MLB Player News

Valencia (illness) is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Brewers.

A stomach bug has kept Valencia out of the lineup the last two days, but he may benefit from Oakland's off day Thursday for a chance to potentially return at some point during the weekend series in Cincinnati. Yonder Alonso will once again slide across the infield and take over at third base in Valencia's absence.

Machado is in Wednesday's lineup against the Royals.

Machado was ejected from Tuesday's contest after charging the mound and landing a punch on Yordano Ventura, and though the 23-year-old likely faces a suspension, no ruling has been issued as of Wednesday. He'll draw the start at shortstop and bat third against Edinson Volquez.

Longoria is back in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Longoria got his first day off of the season Tuesday, but the veteran will be back for Wednesday's series finale in the desert. The veteran third baseman was on a tear leading up to his much-deserved off-day Tuesday, clubbing five home runs in a four-game span over the weekend. He'll bat third in the order Wednesday against Archie Bradley.

Machado was ejected in the fifth inning of Tuesday's game against the Royals.

Machado was tossed from the contest after charging the mound and landing a punch on Royals starter Yordano Ventura in response to Ventura hitting him with a pitch. The landed punch may have some repercussions for the star infielder, but in the immediate future, Machado should be able to re-enter the lineup for Wednesday's matchup with Kansas City. Prior to being ejected, Machado was 1-for-2 with an RBI double and a run.

Longoria is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 30-year-old will get what looks like a well-deserved rest day after starting 56 straight to open the 2016 campaign. Longoria has been red hot of late, hitting safely in 10 straight games (six home runs over that span) to raise his batting line to .281/.335/.540. He will be replaced at third base by Taylor Motter.

Valencia is being held out of Tuesday's lineup with a stomach bug, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Valencia has been on fire, batting .429 in June after ending May with nine hits over the final four games of the month, but he'll be sidelined for at least one game with the illness. Yonder Alonso will handle the hot corner duties in his place Tuesday, but it doesn't appear at this time as though Valencia's situation is anything overly serious.

Valencia is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Brewers.

Valencia continues to be on a season-long tear, as his average is up to .343, but he'll get what appears to be just a regular day off Tuesday. Yonder Alonso will slide over to third base in his place, while Billy Butler will handle the first base duties.

Donaldson plans on playing through the pain of his jammed thumb, the Toronto Star reports.

With Donaldson seeing so many inside pitches of late -- jamming him -- he'd actually suffered a series of thumb strains, not all of which were previously reported. The situation became intolerable following a ninth-inning strikeout Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, Donaldson arrived early at the Rogers Centre to receive extensive treatment on the swelling, then did work in the batting cages before pronouncing himself ready. The reigning AL MVP is known to be a tenacious competitor, and owners should continue deploying Donaldson as long as manager John Gibbons is penciling him into the lineup.

Escobar started at shortstop and went 0-for-3 in Sunday's loss to Tampa Bay. He's started just three of Minnesota's last six games.

Escobar has lost the starting shortstop job to hot-hitting Eduardo Nunez. However, Nunez gets starts at second and third base, so Escobar should play in about every other game. Until Nunez slows down at the plate, Escobar will continue to have a reduced role.

Longoria went 3-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored during Sunday's win over the Twins.

Longo absolutely terrorized Minnesota over the four-game set, finishing with five homers, eight RBI and six runs scored. Additionally, he has a nine-game hitting streak in the works during which he has hit .457, and he is now on pace to have his best offensive season since 2013.