MLB Player News

Rays second baseman Logan Forsythe hit a solo home run in the ninth inning of a scoreless game. 

Forsythe's blast provided all the offense in a 1-0 win over Seattle. He went 1 for 4 on the day with his seventh homer and 25th RBI. 

Nationals infielder Danny Espinosa had a big night in the 7-5 win over the Cubs on Friday. Espinosa, starting at second base for the injured Yunel Escobar, went 2 for 4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Espinosa launched his seventh home run of the season, a key three-run shot in the second inning.

Espinosa also doubled in the game and has seven hits over his last 26 at-bats. 

The Rangers moved third baseman Joey Gallo to the No. 5 spot in the order Friday night against the Royals, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Manager Jeff Banister swapped Gallo and Elvis Andrus in the lineup, batting Andrus sixth in the order.

Gallo is off to a monster start with a .417 batting average (5 for 12) with two homers and five RBI in his first three career games.

With Stephen Vogt sidelined with a leg issue, Athletics manager Bob Melvin shuffled the lineup, moving Marcus Semien back to the No. 2 hole, and moving Ben Zobrist to the No. 3 hole, which was normally occupied by Vogt.

Semien has started a team-high 28 games at the No. 2 spot. He is hitting .277 with six homers and 16 RBI in 55 games. Zobrist has 17 starts at the No. 3 hole. He is hitting .222 with two homers and 14 RBI in 23 games.

White Sox third baseman Gordon Beckham delivered an RBI single in Thursday's loss to the Rangers. Beckham has been seeing regular playing time lately, and has been making the most of it. He has started 10 of the last 11 games for manager Robin Ventura, batting .333 (14 for 42) over that span.

"It's him playing well," said Ventura, per MLB.com. "He's been in the middle of a lot of stuff we've had. At times you have to [play the hot hand].

Beckham is back with the club who originally drafted him in 2008. Beckham spent the end of the 2014 season with the Angels after being traded to Anaheim in August.

"Some guys, you go away from where you originally were, and there's a different perspective," said manager Robin Ventura. "You might hear the same things but from different voices and a different set of eyes, and all of a sudden, you become a different person.

Mets second baseman Dilson Herrera went 1 for 3 with a double in his rehab debut with Class A St. Lucie on Thursday. Both Herrera and catcher Travis d'Arnaud were replaced in the field after their third at-bats, with both having played five innings on defense.

Herrera has been on the disabled list since mid-May while recovering from a broken right middle finger. He's 8 for 34 with one home run and three RBI in 10 appearances with the Mets.

Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien sat for just the fourth time in 56 games Thursday against the Tigers. Eric Sogard made his third start at shortstop this season for Oakland in Semien's absence.

Semien is mired in a hitting slump. He is batting just .167 in his last 13 games, dropping his season average from .309 to .277 in that span.

Rays infielder Nick Franklin has been working with bench coach Tom Foley and taking reps at first base recently, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Franklin, who is hitting only .091 on the year, could emerge as an option against right-handers while the Rays continue to look for patches to fill the void of James Loney, who is sidelined with a broken finger. 

Angels second baseman Johnny Giavotella went 2 for 4 with a two-run home run in his team's 6-5, 10-inning loss to the Rays on Wednesday.

Giavotella was able to increase his team's lead to 4-0 with his two-run shot in the fourth inning, but the Rays stormed back with five runs in the sixth. The second baseman has recorded a hit in five straight games, going 8 for 18 during that stretch. He has hit .285/.337/.382 with two home runs and 19 RBI in 165 at-bats.

Mets catcher Travis d'Arnaud and second baseman Dilson Herrera have been slated for Class A games with St. Lucie, according to ESPN New York. 

Herrera was placed on the disabled list on with an injury to his middle finger. D'Arnaud was moved to the DL after suffering an injury to his pinky, though he then experienced a setback by suffering a bone bruise to his hand. 

The two teammates are scheduled to play together on Thursday.