MLB Player News

Merrifield got his first career start at first base Sunday and went 3-for-5 with a double, a triple, a stolen base, two runs scored and an RBI in a win over the Tigers.

He's now hitting .329/.365/.443 in 79 September at-bats, and Merrifield's bat and defensive versatility will likely make him the Royals' top utility player in 2017.

Solarte is in the lineup Sunday against the Giants.

After his wife passed away, Solarte missed eight games. He'll return to San Diego's lineup Sunday at third base and hit third against Ty Blach.

Andrus is not in the lineup Sunday against the A's.

Andrus' fantastic showing at the plate continued Saturday, as he went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI. However, he'll have Sunday off as Hanser Alberto gets the nod at shortstop.

Frazier is out of Sunday's lineup against the Nationals.

Frazier has started seven consecutive games but will have Sunday off as the Pirates face A.J. Cole and the Nationals. Pedro Florimon will start at second base and hit seventh in place of Frazier.

Forsythe went 1-for-5 with a solo homer in Saturday's 6-4 loss to the Red Sox.

The veteran made things momentarily interesting against closer Craig Kimbrel in the ninth with a 362-foot solo shot, his 20th round-tripper of the season. It marks the first time Forsythe has reached the milestone in his career and comes on the heels of his previous best of 17 homers he posted last season. The 29-year-old's season line now stands at a solid .274/.344/.464.

Andrus went 2-for-4 with a pair of two-run homers in Saturday's 5-0 victory over the A's.

The veteran shortstop enjoyed a rare power surge, almost single-handedly defeating the A's in the process. He blasted a 408-foot shot in the second to bring home Jared Hoying and then provided a 414-foot encore in the sixth that plated Ryan Rua. The 28-year-old now has four homers and 12 RBI in September, with the former serving as his best monthly figure in that category this season. Saturday's banner performance brought Andrus' season line to a solid .299/.359/.438, and his 68 RBI are a new career high.

Solarte (personal) rejoined the team Saturday, but is not in the lineup for the game against the Giants, the San Diego Union-Tribune's Dennis Lin reports.

His wife tragically passed away earlier this month, so he was away from the team for several days. Adam Rosales will start at the keystone Saturday, but Solarte should be back in the mix in the coming days.

Albies (elbow) is expected to be fully recovered in time for spring training, the Atlanta Journal Constitution's David O'Brien reports.

He underwent successful elbow surgery earlier this month, and should be set to compete for a spot on the 25-man roster at the outset of spring training. Albies is the Braves' clear second baseman of the future, and should spend the bulk of 2017 at the keystone for the big club, regardless of whether he makes the roster out of camp.

Franklin (hamstring) will serve as the designated hitter and bat sixth Saturday against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

As of Tuesday, Franklin was said to be eyeing a return during the final weekend of the regular season, but evidently he's progressed quicker than expected. Franklin has hit .295/.363/.508 against right-handed pitching this season and was playing regularly between shortstop, second base, left field and first base before going down with the hamstring injury.

Espinosa went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer and a walk in Friday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Pirates.

His 423-foot shot in the second drove in Ryan Zimmerman, making it a 3-0 Nationals lead at the time. Espinosa has driven in six runs over his last four games, but is only slashing .131/.206/.295 overall in September. However, his power numbers have seen a resurgence in a season in which he's played his highest number of games since 2012, with his 23 round-trippers and 69 RBI both serving as career highs.