MLB Player News

Brewers leadoff hitter and infielder Jean Segura was scratched with soreness in his right pinky finger on Wednesday against the White, per the team's official website. With Segura sidelined, manager Craig Counsell moved Elian Herrera to the leadoff spot. Scooter Gennett was also included in the lineup at the No. 8 spot.

Segura is hitting .262 (33 for 126) with two homers and 12 RBI this season.

Milwaukee is favored (-125) at home against Chicago, per VegasInsider.com.

Indians general manager Chris Antonetti has claimed that preventing premier shortstop prospect Francisco Lindor from reaching Super Two status is not why he has yet to be promoted from Triple-A Columbus, per the Northeast Ohio Media Group.

The struggling Indians are struggling partly because current shortstop Jose Ramirez has been weaker defensively than expected and a disaster offensively. He has three extra-base hits all year and owns a slash line of .179/.222/.238.

The 21-year-old Lindor, however, has not been tearing it up for the Clippers. He has started slow at every level and the same has held true in 2015. He does have a six-game hitting streak, but that has served to raise his average to just .256.

The Indians have claimed that Lindor needs more seasoning in the minors.

The Twins gave slugger Kennys Vargas the night off Wednesday night against the Tigers, per MLB.com.

With Vargas out of the lineup for the second time since Sunday, the club moved Eddie Rosario to left field, Aaron Hicks to center and moved Eduardo Escobar to designated hitter.

Minnesota is considered an underdog (+121) against left-hander Kyle Lobstein and the Tigers. The current Twins roster is hitting .348 (8 for 23) against the Southpaw.

Giants second baseman Joe Panik is out of the starting lineup for Wednesday's game aginst the Astros. With a left-hander on the mound for Houston, manager Bruce Bochy decided to give the lefty-swinging Panik a day off after starting 10 straight games.

Matt Duffy, who is riding a six-game hitting streak, is playing second base while batting second in the lineup. 

With a left-hander on the mound Wednesday, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle has juggled his lineup for the matchup against the Phillies.

Left-handed batters Gregory Polanco and Pedro Alvarez are out of the lineup, while Corey Hart covers right field and Sean Rodriguez handles first base. Josh Harrison will move up to the leadoff spot in the order.

Second baseman Neil Walker is sliding down to the seventh spot in the lineup. This is the first time all season he has hit lower than sixth in the order.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado is one of baseball's top defensive players, but he has found himself in a rut recently, committing his eighth error of the season in Tuesday night's loss. 

Machado made just nine errors in 82 games last season, but is in a stretch of 19 games where he had committed eight miscues, many of them on errant throws. Five of his errors have come in the eighth inning or later, per MASNSports.com.

"It's not turning out like it's supposed to be," Machado said. "Keep grinding, keep catching those grounders and keep making those throws."

Shortstop Jose Ramirez was one of the pleasant surprises for the Indians last season, but according to manager Terry Francona, the youngster is "pressing" this year on both offense and defense, per MLB.com. 

Ramirez's error in Tuesday's loss marked the sixth miscue in 24 games played for Ramirez, who made only four errors in 56 games last season. At the plate, Ramirez is hitting just 1-for-24 against left-handed pitching, earning him a seat on the bench. 

"He used to walk around like he owned the field," Francona said. "And the one thing we always talked about so much was his clock. Right now, I think he's definitely pressing a little bit, and I understand it."

Giants third baseman Matt Duffy provided the bulk of the offense at the plate during Tuesday's win over the Astros.

Duffy ripped a bases-clearing double in the third inning off Colin McHugh and singled in two runs in the fifth. He added another single and finished 3 for 4 with five RBI in an 8-1 victory. He is hitting .300 (21 for 70) with a home run, 15 RBI and a .333 on-base percentage this season.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado went 3 for 4 and doubled twice in Tuesday's loss to Toronto. 

Machado scored once and improved his average to .288. He has seven doubles on the season. 

Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson hit a two-run home run and drove in three runs in Tuesday's win over Baltimore. 

Donaldson went 2 for 5, increasing his average to .319. He went deep for the eighth time this year and drove in his 24th run.