MLB Player News

Astros manager Bo Porter shuffled his lineup Tuesday against the Mariners, dropping catcher Jason Castro down to the No. 2 spot, hitting second baseman Jose Altuve third and first baseman Carlos Pena at cleanup.

"Carlos has been swinging the bat well," Porter said, according to the Houston Chronicle. "More so I'm trying to protect Carlos and Castro and putting Altuve in between them so if they want to bring in a lefty they still have to [face] Altuve before they get to Carlos."

In the earlier stages of this past offseason, back before Jedd Gyorko was known to be in the running for the starting second base job, I pegged a little-known Padres infielder named Logan Forsythe as a potential sleeper.

I liked his skill set. True, he probably wouldn't hit more than a dozen homers in a full season, but he'd make consistent contact, draw a high number of walks and collect enough doubles to factor at what figured to be a weak position. He'd be a poor man's Matt Carpenter, basically.

A bout with plantar fasciitis and, of course, Gyorko's emergence quickly ended those thoughts, but now, Gyorko is the one on the DL. And already, Forsythe is making his presence known, going 2 for 2 with a homer and a walk in his first start Monday against the Braves.

He has no chance of keeping the job when Gyorko returns, but if you need just a short-term replacement for Gyorko in Fantasy, you don't have to get too creative to find one.

Padres infielder Logan Forsythe came off the disabled list in style Monday against the Braves, going 2 for 2 with a home run and a walk in a 7-6 win.

Forsythe, who was on the DL with plantar fasciitis, was playing in his first game of the season.

Padres infielder Logan Forsythe was activated from the 60-day disabled list and placed in the starting lineup Monday against the Braves. Forsythe has been out all season due to plantar fasciitis, but he appeared in eight games on his rehab assignment, batting .360 for Triple-A Tucson.

Jedd Gyorko is expected to be placed on the disabled list to make room for Forythe on the active roster. 

The Mariners gave rookie second baseman Nick Franklin a rest Monday against Houston. Franklin went 0 for 4 Sunday against the Yankees. 

Franklin has seen 44 at-bats for his career to this point. He's gone 11 for 44 (.250) with two home runs and three RBI. The two homers came in the same game. He's gone 4 for 20 (.200) over his last five contests.

Mariners rookie second baseman Nick Franklin moved into the second spot in the lineup Sunday against the Yankees for the first time in his career. Franklin is batting .275 (11 for 40) with a .500 slugging percentage in 12 games.

"I’ve been debating about it," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said about batting Franklin second, per The Seattle Times. "We’re thin as it is and he’s been putting together as good at-bats as anybody. He’s not shy, so I think that probably works for him. I’m trying to put the best lineup out there."

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve returned from a slight groin strain that caused him to miss two games to go 1 for 4 with one RBI in Saturday's game against the Royals.

Altuve picked right up where he left off, as the sixth-inning single extended his hitting streak to nine games. He owns a .297 batting average in 236 at-bats.

The Astros got back the services of second baseman Jose Altuve (groin) Saturday in Kansas City. Altuve missed two games with a slight groin strain. 

Batting .297 on the season with three homers and 22 RBI, Altuve is on an eight-game hitting streak in which he's gone 9 for 36 (.250) with one homer and one RBI. 

If Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa is feeling better in the next few days, he will likely resume baseball activities. Espinosa had a cortisone injection Thursday in his fractured right wrist, and the team is waiting to see how he responds before moving forward, according to The Washington Times. 

"From my understanding, the break and the little chip that’s separated from it is not in a position where it can cause any more irritation," manager Davey Johnson said Saturday, without putting a specific timeline on Espinosa's resumption of activities. "And the major bone has probably had enough time to calm down. So hopefully he won’t have a whole lot of discomfort, no weakness in the hand. He was playing through it pretty good.”

Johnson also reiterated that Espinosa's torn rotator cuff is not a concern, and will not have any impact on when he can return from the disabled list. The wrist remains his only concern, after he opted to avoid surgery on the shoulder.

"The shoulder, he did a lot of exercising to strengthen all the muscles around the rotator cuff," Johnson said. "The doctors decided to go that route instead. Maybe we’re past it. I don’t know. That will be something we have to look at in the offseason."

Espinosa may not return to the majors when he comes off the disabled list. 

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve was out of the lineup for the second day in a row Friday, as he continues to deal with a slight groin strain. 

According to the team's radio analyst, Altuve could have played Friday, but the team is being careful with him. He will likely return to the starting lineup Saturday.