MLB Player News

Polanco will start at shortstop and bat ninth Sunday against the Rangers, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Though Polanco will pick up his third consecutive start, those still holding him in AL-only and deeper mixed leagues shouldn't get excited about a potential return to full-time duty in the middle infield. Polanco's starts Saturday and Sunday have come with Miguel Sano (hand) out of the lineup, but the Twins' young slugger isn't expected to require a disabled list stint. Assuming that's the case, Sano should take back his regular role at third base in the coming days, which would result in Eduardo Escobar moving over to shortstop while Polanco slides back to the bench.

Frazier is out of the lineup Sunday against the Padres.

Frazier has sizzled at the plate while appearing in nine of the Pirates' last 10 games, going 13-for-25 with five RBI. He had picked up three starts in a row to begin August, but with Josh Harrison having since recovered from a lower-leg injury, Frazier will hit the bench for the second time in three games. Frazier's versatility should afford him a few starts a week, but he won't be in line for a regular role with the Pirates' position players enjoying relatively sound health at this time.

Barreto is 14-for-26 with two home runs over his last six games with Triple-A Nashville.

Per Sounds play-by-play announcer Jeff Hem, the 21-year-old has hit both of his homers in the first inning of back-to-back games. Barreto returned to Nashville on July 8 after slashing .190/.261/.381 over 46 plate appearances across 11 games with the Athletics. He's enjoyed much more success against Triple-A pitching this season, slashing .284/.333/.448 with 15 doubles, five triples, 12 homers and 39 RBI over 89 games.

Drury is out of Saturday's lineup against the Giants.

Even with Chris Owings suffering a significant injury, Drury still seems locked into a role where he sits once or twice each week. Daniel Descalso will start at the keystone and hit sixth against righty Chris Stratton.

Andrus went 3-for-4 with three doubles and a run scored in Friday's 8-4 loss to the Twins.

After a fourth consecutive hitless performance July 20 dropped Andrus' season average to .282, the shortstop atoned for his post-All-Star-break slumber by going on an absolute tear. He's batting .371 over his subsequent 14 starts and has rattled off three multi-hit performances in a row. Just as importantly, Andrus is continuing to pack plenty of power into those hits. His 15 home runs on the season have nearly doubled up his previous career best, and his 29 doubles put him only six shy of matching his career-best mark from 2014.

Solarte went 2-for-5 with a solo homer Friday against the Pirates.

Solarte blasted his 11th home run of the year off Ivan Nova to extend the Padres' lead to two runs in the sixth inning of a losing effort. The bomb was his first hit in four games since returning from the disabled list, and his low batting average and slugging percentage damper some of this year's modest pop.

Marte was reinstated from the bereavement list prior to Friday's game against the Giants.

Marte missed three games following the passing of his mother, and returns to the team in San Francisco for the series opener. With Chris Owings (finger) on the disabled list, expect Marte to earn a bulk of the starts at shortstop moving forward.

Forsythe is not in Friday's lineup against the Mets, JP Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group reports.

Forsythe receives a standard day off after starting the past seven games, going 4-for-24 with two RBI and nine strikeouts during that span. While he spends the night on the bench to clear his head, Chase Utley draws the start at second base.

Frazier went 2-for-4 with a run scored Thursday against the Reds.

After struggling prior to the All-Star break, Frazier has slashed .422/.460/.533 in his last 51 plate appearances. He's started the last three games, but that's because second baseman Josh Harrison (ankle) has been hurt. Harrison could return to action as soon as Friday, so Frazier will be limited to spot-starting at second base and in the outfield once the team is healthy.

Altuve is expected to be out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Blue Jays, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

It sounds like the Astros are planning to give their star second baseman the day off as the team opens up a weekend series against the Blue Jays. Altuve continued to dazzle at the plate Thursday, picking up three hits and a home run in his four at-bats against the Rays.