MLB Player News

First baseman Albert Pujols (hamstring) will return to the Angels' lineup Saturday in San Fransico after missing two games with a hamstring issue.

Pujols exited Wednesday's game with the injury and sat out Thursday's and Friday's contest.

The move will shift center fielder Mike Trout back to the second spot in the lineup while Kole Calhoun stays in the cleanup role.

During Pujols' two-game absence, second baseman Johnny Giavotella moved from ninth to leadoff but will bat seventh on Saturday for the first time this season.

Padres second baseman Yangervis Solarte had one his best performances at the plate during Friday's 14-3 win over the Rockies.

Solarte went 2 for 5 with a season-high four RBI during the win. Solarte has at least two hits in three of his last four games. He is now batting .328 on the season.

Second baseman Jose Altuve went 2 for 3 in the Astros' win on Friday, extending his multi-game hitting streak to nine.

Altuve is 21 for 42 (.500 avg.) over those nine games.

Rays infielder Nick Franklin said Friday he is feeling better and could begin a rehab assignment as soon as Monday, per the Tampa Bay Times. Franklin has been out all season after suffering an oblique injury toward the end of spring training.

The Mets have wasted no time getting second baseman Dilson Herrera in the lineup upon his promotion Friday. He is batting seventh against the host Nationals. Daniel Murphy is set to play third while David Wright recovers from injury.

The odd man out is Eric Campbell, who managed a slash line of .204/.328/.327 in Wright's place. His absence Friday marks his first after 15 straight starts.

Herrera was sizzling at Triple-A Las Vegas before his call-up. He slammed at least two hits in seven of his last eight starts.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve was the hero of Thursday evening's 3-2 win over the Mariners in extra innings. 

In the bottom of the 10th inning and with runners on first and second, Altuve hit a walk-off single to left field, scoring Marwin Gonzalez. This was the first walk-off of Altuve's career. 

Altuve had the most productive night of any member of the Astros as he went 3 for 5 in the game. 

Altuve is now hitting .367/.400/.500. 

The Mets announced after Thursday's game that second baseman Dilson Herrera will be recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas Friday.

Rated the No. 46 prospect in baseball by Baseball America, Herrera received his first exposure to major-league pitching last season, hitting .220/.303/.407 with three home runs in 59 at-bats. He shot out to a .375/.407/.513 line in his first 80 at-bats at Las Vegas this season before being recalled. Herrera's presence could push Daniel Murphy over to third base while David Wright continues to recover.

With Albert Pujols sidelined Thursday, the Angels moved Kole Calhoun to the cleanup spot, according to MLB.com. Mike Trout was moved from second to third, while Erick Aybar was inserted to the leadoff spot, with Johnny Giavotella moving from ninth to second.

Calhoun, who was the team's leadoff hitter 17 of the first 21 games, is hitting .406 (13 for 32) with six runs scored, two homers, five RBI four walks and six strikeouts over his last his last eight games, raising his batting average from .222 to .309 over that span.

The yo-yo season of Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien continued Wednesday night. And the yo-yo is definitely on the rise.

Semien managed his sixth multi-hit performance in the last eight games despite a loss to the Angels. But this one was a bit different - it marked the first time this year he slugged three hits.

He doubled in the first, doubled and scored in the fourth and singled in the sixth to give him 12 hits in his last 29 at-bats.

Semien began the season on a tear, then fell into a 3-for-24 slump before recovering.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve continues his strong performance at the plate this season, going 2 for 4 at the plate in Houston's 7-2 win over the Padres Wednesday.

It marked Altuve's seventh consecutive game with multiple hits, something manager A.J. Hinch is getting accustomed to, reports MLB.com.

"There's more than just a hitter," Hinch said. "He senses opportunity. When you need a sac fly, he gets a sac fly. When you need a spark, a leadoff runner, he gets on base. And he does it in different ways. You can't pitch him the same way twice. I think I get a better appreciation at how dangerous he can be line to line.

"He gets his fair share of hits in different ways. When we roll the lineup around, I think our whole dugout senses something is going to happen positively. He continues to pile on the hits. The big moments don't scare him. The big moments, meaning a guy on third base and nobody out. A good pitcher that gets him out, he comes back for more. He's a real threat."

Altuve is hitting .355 with six doubles and 13 RBI in 93 at-bats this season.