MLB Player News

The Pirates placed third baseman Pedro Alvarez on the Bereavement List Tuesday, the team announced. He will miss a minimum of three games before he can return to the team. 

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle announced Sunday infielder Josh Harrison has supplanted Pedro Alvarez as the team's primary third baseman.

"Whether (Alvarez) is unplugged or plugged, Harrison is more than a viable option," Hurdle said, per the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review. "Harrison is our best defender on the club right now at third base."

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura was held out of the starting lineup Sunday against the Cardinals due to a quadriceps injury. Eilan Herrera started in Segura's absence Sunday.

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe registered four hits in his team's 8-6 victory over the White Sox in Chicago on Saturday.

Plouffe doubled in a run in the opening frame, doubled in one more in the third and singled in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively. He finished 4 for 5 with a run scored and two RBI. He owns a .248/.315/.406 slash line with seven homers and 47 RBI in 355 at-bats.

Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon had himself a game Saturday night, plating four runs in his team's 11-0 victory over the Phillies.

Rendon singled in a run in the opening frame and launched a three-run home run in the second inning. He finished 3 for 5 with two runs scored and four RBI. He is hitting .281/.338/.469 with 14 homers and 61 RBI in 424 at-bats.

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria is dealing with a sore knee after colliding with an umpire Friday, and is getting a chance to rest it Saturday.

Longoria told the Tampa Bay Tribune Saturday he is serving as the designated hitter for Saturday's game, though this was also a schedule day out of the field for him. He is not expected to miss any time as a result of the injury. 

Giants infielder Matthew Duffy is in the starting lineup for his first game Friday against the Mets, just hours after he was recalled.

Duffy will bat second and start at second base in his major-league debut. He hit .332/.398/.444 in 97 games at Double-A Richmond prior to his callup.  

 The Giants called up infielder Matthew Duffy and outfielder Jarrett Parker from Double-A Richmond Friday, following the releases of Dan Uggla and Tyler Colvin. Both players will be making their major-league debut when they get on the field for the first time.

Parker is hitting .275/.368/.463 in 99 games with Richmond, while Duffy was hitting .332/.398/.444 in 97 games. 

Clint Hurdle has compared Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez to Travis Snider and Josh Harrison in justifying his move to bench the former again Wednesday.

"He's not outplaying Harrison," he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Snider's a hot bat that's in the lineup."

Alvarez is leading the major leagues in errors, including 21 on bad throws, and owns a stat line of .238/.309/.437.

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez is out of the lineup for the second game in a row Wednesday against the Giants, despite the team facing a right-handed pitcher yet again. He has started just one of the team's last six games, though it is not yet clear if the knee injury that bothered him last week is still an issue.