MLB Player News

Scuffling Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa has been receiving more frequent bench time. He is out of the lineup for the Wednesday game against Miami. Kevin Frandsen is set to start instead.

Espinosa hasn't had a hit since May 20. He is 0 for 13 since as his average has fallen to .209.

White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham hit his fourth home run Tuesday against the Indians.

Beckham led off the fifth inning with a solo shot off Mark Lowe. He took an 85 mph changeup out to left on the third pitch of the at-bat. Beckham also added a double earlier in the contest. He finished 2 for 4, with one run scored and one RBI.

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus went 3 for 5 with a two-run double and a run scored in Monday's 7-2 win over the Twins. Over the past three games, Andrus is 7 for 16 with five runs scored and three RBI.

He has raised his average to .260/.318/.355.

Nationals infielder Danny Espinosa entered play Monday against the Marlins continuing to struggle at the plate. After batting .288 through April, Espinosa is batting just .127 with 33 strikeouts in 20 May games.

"What I see from Danny is he is a little too aggressive at this point," manager Matt Williams said, per MASNsports.com. "So he is swinging at some balls that are out of the zone. That is human nature, though, when it is not going good. He knows that he can hit the ball. He knows he has got power. He knows that on any given pitch, it can turn, but he has gotten a little bit too aggressive. So we are trying to zone him back in and get him back on the plate a little bit.

"He is working on making some adjustments at the plate. So those off-days he is getting are good works days for him to really do a lot of work with (hitting coach) Rick Schu in the cage."

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus contributed two hits, including his 12th double, one RBI and three runs during a 12-4 win Sunday at Detroit. He's produced two hits in each of his last two games and had his first double Sunday in nine games.

Andrus is batting .278 in 22 May games. He has one home run, seven doubles, six RBI, 15 runs and three stolen bases in that span.

Looking for a sleeper hitter for Fantasy Week 9 (May 26-June 1)? You may just find one in Jason Castro, Adam LaRoche, Gordon Beckham, Trevor Plouffe, Jimmy Rollins or Curtis Granderson.

Find out why in my latest Start and Sit Hitters column.

A sharp eye and patience at the plate and ability to put bat on ball has continued to make Yankees third baseman Yangervis Solarte one of the premier rookies in the sport this season.

Solarte has emerged from a mini-slump with five hits in his last four games. More impressive is a .387 on-base percentage fueled by 19 walks in 145 at-bats and helped by having just 19 strikeouts. Solarte is batting .310 and slugging .483 with five home runs and 24 RBI.

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus went 1 for 4 with a two-run home run in his team's 4-3 win over the Mariners Wednesday.

Andrus keyed a three-run first inning by deposting a pitch just over the left-field wall after the leadoff man got aboard. He has hit .249/.308/.345 with two home runs, 11 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 177 at-bats.

White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham has not only maintained his progress after a bounce-back season in 2013, but he has become more productive.

Beckham is on pace to significantly better his run-scoring and RBI totals of a year ago and has improved his average to .277. He has been particularly hot in the last week. Beckham has 10 hits in his last 26 at-bats with one home run, four RBI and seven runs.

He has hit safely in 13 of his last 15 games, during which time he is 21 for 59.

Corey Hart's hamstring injury and consequent trip to the DL gives Nick Franklin something he hasn't had all season: an opportunity.

Even though he was one of the most impactful rookies in Fantasy last season, hitting 20 doubles and 12 home runs with six stolen bases in 369 at-bats, the Robinson Cano signing has confined Franklin to Triple-A Tacoma, where he's hit .376 with seven home runs in and six stolen bases in 109 at-bats.

He did have one brief stint in the majors earlier this season when the Mariners thought they could fit him in the lineup with Logan Morrison sidelined by a hamstring injury, but doing so would have required Hart to play the outfield, which they determined he wasn't ready to do. Now that Hart himself is down, freeing up the DH spot, Franklin should get his at-bats.

And if he makes the most of them and Brad Miller continues to struggle, the Mariners could keep Franklin around to play shortstop when Hart returns in 4-6 weeks.