MLB Player News

Espinosa socked a three-run homer in the top of the ninth Tuesday against the A's, turning a 6-4 deficit into the 7-6 final score. It was his only hit in four at-bats on the night.

He'd left three men on base earlier in the game, so Espinosa stepped up to the plate in the ninth with a chance at redemption, and he delivered. Espinosa's coming off a career-high 24 homers, but he also hit just .209 last season thanks to a boatload of strikeouts. If he keeps selling out to hit home runs, it'll be fair to expect more of the same this year.

Solarte went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and an RBI single in Tuesday's 4-0 win over Los Angeles.

His first-inning single gave the Padres all the offense they ended up needing, but Solarte added on two innings later with the homer. The Padres' second baseman has knocked in three runs in the first two games of the year; he hit third in the opener and cleanup on Tuesday, and if Solarte can remain in the heart of the order, he has an opportunity to rack up plenty of counting stats for a youthful San Diego offense that has considerable upside.

Hernandez will play center field and bat eighth against the Padres on Tuesday, JP Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group reports.

With left-handed pitcher Clayton Richard toeing the mound Tuesday, Hernandez will take over for the lefty-swinging Joc Pederson in center field.

Forsythe will bat leadoff Tuesday against the Padres.

After batting fifth against right-hander Jhoulys Chacin on Opening Day, Forsythe slots in atop the order against lefty Clayton Richard. Look for that trend to continue for the time being, with Forsythe giving way to Andrew Toles in the leadoff spot against right-handers. Forsythe went 1-for-3 with two runs scored in his Dodgers regular-season debut.

Torres will receive reps at second and third base in addition to shortstop, Matt Kardos of MLB.com reports.

The tentative plan is for Torres to play three games at shortstop, followed by two at third base and two at second. Torres is already one of the most promising prospects in the Yankees' system, but adding to his repertoire of positions would only increase his value and enable him to make his major-league debut wherever the club deems its infield the weakest.

Forsythe batted fifth and went 1-for-2 with a pair of runs Monday. He reached base two additional times after being struck by pitches in a 14-3 Opening Day rout of the Padres.

There were talks about the Dodgers' new offseason addition acting as the leadoff hitter this year, but that role was bestowed upon Andrew Toles on Monday. Batting fifth is still a favorable position, but it is worth noting that the 30-year-old should see less run-scoring opportunities in exchange for more RBI chances. Toles is expected to sit against lefties, so Forsythe could act as the leadoff man against southpaws. Tuesday's matchup against the left-handed Clayton Richard should shed light on the situation.

Adames is on the Rockies' Opening Day roster, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

He seemed to be on the outside looking in for a roster spot toward the end of Cactus League play, but with the demotion of prospect Jordan Patterson, Adames will get the opportunity to suit up for Colorado's opener in Milwaukee. He isn't tabbed for too much playing time and doesn't have great stats at the major-league level to increase his stock, but he recently added first base to his defensive repertoire and could see most of his action as a late-game defensive replacement.

Forsythe will start at second base and bat fifth in Monday's season opener against the Padres.

Manager Dave Roberts decided to give lefty-hitting Andrew Toles the nod to bat leadoff against right-hander Jhoulys Chacin. It's likely Forsythe will get the chance to lead off against southpaws, but at least for the time being, he'll slide into the fifth spot behind Adrian Gonzalez. The 30-year-old will be a threat anywhere he hits in the loaded Dodgers lineup.

Frazier will lead off against the Red Sox and start in left field Monday.

He hit .403 in 62 spring at-bats and figures to become eligible at multiple positions in short order. Frazier comes into this season looking to build on his .301 batting average (in 146 at-bats) as a rookie. He isn't a particularly strong fielder, but the 25-year-old offers the potential to surprise at the plate.

Merrifield was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.

A mediocre spring showing and adequate infield depth left the Royals without much of a need for Merrifield on the 25-man roster. Over 29 games this spring he hit .267 with a .710 OPS. Although it's likely that he'll make his way up to the big club at some point this season, Merrifield will return to Omaha, where he'll be in a position to get frequent reps at second base.