MLB Player News

Giavotella cleared waivers Sunday and has been outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Giavotella was designated for assignment on Saturday, but went unclaimed through the team's waivers and is no longer a member of the team's 40-man roster. The team intends to evaluate a couple other options at second base, but that doesn't rule out a return to the majors for Giavotella at some point.

Altuve went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer Sunday against the Rays.

Altuve has been on an RBI tear, as he's driven in 25 runs this month to give him 87 on the year. The superstar is enjoying a career-year, as he's slashing .355/.415/.565.

Franklin went 3-for-5 with a solo homer Sunday against the Astros.

Franklin has left the yard four times over his last 28 at-bats and he's now slugging .539 in 107 at-bats on the year. The four-year veteran has been a career part-timer, but he currently has a career-high .304 batting average.

Kemp is out of the lineup Sunday against the Rays, marking the seventh straight contest he's been limited to bench duties.

After Carlos Gomez was designated for assignment early in the month, Kemp had been seeing a steady amount of work in left field, but he wasn't really able to seize the opportunity. He's only gone 8-for-34 (.235 average) with no extra-base hits on the month, and with no starts in the past week, it's hard to justify rostering him in most formats. The Astros now appear content to proceed with Marwin Gonzalez and Teoscar Hernandez as their primary options in left field.

Frazier was optioned to rookie-level Bristol on Sunday, Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Frazier had been seeing regular playing time with the Pirates and owns a .321/.345/.457 line after appearing in 39 games. Although his numbers are solid, the team felt the need to add bullpen depth and recalled A.J. Schugel, making Frazier dispensable at this point in time. However, the move seems to be strategic, as Bristol's season concludes Thursday, so it's highly likely that Frazier will return to the big club by the weekend when rosters have expanded.

Forsythe is out of the lineup Sunday against the Astros, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Forsythe will receive what appears to be a regular maintenance day after starting every day of the week since Monday. In his stead, Nick Franklin will draw the start at the keystone.

Renda was optioned back to Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.

Renda spent just under a month with the big league club, but he'll return to Louisville as the Reds bring up catcher Raffy Lopez. The 25-year-old Renda appeared in 16 games for Cincinnati, hitting .222 with a pair of RBI in 27 at-bats. He'll likely return to the Reds when rosters expand next month.

Franklin (concussion) has been activated from the seven-day DL and rejoined the Rays in Houston after a strong performance in a Friday night rehab start for High-A Charlotte, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 25-year-old utility man went 3-for-4 for the Stone Crabs in his lone rehab start on Friday night, logging time at both second base and left field. He is not in Saturday's starting lineup, but Franklin will presumably be available for pinch-hit duty at a minimum after his brief stint on the sidelines. Reliever Tyler Sturdevant was optioned back to Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move.

Hernandez is out of the lineup Saturday against the Cubs.

Hernandez has started three of the last four games (all against opposing lefties) but will head back to the bench with right-hander Jason Hammel due up. While he hasn't fared well this season, it appears Hernandez will continue to play regularly against lefties between center field and second base.

Franklin (concussion) is scheduled to take the field with High-A Charlotte on Friday before joining the Rays in Houston on Saturday, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 25-year-old did some light work without setbacks earlier in the week, so Friday's game will serve the purpose of insuring he's ready for game action before he rejoins the big league club. Franklin has been somewhat of an offensive spark plug for the Rays this season, slashing .292/.364/.510 over 96 at-bats while serving as a valued utility presence in the field.