MLB Player News

Machado homered and walked in a 1-for-4 game with three RBI in Tuesday's win over the Dodgers.

Machado is now back atop the shortstop home run leaderboard, tied with Trevor Story with 19. He also leads the position with 53 RBI and ranks second in runs (59) and batting average (.324). Machado's OPS is up to .970 thanks to Tuesday's effort and he will be in the running for MVP if he can sustain this performance through the second half of the season.

Donaldson went 3-for-4 with two home runs , his 21st and 22nd of the year, and scored four times in Tuesday's win over the Royals.

Fresh off being named a reserve to the AL All-Star team, Donaldson blasted two in one game for the second time this season. He also pushed his average over .300 for the first time since April 18 by notching his 10th hit in the last four games (10-for-15). Donaldson has scored 77 runs, a franchise record for runs before the All-Star break. Carlos Delgado had 76 in 2003.

Escobar (hamstring) remains out of the lineup Tuesday against the A's.

Make it three straight absences for Escobar, who suffered a hamstring strain on a slide into home plate early in Saturday's game. The Twins reportedly view the injury as a day-to-day concern, but it's uncertain if Escobar will be available in any capacity for Wednesday's series finale.

Through five games with Triple-A Fresno, Bregman is 10-for-21 with two doubles, four homers and 11 RBI.

It's a small sample size, but Bregman has a whopping 1.143 slugging percentage and 1.665 OPS with the Grizzlies. He's not going to overtake Carlos Correa as the Astros' starting shortstop and Luis Valbuena has hit .303 over the last 30 days at third base, but if Bregman continues to rake like this, Houston may have no choice but to find at-bats for him before their playoff push.

Alvarez was placed on the bereavement list prior to Monday's matchup against the Dodgers.

Alvarez will be away from the team for a few days in order to attend to a family matter back in the Dominican Republic. While Alvarez is away, manager Buck Showalter will need to find another DH option against right-handed pitchers. One likely scenario would be Matt Wieters serving as the DH, while the recently reinstated Caleb Joseph takes reps at catcher.

Plouffe, who was placed on the 15-day DL earlier Monday, is expected to miss three-to-four weeks due to a cracked left rib, MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger reports.

Manager Paul Molitor indicated that timetable isn't necessarily firm, and considering Plouffe's personal history, it wouldn't be a surprised if he ended up missing more than a month. The third baseman said Monday that he's been only about 65 or 70 percent healthy all season while contending with multiple injuries, and with the Twins unlikely to make a serious run at playoff contention, it may make sense for the organization to give him some extra time off to fully recover from the injury. While Plouffe remains sidelined, Eduardo Nunez, Miguel Sano and Eduardo Escobar (hamstring) are all candidates to pick up extra at-bats at the hot corner.

Escobar (hamstring) remains out of the lineup Monday against the Athletics, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

With Escobar still recovering from the hamstring issue and Trevor Plouffe (ribs) landing on the DL, the Twins are starting to get a little thin on the left side of the infield. Fortunately, Escobar's injury is being viewed as a day-to-day concern, so there's optimism that he'll be able to return within a few days. In the meantime, the Twins may have to settle for some sub-optimal defense at third base, as Miguel Sano will man the position Monday afternoon.

Plouffe was diagnosed with a cracked rib and placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

The Twins made Plouffe a late scratch Sunday against the Rangers due to what was labeled a case of sore ribs, but a follow-up examination revealed the corner infielder was dealing with something a little more severe. There's been no timetable given yet for Plouffe's return, but the impending All-Star break at least means he won't miss as many actual games as a normal 15-day DL placement would entail. While Plouffe remains out, Eduardo Nunez could end up seeing some more time at third base, opening up more action at shortstop for Eduardo Escobar or Danny Santana.

Donaldson went 4-for-4 with two walks, four runs scored and an RBI in Sunday's 17-1 rout of the Indians.

The reigning AL MVP has a ton of momentum as the All-Star break approaches, racking up multi-hit performances in eight of his last 12 games to push his slash line on the season to .298/.410/.583. Donaldson may be slightly off his run-producing pace from last season, but his .993 OPS is actually 54 points higher than his mark from 2015.

Plouffe will undergo an evaluation on his sore ribs Monday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Sidelined both Saturday and Sunday due to a rib concern, Plouffe will be examined thoroughly to determine whether a DL stint is needed. He's contended with the occasional injury this season, but only an intercostal strain has forced a stay on the disabled list through the first three months. If he requires more time on the pine, Miguel Sano and Eduardo Nunez would be in line for additional work at the hot corner.