MLB Player News

Braves second baseman Jace Peterson will be getting his first day off in nearly two weeks, as he is out of the starting lineup Friday against the Nationals. Peterson has been hitting well lately, batting .417 with five RBI over his last 11 games, though he has no extra base hits in that span.

Phil Gosselin will get the start at second, batting seventh. This is just Gosselin's fourth start of the year.

Not many hitters have enjoyed great success against Cardinals young standout Michael Wacha, but Pirates first baseman Pedro Alvarez has been particularly poor heading into the matchup against him Friday night.

Alvarez has just one hit in nine at-bats lifetime against Wacha. That hit traveled over the fence, but the mark is still .111. with three strikeouts.

Brewers general manager Doug Melvin seems reluctant to trade catcher Jonathan Lucroy and shortstop Jean Segura, even though both players could garner interest at the trade deadline, according to CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman.

"Those are two tough positions to fill," Melvin said. "I guess you have to be open to everything. But you'd have to be overwhelmed. We have some pretty good shortstops in the system. But they are doing well in the minors (and Segura) is doing well in the majors. Those are positions that can take years to fill. We've got two young ones who are making (little) money."

The Pirates, Mets, Mariners and Padres could all be in the market for shortstop help. However, Melvin suggested it is going to take a pretty good haul for him to part with Segura, who is under team control through 2018.

Giants catcher Buster Posey and third baseman Casey McGehee are out of the starting lineup Wednesday against the Padres, the team announced.

It will be just Posey's second day off of the season after starting 18 straight games for San Francisco. Andrew Susac will fill in for Posey and bat seventh. McGehee is getting a second consecutive day off to clear his head after scuffling at the plate to start the year. Matt Duffy will get his second straight start.

The Giants are currently the favorites (-138) against San Diego.

Struggling Giants third baseman Casey McGehee has been benched for the Tuesday night game against tough San Diego right-hander Andrew Cashner.

McGehee, who has two hits in five at-bats lifetime against Cashner, hasn't hit safely in consecutive games since April 8 and 9. He owns a slash line of .181/.234/.264.

His replacement against San Diego is Matt Duffy, who is doing no better with just two hits in his last 20 at-bats.

The Rockies will bat pitcher Tyler Matzek in the eighth spot against right-hander Josh Collmenter and the Diamondbacks on Monday while second baseman DJ LeMahieu drops to ninth.

It’s the third time this season that Matzek will hit No. 8 and fifth time Lemahieu is in the nine spot.

Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will move up from his usual third spot to No. 2 in the order while left fielder Corey Dickerson moves up to hit third.

Nationals manager Matt Williams said that Anthony Rendon would be shut down for a few days. 

Rendon's minor league injury rehab assignment for a spring training knee injury has been interrupted by an oblique strain. 

Williams told Rendon not to get frustrated by the temporary setback. "It's important for him to be with us long-term," he said, per MASN Sports.

The Brewers received some good news Tuesday as starting shortstop Jean Segura was able to return to the starting lineup after missing one game due to a head injury. 

Segura sat out Monday against the Dodgers after getting hit in the head by a pitch Sunday. Hector Gomez started in his absence Monday.

Segura returns in time Tuesday to face Zack Greinke. He is 1 for 6 (.167) with one triple, one walk and one strikeout in his career against the right-hander. He is batting .244 with one home run, one triple, two doubles and seven RBI in 25 games against righties this season.

There's no question that Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado has been developing into something truly special over his first two-plus seasons in the big leagues. He's already won two Gold Gloves and he's being mentioned in early MVP talks this season.

And, although he just turned 24 years old a couple of weeks ago, his name is also being mentioned along the likes of Todd Helton and Troy Tulowitzki in regards to Rockies' cornerstones. But to his credit, Arenado wants to make his own name for the Colorado franchise. 

"I'm a huge fan of Tulo. I would love to be like Tulo, or Todd (Helton)," Arenado said Monday, per the Denver Post. "I would love to play like them. But those are their roads. I want to build my own road."

Arenado's stellar defense is even getting the respect from the competition in his own divsion. 

"His defense is maybe the best in the league," Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt said. "It stinks when you're hitting and you know if you hit anything even close to him, he's going to rob you of a hit. He's a stud. He's an unbelievable player. Has some power, good strike zone judgment. He's aggressive but can be patient too. He really does everything really well."

Arenado is seeing the ball well over his last 10 games, as he enters play Tuesday batting .317 with three home runs and seven RBI in that stretch.

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura is expected to be back in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Dodgers, manager Craig Counsell said per MLB.com.

Segura left Sunday's game after taking a fastball to the head. He was held out of Monday's game as a precaution, allowing Hector Gomez to get the start. Segura is hitting .289 with 10 RBI and a team-high five stolen bases in 97 at-bats this season.