MLB Player News

The Houston Chronicle reports that Astros second baseman Jose Altuve will not play in the Venezuelan Winter League this season. Altuve had been on the roster for Magallanes, but he decided he will come back to Houston to prepare for next season.

In his third season with the Astros, Altuve hit .283 with 35 stolen bases.

Even though their trade with the Tigers Wednesday would seem to open up a starting spot for both, the Rangers would still consider trading shortstop Elvis Andrus or second baseman Jurickson Profar in the right deal, FOXSports.com reports.

The Cardinals and Rays are two teams rumored to be in the running.

Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa, who played all of 2013 with a torn rotator cuff and never made it back to the majors after a trip to the DL for a broken wrist in early June, is expected to be healthy entering 2014, general manager Mike Rizzo told The Washington Post earlier in November.

"Espinosa is checked out," Rizzo said. "His shoulder is healthy, and he's ready to commence his baseball activities to get ready for spring training."

Of course, he won't have a job waiting for him. Anthony Rendon took over at second base after Espinosa went down and performed well enough to retain the job heading into 2014.

Espinosa, who averaged 19.0 homers and 18.5 steals in 2011 and 2012, hit .158 with three homers and one steal in 158 at-bats last year and wasn't much better at Triple-A Syracuse, hitting .216 with two homers and six steals in 283 at-bats.

The Rangers are looking into the possibility of trading shortstop Elvis Andrus this offseason, according to FOXSports.com. Andrus has been the Rangers' starting shortstop for the last five seasons, but the team is looking for a way to get infielder Jurickson Profar into a regular role.

With nine years and over $126 million remaining on Andrus' contract, however, the Rangers may have difficulty finding a trade partner.

The Blue Jays are interested in White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham, according to MLB.com.

Toronto was reportedly interested in dealing for Beckham last season, but no deal was reached. Beckham hit .267/.322/.372 in 371 at-bats during the regular season. Beckham is under contract until 2015. 

White Sox second baseman Marcus Semien hit his first home run Monday against the Blue Jays.

Semien went 2 for 4, with a home run and a single. He managed to hit a two-run home run off J.A. Happ in the second inning. Semien is hitting .306/.314/.429 in 49 at-bats. 

Padres second baseman Logan Forsythe is still hoping to avoid surgery fix his plantar fasciitis issue. Forsythe has been limited to five at-bats since Sept. 5 because of the injury.

He is expected to receive cortisone shots a day after the season ends and rest his foot in a protective boot before making a decision.

"A couple weeks out of the boot, we'll test it," Forsythe said.

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus went 2 for 6 with a home run and three RBI in his team's 9-2 win over the Rays Thursday. It was his third straight two-hit performance and second home run in three games.

Andrus delivered half of his entire season's home runs over the last three days. He has hit .272/.331/.336 with four homers, 64 RBI and 40 stolen bases in 578 at-bats.

White Sox infielder Marcus Semien, one of the team's September call-ups, was out of the lineup for the first time in six games Monday against the Twins.

Though primarily a shortstop in the minors, he has played mostly third base for the White Sox, also getting a start at second. The 23-year-old is hitting .346 with a double and a steal in 26 at-bats after hitting .284 with 32 doubles, 19 homers, 24 steals and 98 walks in 518 at-bats between Double- and Triple-A.

Padres second baseman Logan Forsythe was out of the lineup Friday against the Braves due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot, but he was still able to take the field as a sub. Forsythe entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning and drove in a run on a single to give the Padres a 4-3 win.

It is not clear if Forsythe will be able to play in the field moving forward, or if the injury will limit him to reserve duty moving forward.