MLB Player News

Franklin went 2-for-4 with a solo shot and an additional run scored in Sunday's loss to the Twins.

He's been one of the biggest beneficiaries so far of Tampa's housecleaning at the trade deadline and Franklin's starting to find his groove at the plate with regular at-bats, hitting .292 (7-for-24) over the last seven games with a home run, a steal, four RBI and three runs scored. Expect him to continue getting starts as long as he keeps producing.

Updating a previous report, Giavotella was a late addition to Sunday's lineup against the Mariners, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register.

The Angels scratched Yunel Escobar (knee) following warmups, allowing Giavotella to enter the lineup at second base and bat eighth in the order. Gregorio Petit, who was originally set to start at the keystone, will move over to third base in place of Escobar.

Giavotella is out of the lineup Sunday against the Mariners, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

Giavotella will be on the bench for the fourth time in six August games, and with the Angels not in contention for the playoffs this season, we could see manager Mike Scioscia spread the starts at second base around over the final two months. The 29-year-old has failed to distinguish himself across 355 plate appearances this season, putting up a .269/.296/.389 slash line to go with six homers and four stolen bases.

Andrus is out of the lineup Sunday against the Astros, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Andrus will rest for the second straight Sunday matinee, as Rangers manager Jeff Banister looks for ways to get utility man Jurickson Profar in the lineup. Profar's presence could continue to cost Andrus one or two starts a week, but that's probably not significant enough to dim Andrus' outlook much outside of shallower leagues.

Kemp was recalled from Triple-A Fresno on Sunday.

Colby Rasmus (undisclosed) hit the DL in a corresponding move, so Kemp will primarily be tasked with acting as depth in the corner outfield. Look for Kemp to fight with Preston Tucker and Jake Marisnick for at-bats in left field.

Polanco went 2-for-4 with a two-RBI single in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Rays.

The 23-year-old continues to wield a scorching bat, extending his hitting streak to seven games. Polanco has four multi-hit efforts over that span, with three doubles, two triples and six RBI. He's gone 11-for-28 since being recalled from Triple-A Rochester on July 28.

Franklin will start in left field and bat third in the order Sunday against the Twins, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays' recent trades of Steve Pearce and Brandon Guyer appear to have paved the way to more playing time for Franklin, who is making his eight straight start Sunday. He's seen action at first base or left field in those preceding games, going 5-for-25 with three RBI and a stolen base.

Altuve went 2-for-3 with a walk, two RBI and scored a run in Friday's 5-0 victory against the Rangers.

The second baseman hit a pair of doubles to move himself into a tie for fourth in the AL with 29 two-baggers on the season. Altuve is on pace to hit 40-plus doubles for the third straight season. He leads the majors in hits (153), and the 26-year-old is well on his way to destroying most of his career-best numbers from his five previous seasons.

Giavotella is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the A's.

Giavotella will be out for the second straight game as he takes a seat on the bench for Thursday's series finale against Oakland. In his place, Chad Pennington will man the keystone while batting eighth.

Barreto, 20, is hitting .425 with two home runs, nine RBI and two steals over his last 10 games for Double-A Midland.

After a slow start to the season, Barreto has been surging over the last month or so. His slash line now sits at .276/.337/.423 for the year. Barreto is also poised to hit double-digit home runs and swipe 25 bases for the second-straight season. This type of skill set for a shortstop makes him an extremely valuable commodity in dynasty leagues.