MLB Player News

Rooker (abdomen) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers.

Rooker will remain on the bench for the second game in a row since exiting Sunday's 7-1 win over Detroit with abdominal soreness. The Athletics continue to view Rooker as day-to-day, but a stint on the injured list could grow more likely if he isn't able to re-enter the lineup by the weekend.

Houston designated Hummel for assignment Wednesday.

The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander Spencer Arrighetti, who is scheduled to start Wednesday's game in Kansas City. Hummel was claimed off waivers last week and now could be on the move again.

Ramirez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Ramirez will see his streak of seven consecutive starts come to an end Wednesday as the Rays roll with Austin Shenton at designated hitter and Randy Arozarena and Richie Palacios as their starters in the corner outfield. Through his first seven games of April, Ramirez has hit .367 with five RBI and five runs.

Sano will start at third base and bat fifth in Wednesday's game against the Rays, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Sano looked to be in danger of falling into a part-time role after he started in only two of the Angels' first four games, but his playing time has since seemed to stabilize. Even though he was on the bench for Tuesday's 6-4 loss to Tampa Bay, Sano has now picked up six starts in the Angels' last eight contests. The Angels have typically deployed Sano at designated hitter, but he'll make his first start at the hot corner Wednesday while Anthony Rendon gets a day off.

Alvarez went 4-for-5 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Royals.

Alvarez ripped an RBI single off Cole Ragans in the top of the second inning, extending the Astros' lead to 2-0 before he later added an RBI double in the fourth frame extend Houston's advantage to 3-0. The left-hander has now secured at least one hit in six out of his last seven games, batting an eye-popping .517 with four homers, three doubles, 11 RBI and seven runs scored over that stretch.

Alvarez went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, three RBI and three runs scored in Monday's win over the Rangers.

Alvarez belted a two-run shot in the second inning and later knocked an RBI double in the fourth. He's gone deep in consecutive games and has four over his last five appearances. During that five-game stretch, he's gone 10-for-20 (.500) with nine RBI, raising his season OPS to .981.

Toro went 2-for-4 with an RBI infield single and two runs in a loss to the Tigers on Sunday.

Toro led off for the first time this season and did a solid job out of the top of the order, setting the table twice and posting his first multi-hit effort of the season. Toro now as an RBI in back-to-back appearances as well, and he should continue to see intermittent playing time at third base and designated hitter.

Fry will start at designated hitter and bat third in Monday's game versus the White Sox.

The White Sox are going with an opener in lefty Tanner Banks, so putting the right-handed hitting Fry in the third spot ensures at least one plate appearance versus a southpaw. Three of Fry's four starts this season have come against lefties, and he's 3-for-5 with a double versus them in the early going.

Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer and a walk in Sunday's win over the Rangers.

Alvarez was responsible for all of Houston's offense Sunday, belting a three-run shot in the third inning of the 3-1 victory. After a surprisingly poor start to the season -- he went 2-for-20 through the first five games -- the lefty slugger has gone 8-for-19 (.421) with three long balls over his last five contests. Alvarez owns an .854 OPS with six RBI and six runs scored on the campaign.

Stanton went 1-for-4 with a grand slam during Sunday's 8-3 win over the Blue Jays.

Stanton launched his second homer in as many days, following up Saturday's solo home run with a monstrous grand slam. He now trails Manny Machado for the most grand slams by an active player by one with 11. After submitting batting averages of .211 and .191 the past two seasons, Stanton's fantasy value will likely be tied to his home run total once again this season after going 7-for-32 (.219) at the plate through eight games.