MLB Player News

Rockies manager Walt Weiss said it has been a joy to watch rookie third baseman Nolan Arenado and veteran shortstop Troy Tulowitzki man the left side of the infield, according to The Denver Post.

"The rule of thumb is that if the third baseman goes to his left, and can get the ball, he should go get it," Weiss said. "Really, that's a luxury for a shortstop, because that play Tulo makes going to his right -- and he makes that play as well as anybody I have ever seen -- is tough for a shortstop. So anytime a third baseman can make that play, it helps the team."

Tulowitzki has no problem with Arenado stealing some plays since it helps his positioning on the field.

"Sometimes Nolan will say, 'Oh, my bad.' But I've told him to get every ball that he possibly can, and don't worry about it," Tulowitzki said. "If he takes more balls in the hole, I can cheat up the middle a little bit more."

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura said after Saturday's game that he does not expect to play Sunday, MLB.com reports. He was removed from Saturday's game against the Rockies due to forearm tightness.

Segura is targeting a return for Monday's series opener against the Cubs.

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura left Saturday's game against the Rockies after being hit by a pitch in the fourth inning. The team announced that Segura is suffering from forearm tightness, MLB.com reports.

Segura was 2 for 3 with one run, two RBI and his 31st stolen base of the season before exiting.

Jean Segura's 5-for-30 skid to begin the second half isn't such a big deal on its own, but it has shed light on just how much the Brewers shortstop has fallen off since the end of May, when he was batting .354. In 47 games dating back to June 1, which is about half the season so far, he's batting just .269 with 11 extra-base hits (three homers, five doubles and three triples), 15 steals and a .674 OPS.

Scary stuff, right?

No, not really. See, even with the inevitable regression in batting average and home runs, stealing a base every third game adds up to some serious Fantasy production for Segura. During that 47-game stretch in which he's batting .269 with a .674 OPS, he's still the third-best shortstop in standard Head-to-Head leagues.

Granted, the shortage of quality shortstops has something to do with that, but even among all hitters, he still ranks a respectable 43rd during that stretch. Considering his pedigree makes him out to be a .300 hitter in the long run, you should continue to think of him as an elite Fantasy option.

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez hit his 26th home run of the season in his team's 4-2 win over the Nationals Wednesday. It was the only hit of the game for Alvarez, who also walked once and scored two runs.

Alvarez has homered in two straight games, putting him just four home runs away from matching last year's career high of 30 home runs. He has hit .244/.302/.509 in 328 at-bats.

Nationals second baseman Anthony Rendon will make his first major-league start at shortstop Wednesday against the Pirates.

Rendon has primarily been used as a second baseman in the majors, but came up as a third baseman and played some shortstop during spring training. Rendon is hitting .273/.325/.415 in 183 at-bats. 

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke told MLB.com Tuesday that Logan Schafer will see the bulk of the action in left field following Ryan Braun's suspension. Schafer will hit second, while shortstop Jean Segura will bat third for the Brewers.

"I know Segura doesn't want to hit third every day," said Roenicke. "He told me he's fine with doing it once in a while. He may be hitting third every day. He's handled it well. I like what it does with the lineup. If Schafer is second, I like where it puts [catcher Jonathan] Lucroy fourth and [center fielder Carlos Gomez] fifth. Then it depends on who's hot after that and whether Schafer stays hot in that second spot."

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura doubled Monday against the Padres to extend his hitting streak to nine games. Segura also drove in two runs and scored once.

Segura is batting .361 (13 for 36) with two doubles, two RBI, two walks, six runs and three stolen bases in his last nine games. Segura's longest hitting streak this season was 12 games (June 16-29).

The Cubs will keep recently acquired infield prospect Mike Olt at Triple-A Iowa until he regains his swing, according to MLB Network. Olt, who was acquired in the Matt Garza trade Monday, hit .213 in 65 games for Triple-A Round Rock.

Olt, who was battling vision problems earlier this season, hit .288 with 28 home runs and 82 RBI in 95 games for Double-A Frisco in 2012.

The Cubs and Rangers trade featuring Matt Garza going to Texas and Mike Olt, C.J. Edwards and Justin Grimm going to the Cubs is official, MLB.com reports. The deal also features the Rangers sending two players-to-be-named-later. 

The initial plan for the Rangers is for Garza to start Wednesday against New York. Olt and Grimm were immediately sent to Triple-A Iowa, and Edwards heads to Class A Daytona.