MLB Player News

Valencia was scratched from Sunday's lineup for an undisclosed reason, MLB.com's Greg Johns reports.

Valencia had been set to bat sixth and start at first base, but he'll be replaced by Taylor Motter for the afternoon contest. No reason was disclosed initially, but check back for an update once the team provides a reason.

Segura went 3-for-5 with two runs in Saturday's 8-2 win over the Rangers.

The talented infielder is now slashing .458/.519/.625 over his first 24 at-bats of May, a line that includes a double, a home run and four RBI. Segura has rattled off four straight multi-hit efforts and has six overall since coming off the disabled list April 25. The 27-year-old has generated stellar production despite a notable jump in strikeout rate (14.6 percent to 20.2 percent) and a corresponding decrease in contact rate (84 percent to 79 percent) compared to last season, with a .429 BABIP playing a substantial role in negating those undesirable trends.

Arenado is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

After starting the team's first 31 games, Arenado will receive his first day of rest Sunday against the Diamondbacks. The star slugger will be replaced by Pat Valaika at third base. Expect Arenado to rejoin the heart of the Rockies' batting order Monday against the Cubs.

Machado went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and a walk in Saturday's 6-5 victory over the White Sox.

Machado's eighth blast of the campaign gave the Orioles a four-run lead in the fourth inning of a winning effort. Despite getting off to a slow start with a .234 batting average, he's still an elite fantasy option, and owners can expect the batting average to improve as the season progresses.

Rendon went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer in Saturday's 6-2 victory over the Phillies.

Rendon launched his sixth blast of the season to help the Nats win a big divisional contest. He now has belted five homers over his last six games and is slashing .290/.372/.477.

Plouffe is out of Saturday's lineup against the Tigers, MLB.com's Jane Lee reports.

He is in a 3-for-29 (.103 average) funk over his last nine games, striking out at a 25.8 percent clip over that span. Ryon Healy will get the start at third base with Khris Davis getting the nod at DH.

Longoria went 3-for-4 with a double and a run in Friday's 8-4 loss to the Blue Jays.

The veteran slugger was due for a breakout game after enduring a 4-for-37 slump over the prior nine games. It was Longoria's first multi-hit effort since the game prior to that slump on April 22, and his two-bagger served as his seventh of the season after he racked up 41 in 2016.

Duffy (heel) is scheduled to take grounders Saturday and run the bases Sunday and Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Duffy felt good after running the bases for the first time since undergoing heel surgery last September, so he'll continue to ramp up his activity before heading out on a rehab assignment. If Duffy is able to get through the weekend without a hitch, he could be headed out on a rehab assignment sometime next week, though the Rays haven't confirmed a possible return date and figure to continue to be cautious with the 26-year-old. When Duffy does return, he's expected to take over at shortstop for Tim Beckham.

Rendon went 3-for-4 with a homer, a walk and two RBI in Friday's 4-2 win over the Phillies.

Rendon smacked his fourth homer of the year to stake the Nats to a four-run lead in a winning effort. After his three-homer outburst earlier in the week, he's clubbed four homers over the last five games, and he appears on his way to another 20-homer campaign with his usual solid batting average.

Bregman is out of the lineup Friday against the Angels, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Bregman has now sat out two of the last five games after resting just once in the first 25 games. That said, he has been starting to find a groove lately -- although he is hitting just .265/.360/.316, he is working on a seven-game hitting streak and has drawn three walks over his last four games. His power has yet to show up, but slugging numbers tend to be the slowest to stabilize, and he's just one hot week away from getting back to the .478 slugging percentage he posted in 2016.