MLB Player News

Tomlinson is in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Dodgers, batting seventh.

The Dodgers will have ace lefty Clayton Kershaw on the hill Saturday, leaving Bruce Bochy to use a right-handed-heavy lineup. Tomlinson will place Joe Panik to make his first start of the season Saturday. Despite having a perceived platoon edge as a right-handed hitter, Tomlinson is 0-for-6 with three strikeouts and a walk lifetime against Kershaw.

Hernandez is leading off Saturday and playing second base.

The Dodgers will feature a righty-heavy lineup Saturday to try to gain an edge on San Francisco's southpaw ace, Madison Bumgarner. With that, Hernandez will take Chase Utley's spot at the top of the order. Hernandez, though in a small sample size, is one of the few players in the majors to have success against Bumgarner, having gone 5-for-10 with a home run off him.

Chavis went 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI for Low-A Greenville on Friday.

Chavis, a first-round pick in 2014, had a rough year for Greenville in 2015, his first year in full-season ball, but showed some promise late in the year. He's repeating Low-A to start 2016, but no longer needs to share third base with the highly touted Rafael Devers, who is with High-A Salem in 2016. Some polish is needed here, but Chavis projects as an above-average power hitter.

Solarte was 3-for-5 with a walk and four RBI as San Diego drubbed the Rockies on Friday evening.

The Padres offense will likely be hit and miss most of the season - they had been held scoreless for 30 innings prior to this outburst in Coors Field - but Solarte could enjoy relative productivity hitting every day in the middle of their order. He typically hits fifth behind Matt Kemp and Wil Myers so there should be a few RBI opportunities.

Giavotella is out of Friday's lineup against the Rangers.

He is 2-for-10 with zero extra-base hits and zero walks to start the season, so he will start Friday's game on the bench. Cliff Pennington will start at the keystone and bat ninth.

Andrus went 0-for-1 at the plate but had a sacrifice fly and a walk in Thursday's loss to the Angels. He was also caught stealing for the second time this season.

Hitting eighth in the lineup, Andrus is making the most of his at-bats thus far despite a .686 OPS. He will need to continue his strong production as he battles for playing time at shortstop with Hanser Alberto.

Beckham is in the starting lineup Friday against the Cardinals, batting eighth in the order as the Braves' second baseman.

Beckham will be making his first start of the season as he takes over at second base for Jace Peterson. As a right-handed hitter, he'll have a platoon advantage Friday when the Braves face Jaime Garcia. That said, Beckham has not had much success at the dish of late regardless of the pitcher and, as the number eight hitter in a weaker lineup, he's not the most appealing fantasy option Friday.

Herrera will be limited to the designated hitter role for the time being with Triple-A Las Vegas due to a shoulder issue, Adam Rubin of ESPN.com reports.

Herrera didn't show any signs of structural damage to the shoulder after getting an MRI done near the end of spring training, but the Mets are being cautious with one of their better young hitters. The 22-year-old will try to build off a fantastic 2015 season in Triple-A where he posted a .327/.382/.511 line with 11 home runs, 50 RBI, and 13 stolen bases.

Espinosa went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run scored Wednesday against the Braves.

A continued strong start to the season is going to be crucial for Espinosa, who needs to establish his place in the Washington lineup in order to hold off top prospect Trea Turner. That means the career .230 hitter needs to show improved plate discipline and contact skills lest he wind up as a utility player.

Drury is starting in left field and hitting sixth against the Rockies on Wednesday.

Drury had a monster spring and can play left field, in addition to second base and third base, so he should find his way into the lineup a couple times each week in the early going. Of course, if he carries his hot bat into the regular season, he could start to earn more playing time, especially if one of the Diamondbacks' other hitters are struggling.