MLB Player News

Ramirez is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.

Having appeared in each of the Indians' first 41 games of the season, Ramirez will get the day off Sunday to rest up. The 24-year-old is proving that his breakout 2016 campaign was no fluke, as he's currently sporting a very respectable .280/.353/.473 slash line with six homers, 24 RBI and two stolen bases. He continues to exhibit superb plate discipline, illustrated by his 24:18 K:BB ratio. Erik Gonzalez will draw the start at third base Sunday.

Peterson will start at second base and bat seventh Sunday against the Nationals.

The versatile Peterson is making his seventh straight start, this time at second base after manning first base in the preceding three contests. Despite his ability to play all over the infield and both corner outfield spots, Peterson's run of regular at-bats could soon be coming to an end with the Braves acquiring Matt Adams to fill the void at first base left by Freddie Freeman's (wrist) move to the disabled list. Peterson is just filling in for a resting Brandon Phillips on Sunday, so it looks like third base -- where the Braves have been deploying Triple-A Gwinnett call-up Rio Ruiz in recent days -- may represent Peterson's most reasonable path to playing time in future contests.

Rendon is out of the lineup Sunday against the Braves, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports.

Rendon has gotten on base at a .375 clip while starting in the Nationals' last eight games, but he's been less of an asset in batting average-only leagues during that span with a 4-for-24 showing at the dish. Manager Dusty Baker will just be giving Rendon a breather Sunday, with Wilmer Difo drawing in at third base in his stead.

Machado went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs during Saturday's win over Toronto.

Already up to 10 homers, 24 RBI and 22 runs, Machado is off to a strong start in the counting stat columns. However, his .225/.313/.450 slash line is well below his two-year average -- .290/.351/.518 -- entering 2017. The star third baseman should continue to show improvement in his slash line over the coming weeks, which stands to help his cross-category production even more going forward.

Longoria went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and a walk in Saturday's 9-5 win over the Yankees.

The veteran third baseman continued to punish Yankees pitching Saturday, and he's now gone 6-for-9 with a home run, two RBI, a walk and three runs in the first two games of the series. Longoria has bounced back nicely from a lackluster April in which he hit .208, as he now boasts a .319 average over 79 plate appearances in May.

Suarez went 1-for-2 with a homer, two walks, two runs and two RBI in Saturday's victory over the Rockies.

Suarez blasted his ninth bomb of the season in the fifth inning to begin a comeback from a five-run deficit that would lead the Reds to a win. The 25-year-old looks as if he's on his way to a breakout season, as he's slashing .305/.380/.563.

Valencia is out of Saturday's lineup after hurting his wrist on a slide in Friday's game, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Now we know why Valencia was out of the lineup after starting the previous 11 games. It is unclear if he will need to go for testing, but for now consider him day-to-day. Taylor Motter is starting at first place and hitting fifth in his place.

Valencia is out of Saturday's lineup against the White Sox.

After starting 11 straight games and hitting .268/.375/.439 over that stretch, Valencia will take a seat against righty Mike Pelfrey. Taylor Motter will start at first base and hit fifth.

Valencia went 1-for-3 with a triple, a walk and a run in Friday's 2-1 extra-inning loss to the White Sox.

The veteran isn't quite producing as in seasons past, but he's seen notable improvement in May after hitting just .181 in April. Valencia has two doubles, Friday's triple, three home runs and 11 RBI overall during the current month, leading to a .303/.370/.500 line.

Manager Kevin Cash said Duffy (heel) is expected to go back on his rehab assignment by "mid-week," Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

This is good news after Duffy was pulled back from his regular assignment with general soreness, but there's still no clear timetable as to a possible return date. Cash said the soreness was a consequence of the infielder trying to get up to speed out of the batter's box, likely a symptom of his post-surgery rehabilitation. Regardless, look for Duffy to restart a minor-league rehab assignment sometime within the week.