MLB Player News

Bregman has seen the highest percentage of sliders of any player this season, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

All young hitters go through a period of adjustment, as opponents develop a book on them. Bregman is trying to be more patient and drive balls to the right-center field gap. Returns on his adjustments have been on display during the current series in Oakland. The 23-year-old third baseman is 5-for-9 with four doubles and three walks, improving his seasonal line to .256/.338/.415 over 267 plate appearances.

Segura (ankle) was activated from the disabled list ahead of Wednesday's game against the Tigers, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports. He is starting at shortstop and leading off.

As expected, Segura is back with the team after appearing in a pair of rehab games earlier in the week. The 27-year-old, who compiled a .341/.391/.462 triple slash with seven stolen bases in 43 games before landing on the DL, will face Justin Verlander in his return to the lineup. Tyler Smith was sent back to Triple-A in a corresponding roster move.

Ramirez was named AL Player of the Week on Monday after going 16-for-31 (.516) with three home runs, seven RBI and a stolen base for the week of June 18.

The 24-year-old has raised his average from .265 to .320 over the team's last 22 contests. Among AL third basemen, Ramirez headed into Tuesday's games ranked first in hits (81), doubles (23), runs (44), average (.318), slugging percentage (.561) and steals (seven). He's now on pace to blast 25 home runs and 50-plus doubles while scoring over 100 runs this year.

Chapman (knee) is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Astros, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Chapman will remain on the bench for a third straight contest as he continues to recover from a knee infection. It appears the top prospect is improving thanks to a steady dose of antibiotics, so he'll hopefully be able to return to the lineup in the coming days. While Chapman remains day-to-day, Ryon Healy will draw another start in his place at the hot corner.

Escobar (undisclosed) is in the lineup Wednesday against the White Sox, batting second and playing third base, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Escobar was removed from Tuesday's contest due to an apparent injury, but it seems to not be a hindrance to the utility infielder any longer. The 28-year-old has been scorching hot as of late as his 1.318 OPS over the past 14 games suggests, so it's great news that he'll be able to continue playing without an injury holding him back. He doesn't seem to have a set spot in the Twins' lineup, but manager Paul Molitor seems intent on keeping his bat in the lineup in some capacity for most game while he's knocking the cover off the ball.

Plouffe will start at third base and bat fifth Wednesday against the Reds, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

The Rays have wasted no time in seeing what Plouffe can do after acquiring him from the Athletics over the weekend. He'll make his third straight start Wednesday, with his entry into the lineup coming at the expense of Colby Rasmus (hip), who has yet to see the field during the series. At the very least, Plouffe looks to see regular at-bats against left-handed pitching, but he'll need to show more improvement upon his .184/.243/.346 season-long line against right-handers to secure a full-time role.

Longoria is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Reds, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

Manager Kevin Cash will take advantage of the Rays' open date in the schedule Thursday to give Longoria two full days of rest after the franchise cornerstone started the last 46 games at either third base or designated hitter. With Longoria sitting, the newly acquired Trevor Plouffe will cover the hot corner and bat fifth.

Machado went 4-for-4 with a double, two home runs, three runs scored and four RBI in Tuesday's 6-5 win over Cleveland.

He'd been hitting just .189 (7-for-37) over his prior 10 games, so Tuesday's offensive explosion was a welcome sight for fantasy GMs who might be losing patience with the superstar's relatively slow start to the campaign. Despite a .753 OPS that would be his lowest in four seasons if he can't improve on it, Machado still has 15 homers and 36 RBI, putting him on pace for his third straight season with at least 35 HR and 80 RBI.

Escobar exited Tuesday's game against the White Sox in the seventh inning, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Escobar was 1-for-3 at the plate with a walk and run scored before he was eventually replaced in the field by Ehire Adrianza during the seventh inning. The reason for Escobar's early departure is currently unknown.

Segura (ankle) is expected to be activated from the disabled list Thursday, Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Wednesday was the original target date, but the Mariners will hold off one day just to be safe. He began a rehab assignment Monday as the Triple-A affiliate's designated hitter and is expected to play shortstop Tuesday. As long as all goes well with that, the young shortstop should resume his normal position with the major-league club Thursday, moving Taylor Motter to the bench.