MLB Player News

Machado went 3-for-5 with a three homers and seven RBI on Friday against the Angels.

Machado blasted homers in the third and fifth innings before launching a walk-off grand slam. He's been tearing the cover off the ball this month, as he's hit eight bombs in his last 14 games to raise his slugging percentage to .494.

Ramirez (forearm) took batting practice Friday and was held out of the lineup as a precautionary measure, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Ramirez could be used off the bench Friday, but may receive the entire night off to ensure that he doesn't aggravate his forearm injury. However, owners should look for him to return to the lineup in the coming days.

Arenado is in the starting lineup Friday after leaving Thursday's game with a hand injury.

Arenado's X-rays came back negative Thursday night after he was forced to exit the contest in the seventh inning following a sharply hit grounder that got a piece of his glove hand. The third baseman was held out of Monday's game due to an injury on the same hand -- stemming from a hit by pitch against the Marlins on Sunday -- but he appears to be healthy enough to give it a go during a series with major implications for Colorado.

McMahon was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday.

McMahon made a pair of starts and logged a couple appearances off the bench during his week-long stint with the big club, going 2-for-9 with a double, two walks and a strikeout. He figures to be back no later than Sept. 1, but an increase in playing time upon his return is not a given even with his .354/.401/.587 line at the upper levels of the minors this year. This move leaves Alexi Amarista and Pat Valaika as the Rockies' backup infielders.

Ramirez (forearm) is out of the lineup Friday against the Royals, 610 Sports Radio reports.

Ramirez was hit by a pitch Thursday and will get a day to recover. However, X-rays didn't reveal any structural damage to his forearm, so there's no reason to believe that Ramirez is dealing with a significant injury. Giovanny Urshela will start at the hot corner while Ramirez gets the night off.

Moncada went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, two walks and two runs scored Thursday in Texas.

Moncada took starter Tyson Ross deep in the first inning and was able to work walks in his next two plate appearances before making outs in his last two. The 22-year-old second baseman had been slashing a solid .282/.377/.477 in 80 games at Triple-A Charlotte, but he's been unable to carry that success over against major-league pitching. Even after this performance, he owns an unimpressive .190/.333/.357 line through 25 games with Chicago.

Escobar went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI in the nightcap of Thursday's doubleheader against the Indians.

Escobar produced an RBI single in the third inning and added an RBI double in the eighth. Both of those hits came tantalizingly close to doing even more damage, as each pushed an additional runner to third base. The versatile infielder had quite the day overall, finishing 4-for-9 with two doubles and three RBI between the two games.

Donaldson went 2-or-3 with two solo home runs and three runs scored during Thursday's win over Tampa Bay.

Donaldson now has 10 homers, 22 RBI and 16 runs through his past 16 games and is up to a .272/.397/.543 slash line for the campaign. Injuries and a poor stretch after returning from the disabled list limited Donaldson's fantasy value for most of the season, but he's certainly made up for lost time recently.

X-rays on Arenado's hand came back negative Thursday, Nick Groke of The Denver Post reports.

This comes as a major sigh of relief as Arenado left Thursday's game with recurring soreness in the same hand that caused him to miss time earlier in the week. Fortunately, Arenado appears to have dodged any major damage to his hand Thursday, but this is still somewhat concerning for his owners. It's unclear at this point whether manager Bud Black will give Arenado the night off Friday to allow the hand to get back to full health, but Ryan McMahon could be a potential fill-in at the hot corner if that turns out to be the case.

Arenado was prematurely lifted from Thursday's game against the Braves with an apparent hand injury, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Arenado exited in the seventh inning after taking a hard chopper off his glove hand, the same hand that he bruised after being hit by a pitch Sunday against the Marlins. The severity of the injury isn't clear at this point, but more should be known following the conclusion of Thursday's contest. Ryan McMahon slid over to cover the hot corner after he exited, while Mark Reynolds subbed in to man first base.