MLB Player News

Altuve went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI in Monday's 3-0 win over the Angels.

After a bit of a slow start, Altuve now has a five-game hitting streak and has upped his average to .320 on the year with seven runs scored, four RBI and five steals. Last season may have been the pint-sized superstar's career year, but he still offers five-category production in a potent offense. Expect the home runs to follow shortly for Altuve.

Barreto won't be called up despite the fact that Marcus Semien (wrist) is out until June, Joe Stiglich of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Athletics GM David Forst cited Barreto's lack of at-bats at Triple-A, but it's fairly easy to figure out what's going on here. It's not that the Athletics think that Barreto, who's hitting a cool .310/.375/.524 for Triple-A Nashville, wouldn't be an upgrade over career backup Adam Rosales. It's that they don't want Barreto to pick up MLB service time that could potentially allow him to become a free agent one year earlier. As such, don't expect Barreto to get called up before early June no matter how badly he destroys minor-league pitching.

Forsythe (hamstring) is batting leadoff and playing second base Monday against the Diamondbacks.

As expected, Forsythe is back in action after missing Sunday's contest with hamstring tightness. He'll continue to bat leadoff against southpaws, with Andrew Toles doing so against righties.

Drury is not in the lineup Monday against the Dodgers.

Drury is off to a nice start to the season, slashing .295/.311/.386 through 13 games, but he'll take a breather after playing in nine straight contests. Daniel Descalso will take over at second base Monday.

Semien will have surgery on his right wrist after a CT scan revealed a fracture of the scaphoid bone, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Although the shortstop was initially diagnosed with a bone contusion, further tests revealed troubling news for Semien and the A's. There is currently no timetable for his recovery, though he won't even be reevaluated for another six weeks after the procedure, so it could be a while until he's back with the A's. Adam Rosales has been filling in at shortstop during his absence and could see the majority of the reps in Semien's place, though Chad Pinder has been recalled and could get a look as well.

Albies, 20, is batting .300 (15-for-50) with seven RBI and five steals through 11 games for Triple-A Gwinnett.

The acquisition of Brandon Phillips has temporarily blocked Albies, but that has not served as a deterrent for the 20-year-old middle infielder. He has the ability to hit .300 and swipe 30 bases, but Albies will likely spend the majority of the 2017 campaign at Triple-A, barring injury.

Frazier will start in left field and lead off in Monday's game against the Cardinals.

It's the third straight start for Frazier, who will be filling in for the injured Gregory Polanco (groin). The lefty-hitting Frazier has gone 5-for-9 with three extra-base hits and four RBI in the last two contests, and he could remain an appealing DFS play in the series opener with the Cardinals bringing right-hander Lance Lynn to the hill.

Frazier went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run and a double in Sunday's 6-1 victory over the Cubs.

The three-hit outing for Frazier boosted his average to .343 in 35 at-bats to begin the season. He was starting in left field while Gregory Polanco nurses a groin injury. The 25-year-old super-utility player for the Bucs makes a lot of contact but doesn't have a ton of power. Perhaps his greatest fantasy asset to those in deep mixed and NL-only leagues is his positional versatility, as he's able to play the majority of the infield positions as well as the outfield. If a serious injury hits any of the Pittsburgh starters, Frazier is likely to be the biggest beneficiary of playing time.

Espinosa went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in Sunday's 1-0 loss to the Royals.

The three-strikeout performance drops Espinosa's average to just .200 on the season. Three of his nine hits on the year have been home runs, and he's been fortunate to have 12 RBI in 13 games. The soon-to-be 30-year-old has an ugly line of 17 strikeouts to just one walk. His owners will have to live with his high strikeout rate and low batting average in order to utilize his pop at the keystone.

Forsythe (hamstring) is available as a pinch hitter Sunday and is expected to return to the starting lineup Monday, MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports.

Forsythe was held out of Sunday's lineup after exiting Saturday's contest early due to hamstring tightness, but his availability off the bench is a good sign. Look for him to return to action in Monday's series finale against the Diamondbacks, sending Chase Utley back to the bench.