MLB Player News

Suarez went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, a walk and two runs scored Wednesday against the Padres.

Suarez took advantage of a matchup with struggling starter Travis Wood, taking him deep in the third inning for his 19th long ball of the season. The 26-year-old's bat has started to catch up to his exceptional glove at third base over the past two seasons, as he's showing last year's 21-homer campaign was no fluke. Suarez's isolated power also jumped over the .200 mark with this performance, representing a tremendous improvement from his previous high of .167.

Manager Dusty Baker said he will give Rendon the day off Thursday, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

Rendon has apparently been battling an illness recently -- which may help explain his 1-for-12 stretch over his previous four games -- so Baker will give him Thursday's series finale off to help him recover. Howie Kendrick will likely play third base in his stead, though at this point it doesn't sound like Rendon will miss more than one game.

Escobar is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Brewers, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Escobar's opportunities have been on the rise since late July after manager Paul Molitor removed Jorge Polanco from his everyday role at shortstop, but Escobar hasn't really been able to capitalize. He's batting an unremarkable .203/.329/.305 since the All-Star break, and with Polanco having heated up in recent games to take back ownership of the shortstop spot, Escobar's window to make an impact for fantasy owners may have closed. Escobar will hit the bench for a second straight game Wednesday.

Devers is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Rays, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

After kicking off his big-league career with four multi-hit performances in his first seven games, Devers has fallen into a slump over the past week, going 3-for-19 in his subsequent five starts. Devers doesn't look to be in much danger of losing his everyday role just yet, but the recent returns of Dustin Pedroia and Hanley Ramirez from injury -- as well as the trade-deadline pickup of utility infielder Eduardo Nunez --will afford manager John Farrell more flexibility with his lineups if the rookie is unable to right the ship.

Asuaje is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Reds, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Asuaje heads to the bench after five straight starts for a regular day off in favor of Yangervis Solarte. After a hot start to the second half of the season, Asuaje is just 8-for-37 with two extra-base hits during the last 11 games.

Bregman went 1-for-3 with two walks and three RBI in Tuesday's 8-5 loss to the White Sox.

Bregman's triple extended his hitting streak to 10 games and gave him nine straight with an extra-base hit. The first half of the season was a lackluster one for Bregman, who found himself batting down in the order and making little impact. However, he's been a different hitter since the All-Star break, particularly in his power stroke. 15 of his 26 hits since the break have gone for extra bases.

Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a pair of two-run homers in Tuesday's victory over the Yankees.

In his first two at-bats (first and third inning), Donaldson delivered a souvenir to the outfield bleachers for his 15th and 16th home runs of the year. Tuesday's power display gave the slugger six long balls over his last 10 games while pushing Donaldson's slugging percentage (.486) to its highest point since July 1. As summer winds down, the veteran is heating up. Through six contests this month, he's 6-for-21 (.286) with four homers, two doubles, nine RBI and seven runs.

Candelario was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday.

With Jose Iglesias set to return from the bereavement list Wednesday, Candelario will be shipped back to the minors. He went 1-for-2 during Tuesday's contest and should be back in the majors when rosters expand in September.

Escobar is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Brewers, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Escobar is just 3-for-22 (.136) in seven games this month, so he'll head to the bench for a breather after starting nine straight contests. Jorge Polanco will take his place at shortstop for the game.

LeMahieu (triceps) is starting at second base and hitting second Tuesday against the Indians, Andre Knott of WTAM 1100 reports.

He was scratched from Sunday's lineup with a bruised triceps, but the injury was apparently minor. LeMahieu is hitting .394/.455/.486 with one home run and two steals over his last 142 at-bats.