MLB Player News

Semien went 1-for-3 with a solo homer Friday against the Astros.

Semien's sixth home run of the season started a rally in the eighth inning of a game the Athletics would come from behind to win. Overall he's having a difficult month while batting .197, but the homers have helped him keep his slugging percentage (.447) at a respectable level.

Padres manager Andy Green said Friday that Solarte (hamstring) is not close to returning, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

When Solarte first hit the DL, the Padres were hopeful he would make it back before the end of April, but the 28-year-old was just cleared to begin running on an anti-gravity treadmill this week. He is without a timetable for a return, but considering where he's at in his recovery, it seems possible Solarte could miss the majority of May.

Betancourt (head) went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI in a game with Double-A Biloxi on Thursday.

Betancourt missed a game after exiting Tuesday's contest with a head injury, but it turns out he was not dealing with any sort of serious setback. He is hitting .333 on the season and will continue seeing regular action at second base for Biloxi moving forward.

Drury went 2-for-4 with a double, a solo homer and two runs Thursday against the Cardinals.

That's homers on consecutive days and six extra-base hits in the last four starts for Drury, an impressive run that's lifted his small-sample-size OPS over .900. The problem for Drury is that it's going to be tough to carve out starts on a consistent basis with Jake Lamb and Yasmany Tomas blocking him at third base and in left field, respectively. But if he keeps hitting, he'll find his way into the lineup more often than not.

Altuve went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a homer, two RBI and three runs against the Mariners on Wednesday.

As the season's first month winds toward a close, Altuve has been perhaps fantasy's most valuable asset, with six homers and nine steals to go with his typically fantastic batting average, now at .330. He's clearly fantasy's top second baseman, and it's not particularly close.

Drury went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in an 11-4 loss against the Cardinals on Wednesday.

At the time, he gave the D-backs a 2-1 lead, but that certainly didn't hold up. Drury has, however, been a powerful presence in the Arizona lineup recently -- over the last nine games, he's racked up 13 hits in 35 at-bats (.371), including two homers, four doubles and a triple. With his hitting chops, semi-consistent lineup spot and potential multi-position eligibility, Drury should be flying off waiver wires.

Giavotella is out of Wednesday's lineup against the Royals, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

The former Royal hit his first home run of the season Tuesday, but has been dropped from Wednesday's lineup in favor of switch-hitting Cliff Pennington. Giavotella is hitting only .154 against righthanders this year, and is 0-for-4 in his career against Royals starter Chris Young.

Drury is in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals, starting in right and batting seventh.

Drury will start for Chris Owings while David Peralta will move over to center. Drury is batting .302/.321/.491 on the year, and will provide more pop for the Diamondbacks' lineup in Wednesday's game. The 23-year-old has provided depth as a utility man early on in 2016, earning starts at third base as well as the corner outfield spots, but if he continues to hit like this, Arizona will be forced to get him in the lineup more often than not.

Arroyo, 20, is slashing .304/.351/.406 with eight RBI through 18 games for Double-A Richmond.

Arroyo's hit tool is well above-average, though he will not likely provide much in the way of power or speed. As such, his fantasy upside may remain curtailed, as he could be a better actual MLB player than fantasy producer.

Marte went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI and three runs in Tuesday's 11-1 hammering of the Astros.

Marte was hitting a measly .186 when he was given a day off on April 20. Since then, he has a six-game hit streak including three multi-hit performances, all three of his season's extra-base hits, one steal, two RBI and seven runs while raising his average to .265. If the switch hitter can continue to get on base, he'll have the opportunity to capitalize on his speed which is arguably Marte's top attribute. At this point, the shortstop is best suited for dynasty and the deepest of leagues, but certainly possesses the potential to develop into a more useful asset in a plethora of formats.