MLB Player News

Donaldson got the start at DH on Sunday, going 2-for-4 with a walk and a three-run home run in a win over the Tigers.

The home run was his 23rd of the season, but more importantly the run he scored was his 80th, making him the first player to cross the plate 80 times before the All-Star break since Ian Kinsler and Hanley Ramirez did it in 2008 and just the sixth American League hitter in history with 20-plus homers and 80-plus runs before the break. The other five? Merely Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Reggie Jackson, Frank Thomas and Alex Rodriguez. Donaldson heads into the second half with a .304/.418/.598 slash line and clearly has every intention of repeating as AL MVP.

Suarez is not in the lineup for Sunday's tilt with Miami.

Suarez, who's started the last 15 games, will get the MLB season's first-half finale off in favor of Ivan De Jesus, who's making a start at third and batting eighth. Suarez has been slumping of late, slashing just .228/.290/.281 in the last 15 games while going hitless in five of those contests.

Candelario was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

He was sent back to Triple-A to open a roster spot for Munenori Kawasaki, who will add depth and a left-handed bat to the Cubs' outfield. Candelario couldn't quite make the adjustment to major league pitching during his brief call-up, collecting just one hit with five strikeouts in 11 at-bats.

Longoria went 4-for-5 with a solo homer, two RBI and a run in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Red Sox.

Perhaps feeling a bit of extra motivation following his All-Star snub, Longoria is now 7-for-13 over his last three games, and his ninth-inning homer was his first since June 20. Despite the season-long malaise the Rays offense has been mired in, the 30-year-old slugger is on pace for his best homer total since hitting 32 in 2013.

Segura (triceps) is in the lineup for Friday's game against the Giants.

A bruised left triceps muscle forced Segura from Wednesday's game but clearly it was a relatively minor setback, as the 26-year-old is good to go following Thursday's team off day. Segura hasn't hit a home run since May 9 but he's still batting .317/.363/.443 for the season, and the stolen bases have been piling up over the past month or so (nine steals since June 9).

Peterson is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the White Sox.

Gordon Beckham will man second base while Chase d'Arnaud leads off against lefty Chris Sale, snapping a streak of six consecutive starts at the keystone and atop the order for Peterson. The 26-year-old Peterson was red hot throughout June but is off to a bit of a sluggish start to July (6-for-29). He's also 6-for-27 (all singles) against lefties this season, and the White Sox are starting another southpaw in Jose Quintana on Saturday.

Rivera was recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs Friday.

With Aaron Hill being traded, the Brewers opted to recall Rivera to fill the vacant infield spot. Rivera spent some time with the Brewers earlier in the season, but struggled to produce at the plate, going 10-for-49 with 19 strikeouts and just one walk. His batting was better at Colorado Springs, although not by much, as he posted a .232/.282/.305 line.

LeMahieu went 3-for-5 with an RBI and three runs in Thursday's 11-2 victory over the Phillies.

The 27-year-old now has multi-hit efforts in three straight, and has hit safely in five of his six July contests. As stellar as LeMahieu's season had already been, he's taken it up another notch over the last two-plus weeks. He's raised his average 25 points since June 20, with nine multi-hit outings and seven RBI over that span.

Escobar (hamstring) lined out as a pinch hitter and then played second base in Thursday's win over Texas.

Escobar hadn't played since July 2 due to a sore hamstring. It looks like he'll avoid the DL and return to his backup role. He's lost the starting shortstop job to Eduardo Nunez and will get occassional starts at shortstop when Nunez plays third base.

Rendon went 2-for-4 with a solo homer Thursday at the Mets.

Rendon's ninth homer of the season came in the fourth inning, and gave the Nationals a three-run lead in a game they'd go on to lose. He's now left the yard in two of his last five games, and he's slashing .263/.349/.420 on the year.