MLB Player News

Shelved Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado received encouraging news when X-rays on his finger came back clean. He plans on hitting next week and hopes to return to the lineup in the next few weeks, per the Denver Post.

Arenado was tearing it up before the injury that landed him on the disabled list. He had compiled a .305/.333/.489 stat line in 190 at-bats with six home runs and 28 RBI.

The Phillies have wasted no time getting third baseman Cody Asche back in the lineup upon his activation from the disabled list. He is set to start Friday night in St. Louis.

Asche, who had been out for nearly a month, hopes to pick up where he left off. He had 10 hits in his last 24 at-bats before going down to sweeten his stat line to .258/.346/.425.

The Phillies have activated third baseman Cody Asche from the disabled list after recovering from a hamstring strain. He will replace on the roster Reid Brignac, who has been placed on the DL with a left ankle sprain.

Phillies third baseman Cody Asche will come off the disabled list Friday, manager Ryne Sandberg told CSNPhiladelphia.com Thursday.

Asche was initially expected to come off the DL Thursday, but the team opted to give him one extra day. He has been on rehab assignment at Lehigh Valley while recovering from a hamstring strain.  

Phillies third baseman Cody Asche hit another home run during a rehab game Wednesday.

Asche was the key to Lehigh Valley's comeback. With the game tied, Asche belted a two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh. He finished 2 for 3, with two runs scored and two RBI. Asche has now hit .615, with three home runs, on his rehab assignment. He could be activated from the disabled list Thursday.

Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon went 2 for 5 with a solo home run and two stolen bases in his team's 6-5 victory over the Astros Wednesday.

Rendon reached base on an infield single in the first inning and was able to swipe second base and third base before being stranded in scoring position. His home run kicked off a three-run seventh inning that put the Nationals up for good. Rendon has hit .273/.332/.466 with 10 home runs, 38 RBI and five stolen bases in 264 at-bats.

Phillies third baseman Cody Asche could be activated from the disabled list Thursday, MLB.com reports.

Asche is on the disabled list with a strained hamstring, but he began a Class A rehab assignment Friday and hasn't suffered any setbacks. He has hit .258/.346/.425 with four home runs and 18 RBI in 120 at-bats.

Royals infielder Danny Valencia began his minor-league rehab assignment Tuesday at Triple-A Omaha, as he works his way back from a hand injury.

Valencia started at third base for the Storm Chasers, going 2 for 4 at the plate. He added a walk and drove in one run on a solo home run in his return to action. 

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado will stay with the team through the weekend, as he continues to wait on an appeal hearing for his suspension.

According to MASNSports.com, Machado's hearing will come after the team's upcoming series in New York. That means he will not begin serving his suspension until at least Monday against the White Sox, when the Orioles return from a road trip. 

Even with a slow start to his season, Evan Longoria ranks seventh among third basemen in standard Head-to-Head leagues and ninth in Rotisserie leagues. Among a relatively weak crop of third basemen, those rankings are not so impressive, but Longoria appears to be well on his way to re-establishing himself as an elite at the position.

Longoria has been missing power for most of this season, as he is slugging just .401, but as his flyball rate has increased in recent weeks, so has his rate of extra-base hits. He has hit a home run and two doubles over his last three games, and over his last 21 games, Longoria has posted a .275/.363/.475 slash line.

The one area where Longoria may not improve much is run production, as the Rays' lineup as a whole has struggled. That could prevent him from scoring or driving in more than 80 runs, and for that reason, I have dropped him from second to fourth in my third baseman rankings.

Stil, with improved plate discipline and no erosion in his contact rate, all Longoria needed was more power to approach his prior form and value. His year-to-date stats are still mediocre, so now is a good time to try to buy Longoria at a discount, before his numbers start to reflect his rebound.