling card in the minors, Marte has only totaled nine steals during his two seasons in Arizona, but he's made up for his lack of activity on the basepaths with his improved power and plate discipline. He walked in 9.4 percent of his plate appearances in 2018 and notched 52 extra-base hits, the latter of which ranked him in the top 20 among all qualifying middle infielders in baseball.

Barreto went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in a loss to the Angels on Sunday.

Manager Bob Melvin pulled multiple regulars early in anticipation of Wednesday's wild-card game against the Yankees, and Barreto was one of the beneficiaries of such a strategy. The 22-year-old saw sparse action during his September stay with the Athletics, and the home run was his first at the big-league level since Aug. 1. While Barreto's .233 average this season was nothing to write home about, he enjoyed more success against major-league arms than his initial cup of coffee in 2017 (.197/.250/.352).

Hernandez went 3-for-5 with a triple, two RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's victory over San Francisco.

Hernandez continued his torrid play at the plate during this three-game set, finishing the series with nine hits and six runs scored. With a right-hander (German Marquez) set to start Monday's game against Colorado, it will be interesting to see if manager Dave Roberts keeps Hernandez's hot bat in the lineup, or if he goes with a typical starting nine filled with left-handed hitters.

Merrifield went 1-for-4 with a stolen base Sunday against the Indians.

Merrifield wasn't particularly productive at the plate in the regular-season finale, but he managed to record his 45th stolen base. He was extremely aggressive on the basepaths to close the season, stealing 10 bags in his last 10 starts. Though he's not much of a power producer, he hit for a good average (.304) and scored plenty of runs (88), while supporting his 2017 breakout and making his case to be considered a top-50 fantasy player, at least in rotisserie leagues, entering 2019.

Solarte is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.

Solarte will hit the bench for the second straight game and third time in the last four games as he is 5-for-35 in September. The Blue Jays continue to prioritize giving starts to their younger assets, with Aledmys Diaz at third base and Richard Urena at shortstop. Solarte has a .226/.277/.378 slash line and 17 home runs in a disappointing 2018 season.

Rosario is not in the lineup Sunday against the Marlins.

Rosario did not start Saturday's game, but he came in partway through and logged four plate appearances. There's a similar plan for Sunday's contest, as Jose Reyes will start and is expected to get one at-bat, per Mike Puma of the New York Post. Rosario very well could replace him then, effectively giving him nearly a full game at shortstop.

Frazier (hamstring) is not in the lineup Sunday against the Reds.

Frazier was forced to exit Saturday's contest with right hamstring tightness, and with nothing to play for on the season's final day, the Pirates will keep him on the bench to rest his injury. Unless he enters the contest as a pinch hitter, the 26-year-old will end the season with a .277/.342/.456 slash line to go with 10 homers, 35 RBI and 52 runs scored. Kevin Kramer will replace him at second base Sunday.

Rosario went 1-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases in Saturday's 1-0 extra-innings win over the Marlins.

The young shortstop entered the game in the top of the fifth inning in place of the retiring David Wright, who was making his final appearance at Citi Field, and Rosario did his best to get into scoring position every time he reached base. He now has 24 steals on the year to go along with nine homers, 51 RBI and 76 runs, and while his .258/.297/.383 slash line on the season isn't impressive, Rosario's .291/.325/.427 performance in September does give some hope for a breakout in 2019.

Polanco went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI in Saturday's 8-3 win over the White Sox.

He's been on fire to close out the campaign, collecting multiple hits in four of the last six games to boost his September slash line to .318/.364/.473. Polanco now has a career-high .778 OPS in 76 games this season, and the 25-year-old will head into the spring locked in as the Twins' starting shortstop.