MLB Player News

Pirates first baseman Pedro Alvarez was not in Sunday's lineup at Milwaukee, the team announced.

Alvarez was replaced at first by Travis Ishikawa, who will bat fifth. Alvarez is hitting .128 with one home run and six RBI in his last 12 games.

Reds shortstop Eugenio Suarez was originally held out of the starting lineup Sunday against the Indians, as Ivan De Jesus drew the start in his absence. It would have been just the fourth time since Suarez became the starting shortstop June 11 that he was not in the starting lineup.

However, the Reds switched their original lineup and Suarez came off the bench to start at shortstop, as De Jesus moved to third base to replace All-Star Todd Frazier.

Suarez has homered twice in 11 July games. He is batting .250 with a .417 slugging percentage, .706 OPS, four RBI, three runs, two walks and 11 strikeouts in July as well.

Indians third baseman Giovanny Urshela was held out of the starting lineup Sunday against the Reds, as Mike Aviles started at third base. It was the first time since June 28 that Urshela was not in the starting lineup.

The rookie third baseman has been struggling offensively since hitting his last home run June 30. He is batting .188 with two doubles, no RBI, five runs, two walks and nine strikeouts in his last 14 games. His batting average has declined from .271 to .234 in that span.

Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu extended his hitting streak to 10 games, as he went 1 for 4 with a run scored in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Padres. 

The 2015 All-Star is batting .450 during the 10-game stretch.

Giants third baseman Matt Duffy went 3 for 5 with two runs in his team's win over the Diamondbacks on Saturday.

The three-hit performance was Duffy's second in as many games, and third in his last four games.

In his last five games, Duffy is hitting an eye-popping .481 with 13 hits, two doubles and four RBI. 

Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon went 2 for 2 with a double in his first rehab game for Class A Potomac on Saturday. Rendon is recovering from a quad strain. He played third base for Potomac prior to being lifted for a pinch runner in the third inning.

It is not known how many games Rendon will need before being cleared to return to the Nationals lineup. 

Third baseman Manny Machado gave the Orioles all the offense they would need, as they beat the Tigers 3-0 on Saturday. Machado blasted his 20th home run of the season, a solo shot in the third inning off David Price. That was more than enough for starter Chris Tillman, who blanked the Tigers for eight solid innings.

But Machado wasn't done. He chipped in a double in the ninth inning, finishing the game 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored.

The 2015 All-Star is batting .303 with four homers and five RBI over his last 10 games. He has also walked 11 times in that span, compared to just four strikeouts.

Nationals second baseman Anthony Rendon will start a minor league rehab assignment on Saturday at Class A Potomac, per MLB.com.

Rendon has been on the disabled list since June 24 with a left quad strain. 

Rendon will start the rehab assignment by playing third base, manager Matt Williams said. He explained that the position requires less lateral movement and won't put as much stress on the quad. 

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe went 2 for 4 with a grand slam in Friday's win over Oakland. 

Plouffe is 6 for his last 12 after hitting in his third straight game. He homered for the second game in a row.

Plouffe entered the season with no grand slams in his 62 career home runs. Friday's blast was his second grand slam in 12 home runs this season and first since May 3. 

Blue Jays' third baseman Josh Donaldson hit a two-run home run in Friday's win over Tampa Bay. 

Donaldson went 1 for 2 with a pair of walks. He homered for the 22nd time this season and third time in the last seven games.