MLB Player News

Rendon went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in his return to the lineup from illness Wednesday against the Dodgers.

He's actually homered in consecutive games with the illness in between. Rendon's had an up and down first four seasons to this point -- the 2011 No. 6 overall pick looked like a star in 2014, but hasn't come close to that level before or since. He's been solid this season, particularly if you count out his brutal month of April, but fantasy owners are looking for more and he'll try to provide it in the second half.

Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a walk, home run, three RBI and two runs in Wednesday's matinee in Arizona.

Donaldson did not have to wait very long to make his presence felt in the series finale. Just five pitches into the game, Donaldson came through with a two-run shot that made a splash landing in the pool at Chase Field. According to Statcast, the third baseman's 24th home run of the season landed a projected 412 feet away and left his bat at 109 mph. Donaldson has at least one hit in 31 of his last 36 games, with 40 RBI over that span.

Machado will miss Wednesday's game against the Yankees due to illness, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports.

This is Machado's first absence since June 22 against the Padres and he should be considered day-to-day with the illness. The 24-year-old has been in a slump since the All-Star break, going just 2-for-17 with five strikeouts in five games. Ryan Flaherty will start at third base in his place.

Rendon (illness) is back in the starting lineup Wednesday against the Dodgers.

He'll start at third base and hit sixth in his return after missing a pair of games due to a bout with the flu. After a slow start to the season, Rendon has pushed his season line to a palatable .255/.341/.412 (.753 OPS) over 90 games in 2016.

Bregman may get a start in left field Wednesday for Triple-A Fresno, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports.

The Astros are clearly working on ways to get Bregman comfortable all over the diamond, as he received his first Triple-A start at third base Tuesday. A shortstop by trade, he is quick and agile enough and has the instincts to handle pretty much any position other than catcher, and perhaps center field, so the Astros should have no problem squeezing him into the lineup almost every day once he receives his long awaited call-up to the big leagues.

Valencia is not in the lineup Wednesday against Houston.

Valencia has started the last four games as the DH or first baseman, but he'll get the day off Wednesday as the A's go up against right-hander Doug Fister. Yonder Alonso will get the nod at first, while Coco Crisp leads off as the DH.

Longoria homered and knocked in three runs in a 2-for-5 game Tuesday against the Rockies.

Longoria is on fire over his last three games -- 6-for13 with three homers, two triples and six RBI. He now has 22 home runs, surpassing last year's total (160 games) and tying his mark from 2014 (162 games). He's having a resurgent season after two years where he was scarcely better than the league average. Longoria is now on pace for 36 home runs after this power surge, which would be a career high.

Duffy (Achilles) felt the best he has felt during his rehab process while doing drills at the team's spring training complex Tuesday, CSN Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic reports.

It is unclear when Duffy will be ready to go on a rehab assignment, but it certainly sounds like he is making progress, so a late-July/early-August return seems possible. Meanwhile the Giants will try to cobble together production from Ruben Tejada and Conor Gillaspie at the hot corner until Duffy returns.

Bregman will make his Triple-A debut at third base Tuesday against Triple-A Round Rock.

A promotion to the big leagues figures to be in the cards for Bregman in a matter of days, not weeks, as he now has six homers in 13 games at Triple-A, and boasts a 1.010 OPS on the season across 75 games at Double-A and Triple-A. With the Astros signing star Cuban 2B/3B Yulieski Gurriel, it will be interesting to see how the infield is deployed when both Bregman and Gurriel are in the fold, but the Astros will still find a way to get Bregman in the lineup almost every day upon his call-up.

Moncada went deep twice on Monday for Double-A Portland, making it the first multi-home run performance of his minor league career.

Moncada, a switch hitter, hit both home runs batting left-handed, putting one somewhere in the Delaware River. Moncada is hitting .329/.415/.683 with seven home runs and 20 RBI in just 21 games at Double-A. He also has seven stolen bases during that span. Expect the Red Sox to continue challenging Moncada, potentially calling him up to Triple-A or the big leagues at some point before the season ends.