MLB Player News

The Brewers traded Franklin to the Angels on Friday in exchange for a player to be named later or cash.

Franklin hit just .195/.258/.317 in 53 games with Milwaukee, which led to his second DFA in the span of three months. With this trade, he will go on the Angels' 40-man roster, but it's uncertain if the team has any immediate plans to add him to the active roster. While Franklin missed time with a hamstring issue recently, there has been nothing to suggest it's serious.

Andrus went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Indians.

The home run was Andrus' fourth extra-base hit in five games, and he's also raked in eight RBI during that span. With 10 homers on the season, Andrus has already eclipsed last season's career-best mark with the Rangers not even halfway through their schedule, making him a huge value for those who invested in him on draft day. Andrus is slated to man shortstop and bat second Thursday in the series finale.

Merrifield is not in Thursday's lineup for the series finale against the Tigers, MLB.com's Jeffrey Flanagan reports.

After starting the past eight games, Merrifield receives a standard day off for Thursday's matinee. Ramon Torres will man second base and bat leadoff in his stead.

Altuve went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, two steals, an RBI and a run against the A's on Wednesday.

A 30-plus-steal man for five consecutive seasons, Altuve had gone just 3-for-5 on the bases over his past 47 games despite hitting .341 in that span. Other than the steals, the 27-year-old has been delivering more or less as expected, so if this is an omen that he's found his legs again, his fantasy owners will once again have the complete package on their hands.

Marte was promoted to the big leagues Wednesday, prior to Arizona's game against the Cardinals.

In an expected move, Marte earns the call-up with Nick Ahmed heading to the disabled list with a fracture in his hand. Marte should get some time in the infield during his stay with the Diamondbacks, but will play second fiddle to Brandon Drury and Chris Owings at both middle infield positions.

Marte will be recalled from Triple-A Reno on Wednesday, Robert Murray of FanRagSports.com reports.

Reserve shortstop Nick Ahmed was diagnosed with a small fracture in his right hand following Tuesday's win over the Cardinals, so it's expected that he'll be placed on the 10-day disabled list prior to Wednesday's contest to clear a spot for Marte. After losing out on a roster spot with the Diamondbacks coming out of spring training, Marte has taken out his frustration on Pacific Coast League pitching, submitting a .338/.391/.514 line with six home runs and seven steals across 338 plate appearances. With Brandon Drury and Chris Owings locked in as the Diamondbacks' primary middle infielders, Marte won't have a direct path to an everyday role, but could still pick up a few starts per week due to the positional flexibility of the latter two players.

Frazier is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against Tampa Bay.

Frazier went 0-for-5 during Tuesday's game, and will get a day off after starting the past four games in the outfield with southpaw Blake Snell on the mound. In his place, Josh Harrison is sliding over to left while Max Moroff mans the keystone and bats leadoff.

Frazier went hitless in five at-bats against the Rays on Tuesday.

He's hitting .204/.263/.278 in his last 118 plate appearances with no homers and three stolen bases. Frazier is in jeopardy of losing his table-setter slot while batting leadoff with his month-long slump. Starling Marte (suspension) will also likely cut into his playing time in mid-July when he returns from an 80-game steroid suspension. At that point, Frazier may be reduced to a utility player, depending on the team's injury situation.

Franklin (hamstring) was designated for assignment by the Brewers on Tuesday.

Franklin was slashing just .195/.258/.317 in 53 games with the Brewers before being dropped from the 40-man roster. The super-utility man should garner some interest with his versatility and previous MLB experience, otherwise he'll report to Triple-A Colorado Springs.

Jones, 19, has rebounded from a poor start and is currently slashing .266/.332/.394 through 65 games for Low-A Burlington.

Jones is hitting .316 over his last 10 contests, and he has shown an intriguing combination of power and speed in 2017. The teenager has five home runs and 13 steals this season. Jones remains raw, but has exceptional physical tools that are starting to translate to the diamond.