MLB Player News

Astros manager A.J. Hinch dropped Altuve from his normal leadoff spot to second in the batting order for Tuesday's series opener against Baltimore, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

It's not a drastic change for an offense that is struggling to score runs, but Hinch's likely intent is to put Altuve in better position to drive in more runs. The three-time All-Star ranks is pacing the Astros with a .328 batting average and he ranks second on the team with 27 RBI.

Motter hit his second home run and knocked in three as part of a 2-for-3 game with a walk in Monday's loss to Miami.

Motter's early returns with the Rays continue to be excellent, as he has three extra-base hits and a .308/.400/.846 line through his first 15 plate appearances. He posted double-digit-homer seasons in the minor leagues in both 2014 and 2015, but Motter's still in a platoon situation with Brad Miller at shortstop. He's an intriguing option for DFS when the Rays are facing left-handed pitching thanks to his above-average power at shortstop.

Hernandez is in the lineup for Monday's matchup with the Reds.

Hernandez will start in left field and bat leadoff in Monday's series opener with the Reds. He last started Friday night, and went 1-for-3 with a double and run scored. Hernandez is slashing just. .200/.297/.325 on the season.

Solarte will be out of the lineup for Monday's outing against the Giants.

Solarte has played the last two games at second base, but the Padres will opt to start Alexi Amarista for Monday's game in San Francisco. Because Solarte just came off the DL on Saturday, he will have the night off to rest and could return to the lineup for Tuesday's matchup against the Giants.

Tomlinson will start at second base and bat second for San Francisco on Monday.

Tomlinson will get the nod to set up a righty-lefty matchup with San Diego's Drew Pomeranz on the mound. The 25-year-old will replace Joe Panik, who, interestingly, is batting .309 against lefties this season whereas Tomlinson is hitting just .238.

Merrifield is in the lineup and batting second for Monday's game against the Twins, Joel Goldberg of Fox Sports Kansas City reports.

Merrifield is starting for Mike Moustakas likely to give him a rest after starting two consecutive days after being activated from the 15-day DL. Merrifield is 2-for-8 through three games for Kansas City this season.

Solarte hit cleanup for the Padres is his first game back from the disabled list Sunday and went 0-for-6 with a walk while playing all 17 innings in the field in a winning effort.

After starting the game at second base, Solarte eventually shifted to third as the Padres made several adjustments throughout the getaway day marathon. The switch-hitting Solarte may be moved around the order frequently by manager Andy Green, but it's expected that he'll see regular time at the keystone with Brett Wallace manning third base against right-handed pitchers.

Motter is in the lineup and batting seventh for Monday's game against the Marlins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Motter is slashing .200/.273/.500 with one home run and two RBI in five games since being recalled from Triple-A in mid-May. He will get the start tonight against southpaw Wei-Yin Chen of the Marlins.

Polanco was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Monday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The Twins were in need of a roster spot following the activation of Eduardo Escobar off the disabled list, and Polanco proved to be the odd man out despite logging three doubles and a home run in limited playing time with the parent club. He'll likely get more playing time with the Triple-A squad, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the 22-year-old back up with Minnesota later in the season considering his solid hitting and defensive versatility across the infield.

Drury went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI in Sunday's win over the Cardinals.

Drury continues to play almost every day--and hit--for the Diamondbacks. He started at third on Sunday, with Jake Lamb sitting against lefty Jaime Garcia, but Drury has primarily been playing in the outfield, where Arizona is thin due to injuries to A.J. Pollock and David Peralta. Drury is worth owning in most leagues due to his strong offensive production (.306/.335/.531, seven home runs, 15 RBI) and multi-position potential.