MLB Player News

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.

Chapman (knee) said that the antibiotics are reducing the swelling as hoped, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

The top prospect also has better range of motion in his knee since starting the medication, so it seems that the situation is nearly handled. The plan is for Chapman to continue taking the antibiotics over the next couple days with the hope of returning to the lineup afterward. Consider him day-to-day for now, with Ryon Healy taking over at third base in the meantime.

Chapman (knee) is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Astros, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

As anticipated, Chapman will watch Tuesday's bout from the bench as he continues to nurse a knee infection. More information regarding his status for the coming days is expected to come forth relatively soon. Ryon Healy will log another start at the hot corner.

Plouffe went 1-for-4 with a run in Monday's 7-3 loss to the Reds.

The veteran third baseman put forth a modest showing in his Rays debut while serving as the designated hitter and operating out of the seven-hole. Plouffe offers some power but struggled during his time with Oakland, racking up his highest strikeout rate (29.1 percent) since his initial big-league cup of coffee with the Twins in 2010.

Chapman is undergoing treatment with antibiotics for a knee infection, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports Monday.

Chapman is still under observation by team doctors. The third baseman slid into the wall making a catch while on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento, and has also made some diving plays in Oakland, but the club and player are both unsure when or where the infection started. A timeframe for Chapman's return won't be available for at least 24 hours, so it seems reasonable to expect he will miss Tuesday's game as well.

Chapman is not in the lineup Monday against the Astros, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Chapman is hitting just .214 with seven strikeouts during the early stages of his MLB debut, so he'll get his first night off Monday. Ryon Healy will man the hot corner in his stead, and Adam Rosales will draw a start at shortstop as the A's shuffle their infield around.

Valencia went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Rangers.

After breaking out in May with a .306 average and 14 RBI, Valencia has followed up with a strong June thus far. He's now driven in 18 runs over 65 plate appearances and has a respectable .295/.328/.475 line for the month. The veteran's RBI outburst has him ranked fourth on the team in that category behind the potent trio of Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager and Robinson Cano, and he's on pace to comfortably exceed the career-high 72 he compiled with the Twins back in 2011.

Manager Buck Showalter plans to keep Machado at third base while J.J. Hardy (wrist) remains sidelined, Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Hardy is expected to miss at least a month while recovering from a fractured wrist, and although Machado saw time at shortstop last season when Hardy was out with a foot injury, it appears Showalter is set to give Ruben Tejada a look at shortstop this time around. "It's pretty taxing, I think, on Manny moving back and forth, especially this time of year with the number of games he has under his belt, so I want to be careful with that," the Orioles' manager said. The team may change its mind if Tejada struggles at shortstop, but it appears Machado will stay put for now, which could end up affecting his dual eligibility for next season.