MLB Player News

Altuve went 2-for-6 with a double and two stolen bases during Sunday's loss to the Red Sox.

Altuve has been successful on 90 percent of his 10 stolen base attempts thus far after posting a 75 percent success rate in 51 attempts last season. He leads MLB in the category by three, with second-place Dee Gordon sitting on six right now.

Hernandez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Rockies.

Hernandez has been splitting time in left field with Howie Kendrick while Carl Crawford (back) and Scott Van Slyke (back) deal with injuries. Although Hernandez had started two of the last three games, he'll sit Sunday in favor of Trayce Thompson, while Kendrick will move to the hot corner to cover for Justin Turner (finger). Hernandez has been cooling off a bit of late, collecting just one hit in his last six games to lower his season average to .325.

Espinosa is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins.

Espinosa is stuck in a slump currently, getting four hits in his last 17 at-bats. Stephen Drew will take over at shortstop with Espinosa getting his second day off of the year. With neither option performing particularly well with the bat to date, one has to imagine that it's only a matter of time before Washington fans see heralded prospect Trea Turner in the big leagues.

Polanco was optioned to Triple-A Rochester after Saturday's game.

The Twins needed to clear a spot for Tyler Duffey on the 25-man roster, and Polanco was serving as a depth infield option, so he will head back to Triple-A. Polanco has 32 games under his belt at Triple-A, so he could use some more work in the minors, specifically in the field. However, he could serve as an option at shortstop in the second half if that stands out as a position of need on the big league roster.

Drury is in the lineup and batting second for Friday's game against the Pirates.

Drury will start for Jake Lamb with left-hander Jon Niese on the mound. The 23-year-old hit .304 with two home runs and five RBI against left-handed pitching in 2015, making this an above-average matchup for the third baseman.

Kemp is hitting .341/.463/.386 with eight walks and eight strikeouts in 13 games with Triple-A Fresno.

The 24-year-old second baseman has struggled on the base paths, as he's been caught stealing on all three of his attempts thus far. Kemp was 35-for-49 (71 percent) in stolen base attempts last season, so he'll have to work on that area of his game to improve his chances of a big league call up. Even if he does, though, he's blocked by Jose Altuve, so he could spend all of 2016 in Fresno.

Forsythe went 3-for-4 with two walks, an RBI and three runs in Thursday's 12-8 victory over the Red Sox.

Thursday's game was the best of the season so far for the utility man. Through his first 52 at-bats, Forsythe is hitting .288/.373/.500 -- all of which are well above his career averages. A big part of the 29-year-old's value in recent years has been his versatility, however he has yet to start anywhere other than second base this season. Having his cleats stuck in the mud at second won't have much of an impact on his eligibility this season in most leagues, but those who own him in dynasty formats will certainly want to watch how this situation plays out.

Rodgers, 19, is slashing .298/.377/.574 with four home runs and nine RBI through 12 games for Low-A Asheville.

Rodgers has already shown a penchant for hitting the long ball, something which should only improve his stock considering he will eventually play his home games in the thin air at Colorado. He is still at least a few years away from making the big leagues, and perhaps the Rockies are fine with that, considering the start to the season for fellow shortstop Trevor Story.

Barreto has opened the season at Double-A Midland hitting .167/.186/.262 with a homer, three RBI, and three steals through 11 games.

Perhaps the most alarming number to this point is Barreto's 14 strikeouts in 42 at-bats. Just 20 years old, he's very young for the Double-A level, where he'll likely spend the entire 2016 campaign with the hope of pushing his way into the mix with Oakland in 2017.

Marte is out of the lineup Wednesday versus the Indians.

After another 0-fer Tuesday lowered his batting average to .186, Marte will get the day off Wednesday. Luis Sardinas will take over at shortstop and bat ninth in his place.