MLB Player News

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.

Longoria went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, a walk and three runs in Sunday's 9-1 win over the Tigers.

Longoria broke out of a modest 0-for-7 slump that had encompassed his last two games in fine fashion, going deep for the first time since June 10 in the process. The slugging third baseman currently sports his lowest average (.253) since 2014, but he's been trending in the right direction lately, raising that figure 16 points since May 30.

Plouffe was added to the Rays' active roster Monday.

Michael Martinez was designated for assignment to make room on the roster for the 31-year-old. Plouffe slashed .214/.276/.357 in 58 games with the A's before being traded to Tampa Bay, and he'll likely fill a reserve infield role with the Rays.

Mariners manager Scott Servais confirmed that Segura (ankle) will begin a rehab assignment Monday with Triple-A Tacoma, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Segura's high-ankle sprain didn't seem to bother him much while he was running the bases and moving laterally in the field during his workout Saturday, so the Mariners have cleared him to move on to the final phase of the recovery process. According to Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune, the infielder indicated after the workout that he wasn't 100 percent healthy but believes he's made substantial progress and could rejoin the Mariners by midweek. In a best-case scenario, Segura is expected to serve as Tacoma's designated hitter Monday and play shortstop Tuesday before coming off the disabled list the following day. Taylor Motter, who has been serving as the Mariners' everyday shortstop the last two-plus weeks, would likely settle back into a utility role once Segura is activated.

Escobar will start at second base and bat sixth Sunday against the Indians, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The return of Jorge Polanco from the bereavement list last Monday was expected to result in reduced playing time for Escobar, but the utility man has staved off a benching thanks to his hot hitting. Escobar will fill in for a resting Brian Dozier at the keystone Sunday, marking his eighth start in nine games after going 15-for-26 (.577 average) with three home runs, eight RBI and five runs over those previous seven contests.

Urshela was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Sunday.

Urshela's stay with the big club was never expected to be long after he was called up Saturday to serve as the 26th man for the team's doubleheader with the Twins. The third baseman ended up entering the lineup for Game 2, going 0-for-4 at the dish. The Indians recalled reliever Shawn Armstrong to assume Urshela's spot on the active roster.

Ramirez went 3-for-5 with two home runs in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader sweep over the Twins. He then went 2-for-5 in the second game.

Ramirez has heated up in June as he's hitting .380 (19-for-50) with seven doubles, four home runs and eight RBI in his last 12 games. He also played his 17th game at second base in Saturday's night game as he's getting close to eligibility at that position in most fantasy leagues.

Machado went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer and two runs scored during Saturday's win over St. Louis.

Even with a disastrous .215/.286/.427 slash line, Machado still has 13 homers, 31 RBI and 29 runs. He's primed for a rebound stretch, and considering his .869 OPS over the previous two seasons, it's likely coming sooner than later. This will probably prove to be a down year for the budding star, but Machado's counting stats might not fall too far short of the numbers he's posted in the past.

Urshela was recalled from Triple-A Columbus for Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Twins. He is starting at third base and batting ninth.

The 25-year-old was slashing .272/.329/.375 in 60 games with Columbus before earning the promotion. With the Indians not wanting to send Jason Kipnis out in back-to-back contests due to a lingering neck issue, Urshela was added to fill his void in the lineup, though he'll ultimately start at third base while Jose Ramirez slides over to second. Urshela likely won't stay with the big club past the weekend.

Bregman is not in the lineup Saturday against the Red Sox.

Bregman is slashing just .154/.298/.231 in June, so he'll head to the bench to clear his head as Marwin Gonzalez takes over at the hot corner. The youngster could start to lose more at-bats to the hot-hitting Gonzalez if he doesn't turn things around.