MLB Player News

Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson came up big at the dish on Friday, belting a pair of home runs in his team's 9-5 victory over the Angels.

Donaldson launched a solo home run in the second inning and singled in a run in the third, all coming off Wade LeBlanc. He got the best of LeBlanc again in the fifth, belting a two-run blast to extend the lead.

Donaldson finished 3 for 4 with three runs scored and four RBI. He has five home runs over his last six games. He is hitting .285 with 15 homers and 45 RBI in 214 at-bats.

Rockies infielder Nolan Arenado will not require surgery to repair a mallet fracture in his left middle finger, the Denver Post reports Friday.

Arenado saw a specialist in Cleveland Friday to determine the best course of action, and it will be allowed to heal naturally. At this point, however, it is not clear what that might mean for his potential timeline to return. He is still expected to miss much of June while recovering.  

Royals third baseman Danny Valencia is ready to roll for the Friday night game in Toronto. He's back in the lineup after being sidelined since Saturday with a hand injury.

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez got the Pirates on the board early Thursday, in a 6-3 win over the Dodgers.

Alvarez had just one hit in the game, a solo home run in the second inning to tie the game, 1-1. He went 1 for 4 overall, with one strikeout in the win.

Alvarez is hitting .221 with 10 home runs on the season, but has been better since he was moved out of the cleanup spot of the order last week. In his last seven games, Alvarez is hitting .280 with two home runs and three RBI. 

A hand injury has Royals third baseman Danny Valencia sitting again Thursday in Toronto.

Valencia has been sidelined pretty much since the demotion of Mike Moustakas handed him the starting job. He has not played since Saturday.

The Athletics offense struggled for much of Wednesday's game against the Tigers, but third baseman Josh Donaldson did enough with one swing to earn a 3-1 win.

Donaldson was the only player for the Athletics to have two hits, and it was his second that provided the big blow. He clubbed a three-run home run off Joe Nathan to win the game in the ninth inning, finishing 2 for 4 with one run scored and three RBI.

Donaldson is now hitting .277/.370/.529, with 13 RBI and 41 RBI in 52 games. He ranks fifth in the American League in home runs and sixth in RBI. 

Rockies infielder DJ LeMahieu went 1 for 5 with his first home run of the season in his team's 6-3 loss to the Phillies Wednesday.

LeMahieu wasj ust 1 for 17 in his last six games going into Wednesday's contest, and even with the home run he's 3 for 29 over his last nine. The homer was his first since August 12 of last season. LeMahieu has hit .269/.326/.331 with 13 RBI in 160 at-bats.

Royals infielder Danny Valencia is not in the team's starting lineup Wednesday against the Astros.

Valencia is dealing with a hand injury, and is expected to miss 3-5 days. Through 61 at-bats, Valencia is hitting .279. 

The Rockies are acknowledging third baseman Nolan Arenado might be sidelined until late June or early July because of a broken finger, per FOX Sports.

Royals infielder Danny Valencia was unable to swing a bat Monday and is expected to be out another three to five days, MLB.com reports.

"He went in to try to swing, and he couldn't swing," manager Ned Yost said.

Valencia underwent an MRI on the injured hand Monday, but results are not yet known. He sprained the hand swinging a bat Saturday.