MLB Player News

Alvarez is out of the lineup Thursday, the Baltimore Sun's Eduardo Encina reports.

He'll predictably sit against lefty CC Sabathia, although he is the Orioles' only healthy bench bat Thursday so he'll likely get a pinch-hit opportunity if one arises. Alvarez has hit eight homers in just 24 games since the start of June, making him a useful option in deeper formats despite the irregular playing time.

Machado (illness) is back in action Thursday, manning third base and hitting third against the Yankees, the Baltimore Sun's Eduardo Encina reports.

He missed Wednesday's game with the ailment, but it was apparently minor, as he's back in his usual spot Thursday. Machado is having an MVP-caliber season, and should be deployed in all formats.

Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a walk, home run, three RBI and two runs in Wednesday's matinee in Arizona.

Donaldson did not have to wait very long to make his presence felt in the series finale. Just five pitches into the game, Donaldson came through with a two-run shot that made a splash landing in the pool at Chase Field. According to Statcast, the third baseman's 24th home run of the season landed a projected 412 feet away and left his bat at 109 mph. Donaldson has at least one hit in 31 of his last 36 games, with 40 RBI over that span.

Machado will miss Wednesday's game against the Yankees due to illness, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports.

This is Machado's first absence since June 22 against the Padres and he should be considered day-to-day with the illness. The 24-year-old has been in a slump since the All-Star break, going just 2-for-17 with five strikeouts in five games. Ryan Flaherty will start at third base in his place.

Bregman may get a start in left field Wednesday for Triple-A Fresno, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports.

The Astros are clearly working on ways to get Bregman comfortable all over the diamond, as he received his first Triple-A start at third base Tuesday. A shortstop by trade, he is quick and agile enough and has the instincts to handle pretty much any position other than catcher, and perhaps center field, so the Astros should have no problem squeezing him into the lineup almost every day once he receives his long awaited call-up to the big leagues.

Valencia is not in the lineup Wednesday against Houston.

Valencia has started the last four games as the DH or first baseman, but he'll get the day off Wednesday as the A's go up against right-hander Doug Fister. Yonder Alonso will get the nod at first, while Coco Crisp leads off as the DH.

Longoria homered and knocked in three runs in a 2-for-5 game Tuesday against the Rockies.

Longoria is on fire over his last three games -- 6-for13 with three homers, two triples and six RBI. He now has 22 home runs, surpassing last year's total (160 games) and tying his mark from 2014 (162 games). He's having a resurgent season after two years where he was scarcely better than the league average. Longoria is now on pace for 36 home runs after this power surge, which would be a career high.

Bregman will make his Triple-A debut at third base Tuesday against Triple-A Round Rock.

A promotion to the big leagues figures to be in the cards for Bregman in a matter of days, not weeks, as he now has six homers in 13 games at Triple-A, and boasts a 1.010 OPS on the season across 75 games at Double-A and Triple-A. With the Astros signing star Cuban 2B/3B Yulieski Gurriel, it will be interesting to see how the infield is deployed when both Bregman and Gurriel are in the fold, but the Astros will still find a way to get Bregman in the lineup almost every day upon his call-up.

Moncada went deep twice on Monday for Double-A Portland, making it the first multi-home run performance of his minor league career.

Moncada, a switch hitter, hit both home runs batting left-handed, putting one somewhere in the Delaware River. Moncada is hitting .329/.415/.683 with seven home runs and 20 RBI in just 21 games at Double-A. He also has seven stolen bases during that span. Expect the Red Sox to continue challenging Moncada, potentially calling him up to Triple-A or the big leagues at some point before the season ends.

Longoria went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in Sunday's win over the Orioles.

He now has 21 HR on the season, putting him on pace to top his previous career high of 33 set back in 2009. Longoria is now just the third third baseman in MLB history to hit 20 or more homers in eight of their first nine seasons, joining Eddie Mathews and Scott Rolen.