MLB Player News

The Phillies have wasted no time getting third baseman Cody Asche back in the lineup upon his activation from the disabled list. He is set to start Friday night in St. Louis.

Asche, who had been out for nearly a month, hopes to pick up where he left off. He had 10 hits in his last 24 at-bats before going down to sweeten his stat line to .258/.346/.425.

The Phillies have activated third baseman Cody Asche from the disabled list after recovering from a hamstring strain. He will replace on the roster Reid Brignac, who has been placed on the DL with a left ankle sprain.

Phillies third baseman Cody Asche will come off the disabled list Friday, manager Ryne Sandberg told CSNPhiladelphia.com Thursday.

Asche was initially expected to come off the DL Thursday, but the team opted to give him one extra day. He has been on rehab assignment at Lehigh Valley while recovering from a hamstring strain.  

Phillies third baseman Cody Asche hit another home run during a rehab game Wednesday.

Asche was the key to Lehigh Valley's comeback. With the game tied, Asche belted a two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh. He finished 2 for 3, with two runs scored and two RBI. Asche has now hit .615, with three home runs, on his rehab assignment. He could be activated from the disabled list Thursday.

Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon went 2 for 5 with a solo home run and two stolen bases in his team's 6-5 victory over the Astros Wednesday.

Rendon reached base on an infield single in the first inning and was able to swipe second base and third base before being stranded in scoring position. His home run kicked off a three-run seventh inning that put the Nationals up for good. Rendon has hit .273/.332/.466 with 10 home runs, 38 RBI and five stolen bases in 264 at-bats.

Phillies third baseman Cody Asche could be activated from the disabled list Thursday, MLB.com reports.

Asche is on the disabled list with a strained hamstring, but he began a Class A rehab assignment Friday and hasn't suffered any setbacks. He has hit .258/.346/.425 with four home runs and 18 RBI in 120 at-bats.

Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado is expected to get more X-rays Thursday on his broken left finger, per The Denver Post. The Rockies are expecting to outline a timeframe for Arenado's return following Thursday's exam.

"Everything is pending that X-ray," Rockies trainer Keith Dugger said. "He's done everything he can do. The only things he's not doing is taking groundballs and swinging."

Although Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon had to bat leadoff Sunday at St. Louis in place of the injured Denard Span, he's found a home in the Washington lineup batting second.

In 45 games hitting second, Rendon is batting .269 with a .440 slugging percentage, .773 OPS, three triples, six home runs, seven doubles, 21 RBI and 35 runs.

"I think he's pretty good where he's at," Washington manager Matt Williams said. "He sees a lot of pitches, which contributes to his on-base percentage. He's got the ability to hit the other way, he handles the bat well, he's pretty suited for No. 2. He could lead off if we needed him to lead off. He could probably hit five or six and drive runs in as well, we've seen him do that as well. But I think right now he's a pretty good two-hole hitter.

"He's still pretty young -- last year was his first year, it's not like he's been around 10, but he's handled it fine. He stays on pitches, he hits the breaking ball well, he hits the ball to right field and will move a runner when we need to move a runner, he handles the bat. So it's a pretty good spot for him."

Phillies infielder Cody Asche homered twice to start his rehab assignment Friday with Class A Lakewood.

Asche went 2 for 3 with two runs scored and four RBI in his first game action. He is expected to play in Lakewood until Sunday before joining Triple-A Lehigh Valley for three or four more games before his return to the big-league club. 

Rockies promising third baseman Nolan Arenado is perturbed that he won't be ready to return from a finger injury in time for a key series this weekend in San Francisco, but he's encouraged by his progress.

"I think it's healing great," he told MLB.com. "It's feeling better, I'm starting to move it a little bit and it doesn't hurt. There's no pain anymore."

The finger will be examined again next week. If it's deemed to be healed enough, the Rockies will accelerate his rehab. A minor league stint is likely.