MLB Player News

Frazier grounded out in a pinch-hitting role Friday against the Diamondbacks.

Jose Osuna got the nod over Frazier in left field, even though the left-handed Frazier hits lefties better than righties (albeit with less power than Osuna). The appearance was his first since he injured his hamstring April 22. Chances are good that he'll crack the starting lineup Saturday against Taijuan Walker.

Andrus went 0-for-4 at the plate in Friday's 5-2 win over the Athletics.

Andrus has been stuck in an offensive funk for about a week now, as he's recorded a .154/.241/.154 line over the Rangers' last seven games. Manager Jeff Banister still chose to keep Andrus in the No. 2 spot in the order Friday, but the shortstop could soon plummet in the lineup now that Rougned Odor is starting to show some signs of life.

Drury went 3-for-5 with a double and a three-run homer in Friday's 11-4 rout of the Pirates.

His bat has come alive over the last four games, as Drury has gone 8-for-16 with four doubles, two homers and six RBI. His spot in the bottom half of the Arizona lineup makes him a riskier DFS play, but he'll be tough to ignore as long as this current hot streak lasts.

Espinosa is not in the lineup Friday against the Tigers, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

This marks the fourth time in five games that Espinosa will head to the bench for a night off, seemingly signaling that he's been usurped in the pecking order at second base following his awful start to the season. Cliff Pennington seems like the main beneficiary from this development, and he'll pick up Friday's start as well.

Bostick was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday.

Bostick was only up with the big-league club for four days, but he managed to log three appearances in that span. He failed to pick up a hit, however, so he'll head back to the minors to build off the solid .842 OPS he posted in 24 games prior to the callup.

Frazier (hamstring) was activated from the 10-day DL on Friday.

The hamstring issue cost Frazier a bit more time than initially expected, but he made it through a rehab assignment unscathed and is now ready to return to the Pirates' outfield. He figures to form a platoon in left field alongside Jose Osuna, starting against most opposing right-handed starters, with Gregory Polanco back in right field.

Franklin's playing time should increase while Ryan Braun (calf) is on the 10-day disabled list, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

He's been piecing together at-bats in the outfield and middle infield since joining Milwaukee. Franklin, who's scuffled at the dish with a .167/.186/.310 line over 43 plate appearances, probably will not play as often as Hernan Perez will, but NL-only fantasy players could find him more useful if he starts twice or three times per week.

Merrifield went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, two RBI and two runs during Thursday's win over Tampa Bay.

It was just the third home run of the season for Merrifield, and the second baseman currently sports a .217/.276/.377 slash line for the campaign. He's playing regularly, and there is value in full-time at-bats in deep settings, but Merrifield will need to show more at the dish before he's a serviceable option in the majority of seasonal leagues.

Espinosa is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Tigers.

Thursday's absence marks Espinosa's third in the past four games. The 30-year-old has been in a miserable funk at the plate this season -- an 0-for-3 showing Wednesday lowered Espinosa's batting average to .138 and his .456 OPS is the lowest among qualified hitters. We may see more and more of Cliff Pennington at second base.

Frazier (hamstring) is expected to play in his third rehab game for Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

He has three hits in his six at-bats for Indy thus far. When Frazier returns, the plan is for him to rotate with Josh Harrison between second base and left field. He could also see time at third base. While the Pirates haven't committed to a specific return date, he continues to make progress without any setbacks.