MLB Player News

Barreto is hitting .440/.516/.800 with two home runs and an 8:3 K:BB in 25 at-bats with Triple-A Nashville.

He has been extremely fortunate on balls in play, so his slash line can be largely ignored, but it's clear that he is making plenty of hard contact, with four extra-base hits through seven games. Barreto is also walking at a career-best 9.4 percent clip, which is offset by his career-high 25 percent strikeout rate. The A's will likely wait until June or July to promote Barreto, but it's good to see the 21-year-old showing no early signs of being overmatched at Triple-A.

Altuve went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two walks during Wednesday's 10-5 win over the Mariners.

Altuve struggled to begin the year but has looked more and more like himself over the last four games, collecting seven hits and five walks to drive his OBP up to .356. He has also stolen his first two bases and scored all four of his runs on the season. He still has just one extra-base hit to his name, but one could assume that will not last long as he continues to heat up.

Andrus went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 8-3 win over the Angels.

The 28-year-old is showing early signs of a power spike in 2017. After hitting 14 home runs from 2011-14, he popped 15 over the last two years including a career-high eight in 2016, but now has three -- along with three doubles and a triple -- through eight games to begin the current season. If Andrus is able to add 15 or so homers to his typical 25-plus steals, he could plant himself firmly in the top 10 among fantasy shortstops.

Semien went 0-for-3 with two walks, two runs scored and his fourth stolen base of the season in Wednesday's 8-3 win over the Royals.

The 26-year-old came into the season better known for his power and strikeouts but seems to be taking his new leadoff duties very seriously, walking eight times in nine games to begin 2017. Semien's previous career high in steals is only 11, set back in 2015, but at this rate he could blow past that mark in May. All that said, he is hitting .172 (5-for-29) and is still looking for his first homer of the campaign, so while the shortstop is providing value it's likely not coming in the form Semien's fantasy investors expected.

Drury went 1-for-4 with an RBI single and a strikeout in Wednesday's loss to the Giants.

Drury left four men on base over the course of the evening, but he also managed to bring home half of the Diamondbacks' runs with one swing of the bat. Despite the relatively meager showing, the 24-year-old's batting average is still at an excellent .344 mark, and although he hasn't flashed much power in the early going, it's hard to complain about six RBI in nine games combined with such a good average.

Solarte went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs in Wednesday's road win against the Rockies.

The 29-year-old Venezuelan wasted his first two games of this three-game set at Coors Field, going 0-for-6 with two strikeouts, but those were uncharacteristic among his performances this year. After all, Solarte is off to a big start, hitting .324 with a couple homers and 10 RBI through 10 games. He's been very hard to strike out (just three in 37 at-bats), which makes it seem like Solarte may reasonably repeat or exceed last season's .286 batting average.

Green had his contract purchased by the Nationals on Wednesday and will join the team immediately, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Green is the beneficiary from the Nats' sudden void at shortstop, as Trea Turner and Stephen Drew are both sidelined by hamstring injuries. He is off to a rough start this season, batting .162 over 20 spring games and .154 over four games with Triple-A Syracuse, but provides major league experience at the position. Nonetheless, he needs to find some rhythm at the plate if he wants to remain with the team long-term.

Motter went 3-for-4 with three doubles and a run scored in Tuesday's 7-5 loss to the Astros.

Entering the starting lineup in place of Jean Segura (hamstring), who landed on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday, Motter broke out of an 0-for-7 skid to begin the season with an excellent night at the dish. Motter is expected to serve as an everyday option at shortstop until Segura returns, with manager Scott Servais indicating that Segura should be good to go in the minimum 10 days. While Motter could carry some appeal in AL-only and deeper mixed leagues, the short-term nature of his starting assignment means that fantasy owners shouldn't get overly invested in him.

Rosario went 3-for-6 with two RBI and two runs scored for Triple-A Las Vegas in Tuesday's rout of Fresno.

It's a measure of the confidence the Mets have in their No. 1 prospect that Rosario is not in Triple-A as a 21-year-old, but he's hitting third in the lineup. He's rewarded that confidence by going 11-for-26 through his first six games at the level, although Rosario is still looking for his first extra-base hit. A major-league debut this year isn't out of the question if injuries open up a spot in the Mets infield, but with Asdrubal Cabrera's contract expiring in the offseason, Rosario might be the early favorite to be the club's Opening Day shortstop in 2018.

Altuve went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Mariners. It was his first RBI of the season.

The entire Astros team broke out Tuesday with 14 hits off Seattle pitching. Altuve had been the poster child of the team's low-wattage offense but is showing recent signs of life. After striking out eight times in the first five games, the perennial All-Star and MVP candidate has struck out just once over the last four games while going 5-for-16 with three walks and two stolen bases.