MLB Player News

Alvarez went 1-for-4 with a 448-foot solo homer in Saturday's 5-2 victory over the Indians.

The veteran slugger's mammoth blast chased Indians starter Josh Tomlin to start the seventh, and was Alvarez's third homer in the last seven games. After a dreadful start to his Orioles career that saw him hitting .194 on May 28, the 29-year-old has raised his average 46 points since June 1.

Machado went 2-for-2 with a solo homer, two walks and two runs in Friday's 5-1 victory over the Indians.

The 24-year-old slugger went deep for the first time since July 5 and collected just his fifth RBI of the month. Machado has only slashed .219/.292/.328 in 64 at-bats this month, but he's still hitting .314 on the season with 20 homers and 55 RBI.

Arenado went 2-for-4 with a triple and a two-run homer in Friday's win over the Braves.

The third baseman, coming off a scheduled rest day Thursday, belted his 24th homer to give the Rockies a 2-1 lead that they'd never relinquish. Arenado hasn't been at his best this month, hitting just .242 with two home runs, six RBI and six runs through 62 at-bats in July. In years past, Arenado has been a better second-half hitter, so owners can relax and associate this month with small slump.

Segura went 2-for-3 with a solo homer Friday at the Reds.

Segura's eighth bomb of 2016 led off the game for the Diamondbacks in a losing effort. He's now hit safely in 12 of 15 July games, and he's slashing .314/.359/.451 on the season.

Duffy (achilles) is making progress and is a week away from beginning a rehab assignment, Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News reports.

If all goes well in his rehab assignment, Duffy appears likely to return at some point in early-August. In his absence, Ramiro Pena and Connor Gillaspie have been manning the hot corner for the Giants.

Plouffe (ribs) was doing some running and throwing out to 90 feet Friday prior to the Twins' game against the Red Sox, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press reports.

Plouffe has been out since July 2 with a cracked rib, but looks to be progressing in time to return to play around the first week of August. He also began to take cuts off a tee but will still need to start live hitting and take in a few games on a rehab assignment before rejoining the Twins.

Arenado is out of the lineup for Thursday's matchup with Atlanta, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

Arenado will get his first maintenance day since June 12 as Cristhian Adames takes his place at third and bats eighth. Arenado has cooled off in July, going 15-for-62 (.242) with just six runs and RBI apiece this month. He'll likely be back out there Friday as the Rockies face Jon Gray and the Braves.

Alvarez is out of the lineup Thursday, the Baltimore Sun's Eduardo Encina reports.

He'll predictably sit against lefty CC Sabathia, although he is the Orioles' only healthy bench bat Thursday so he'll likely get a pinch-hit opportunity if one arises. Alvarez has hit eight homers in just 24 games since the start of June, making him a useful option in deeper formats despite the irregular playing time.

Machado (illness) is back in action Thursday, manning third base and hitting third against the Yankees, the Baltimore Sun's Eduardo Encina reports.

He missed Wednesday's game with the ailment, but it was apparently minor, as he's back in his usual spot Thursday. Machado is having an MVP-caliber season, and should be deployed in all formats.

Segura went 3-for-4 with a run in Wednesday's loss to the Blue Jays.

After a solid first half of the season, Segura is right back at it after the All-Star break. In five games since the break, the 26-year-old is 7-for-22 with four runs, one home run and a stolen base. For the season, he is now slashing .311/.356/.441.