MLB Player News

Valencia is starting at DH and hitting cleanup Saturday, the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser reports.

With the A's calling up third baseman Ryon Healy on Friday, Valencia is headed for slightly reduced playing time going forward. That said, he should get plenty of starts at DH and he is expected to start at first base Sunday, which could become a theme. His bat is not the problem - he's slashing .306/.357/.498 - but his defense at third base leaves a lot to be desired. He is also a prime candidate to be traded before the end of July.

Alvarez went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and solo homer in Friday's 4-3 victory over the Rays.

His 433-foot solo shot in the third opened the scoring for the Orioles, and his run-scoring two-bagger in the fifth plated J.J. Hardy to close Baltimore's deficit to 3-2 at the time. The 29-year-old is swinging a hot bat in July, having sandwiched multi-hit efforts around the All-Star break and slashing .500/.875/1.375 over his first 16 at-bats of July with three doubles, Friday's homer and two RBI.

Valencia said Friday that he has been told to expect some cuts to his playing time, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. He is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Blue Jays.

The A's want to get a look at Ryon Healy at third base and that look will come at Valencia's expense, although Valencia figures to remain heavily involved between first base, left field and DH. Valencia put together a very strong first half, hitting .304/.356/.498 with most of his at-bats coming out of the cleanup spot, and the team probably wants to continue showcasing him for a trade.

Plouffe said Friday that he will likely rest his cracked rib for another week or so, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Plouffe was handed a three-to-four week estimated recovery timetable when he hit the DL, but it sounds like his absence could extend beyond a month as he will need time to gradually ramp up his activity. Miguel Sano has taken over at third base in Minnesota and it's possible Plouffe's chances will be scaled back a bit once he's activated.

Valencia is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Blue Jays, Joe Stiglich of CSN California reports.

There has been nothing to suggest an injury is in play, so it seems Valencia's absence is related to his recent struggles at the plate (5-for-31 in July). Ryon Healy will man third base in his absence. Valencia has enjoyed a strong season overall and has been frequently mentioned in trade rumors as the deadline approaches.

A.J. Hinch said that Bregman will not join the Astros when they head to Seattle to face the Mariners on Friday, MLB Network Radio reports.

Reports surfaced over the past few days that Bregman might join the Astros right after the All-Star break, but Hinch quickly erased those rumors. Hinch did add that Bregman could help the Astros down the stretch. Bregman will report back to Triple-A Fresno, where he has played eight games this season.

The reigning AL MVP enters the 2016 All-Star Game with a .304 average, 23 home runs, 63 RBI, 80 runs and a 1.017 OPS through 336 first-half at-bats.

The third baseman ranks among the best in baseball in practically every offensive category and is very much in the hunt for winning a second consecutive AL MVP award. If you thought it wasn't possible for Donaldson to get much better than he was a season ago, well, think again. He's improved his plate discipline to elite levels, walking at a career-high rate of 15.3 percent while striking out only 16.8 percent of the time, compared to 18.7 percent last year. Donaldson's 80-percent contact rate is up a tick from 2015, and his .294 ISO destroys last season's career-high mark of .271. The 30-year-old is on pace to mash 40-plus home runs, notch 100-plus RBI and score 140-plus runs in 2016.

Bregman continued his hot ways, going 3-5 with a single, double and triple for team USA at the All-Star Futures game on Sunday.

There is not much else Bregman has to prove to the Astros at this point. Since being called up to Triple-A Fresno, he's hit .389/.421/.889 with five home runs and 14 RBI in only 36 at-bats. The only thing keeping Bregman in the minors at this point is the recent resurgence of current big league third baseman Luis Valubena. Once Valbuena begins to cool off, expect Bregman to get the call and supplant Valbuena as the everyday player at the hot corner for Houston.

Moncada went 2-5 on Sunday, including a single, stolen base and a 405-foot home run on his way to being named MVP of the All-Star Futures Game.

Moncada, Rotowire's top-ranked prospect, has been on fire for Double-A Portland leading up to Sunday's Futures Game. Over the past 10 games, he's hitting .350 with four home runs, 11 RBI and four stolen bases. That momentum continued Sunday as he faced off and excelled against some of the best young talent in baseball. There is still a chance Moncada could come up to Boston in 2016, but 2017 seems like a more likely timetable for the 21-year-old phenom.

Escobar went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer and two runs overall in Sunday's 15-5 victory over the Rangers.

He found a way to inflict some damage despite hitting out of the nine-hole, launching his third homer of the season in the seventh off reliever Cesar Ramos with Kurt Suzuki aboard. The homer was Escobar's first since June 18 versus the Yankees and he's now slashing .261/.286/.372 in a part-time role.