MLB Player News

Solarte (oblique) is expected to return from the disabled list Sunday.

The switch-hitting infielder began a rehab assignment earlier in the week and it appears it has gone well enough to where Solarte may be back in a Padres uniform by Sunday. The Padres hinted at Solarte seeing some reps at shortstop during his rehab stint, which adds to his already strong infield versatility. The official move to activate Solarte will likely come in the hours before first pitch of Sunday's series finale against the Pirates.

Drury is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Cardinals, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Drury has found himself sitting regularly since Ketel Marte's promotion from Triple-A -- Saturday marks his seventh absence already since the All-Star break. The 24-year-old has been a net positive in the field, but he's disappointed at the dish with a .278/.328/.441 slash line 338 plate appearances this season.

Franklin was designated for assignment by the Angels on Saturday, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times reports.

This marks Franklin's second DFA in just over a month and third since April 1. The 26-year-old has hit .214/.285/.360 in parts of five seasons in the majors and he's limited defensively, realistically capable of helping out only at second base and the outfield corners. He will be subjected to waivers once again.

Andrus went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Friday's 8-2 win over the Orioles.

After going just 2-for-29 in his first seven games after the All-Star break, Andrus has turned on the jets with a .364 surge over the last week that includes three homers. The 28-year-old continues to pad his career-high home-run total, which now stands at 14, and his .796 OPS is just a few points shy of last year's career best as well.

Altuve went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and two runs scored in Friday's 6-5 win over the Tigers.

He extended his hitting streak to 19 games with another impressive performance, and Altuve's hitting .524 (44-for-84) over that stretch with four homers, five steals, 19 RBI and 21 runs. The second-base dynamo has pushed his OPS up to a career-high 1.018 with the surge, and after finishing third in AL MVP voting last year he could be headed for his first major award in 2017.

Semien went 3-for-4 with an RBI single, a walk and a run in Thursday's 8-4 extra-inning loss to the Blue Jays.

The surging shortstop logged the only three-hit effort on the night for the Athletics, his third multi-hit game in the last seven contests. Semien also has six of his 11 RBI on the season during that stretch and has boosted his average 85 points to .230 since July 18.

Albies went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two runs scored for Triple-A Gwinnett in Thursday's extra-inning win over Lehigh Valley.

He's turned his season around in July, slashing .303/.336/.475 in 23 games, although he only has two steals in two attempts over that stretch. Dansby Swanson's demotion would seem to open up a spot in the Atlanta infield for Albies, but the club will keep the 20-year-old at Triple-A for now while the coaching staff takes a look at Johan Camargo. Albies and Swanson still project to be the club's double-play duo of the future, and that future could arrive as soon as this season depending on what moves the front office makes at the trade deadline.

Marte went 1-for-4 with a strikeout in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Cardinals.

Marte was making his fourth start in the last six games while Brandon Drury was on the bench for the fourth time during that span, suggesting that there may be a changing of the guard in the Diamondbacks infield. Drury has the superior offensive track record of the two players at the big-league level, but he's been in a tailspin at the dish since the beginning of June and doesn't offer as much defensive value as Marte, who has been playing shortstop lately. That has allowed Chris Owings to move over to the keystone, where he's less of a liability. With a .263/.307/.356 career line in the majors, Marte is unlikely to develop into a high-end fantasy asset while he's seeing regular at-bats, but he's shown some burgeoning pop this season and offers an impact as a base stealer. Those attributes, along with the shallow pool of talent at shortstop relative to other positions, might be enough for Marte to carry some value in NL-only or deeper mixed leagues.

Solarte (oblique) may play some innings at shortstop while on his rehab assignment, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

The Padres announced that Solarte will start a rehab stint with Triple-A El Paso on Thursday, and although he's playing second base in his first game with the Chihuahuas, there is speculation that he'll move over to shortstop for a few games afterward. It's unclear if he'll get much time at shortstop when he returns to the big leagues, although it would allow the Padres to keep young second baseman Carlos Asuaje in the lineup more frequently. More information should come forth once Solarte is back in the majors, though.

Drury takes a seat for Thursday's series opener against the Cardinals.

This marks the fifth time in the last eight games that Drury will retreat to the bench. He's had a good year to date, hitting .277/.328/.442 with eight home runs and 43 RBI, but has stagnated as of late while others such as Daniel Descalso and Ketel Marte are getting into grooves offensively. For Thursday's game, Chris Owings slides over to man the keystone while Marte draws the start at short.