MLB Player News

Orioles designated hitter Danny Valencia may have earned himself more playing time with his recent play, according to the Baltimore Sun.

Valencia has performed well lately, picking up 23 hits in 42 at-bats since August 4. His .548 batting average over that period leads the majors. Valencia's strong play could earn him more at-bats against right-handers. "Danny's in a good place right now and I'll continue to match him up, but the way he's handling himself, that's how you get dictated more opportunities," said manager Buck Showalter. Valencia is hitting just .194 against righties.

Valencia is hitting .330/.359/.652 in 112 at-bats. 

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura is not in the team's starting lineup Thursday against the Cardinals.

Segura will be replaced at short by Jeff Bianchi. Segura is hitting .298/.332/.428 in 563 at-bats. 

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura's batting average fell to below .300 for the first time all season Tuesday. Despite that, manager Ron Roenicke told MLB.com he is not planning to give the 23-year-old extended time off down the stretch, assuming Segura is not nursing an injury.

"If I feel like he's fighting through it, then he's not going to play as much, but when I have conversations with him, he still says he's fine," Roenicke said. "I think that we've got a better chance of winning when he's out there."

Segura entered play Wednesday with a .299 batting average, down from a high of .354 in May. Teammate Aramis Ramirez told reporters he thinks Segura is dealing with fatigue, as he is nearing a career high in games played as a professional.

"He looks a little tired right now," Ramirez said. "He's played a lot. He's only 23, but I'm sure he's pretty tired. He's had a lot of at-bats in a year. I never did winter ball like he did and got as many at-bats as he has."

Orioles designated hitter Danny Valencia had himself a night Wednesday at home against the Yankees. Valencia recorded four hits in the game as he got the start with Andy Pettitte on the mound.

Valencia went 4 for 4 with a double and a run scored. He's batting .330 on the year for the Orioles. Valencia has gone 9 for 14 over his last four games. He has nine multi-hit games over his last 11 contests for the Orioles.

Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson returned to action Tuesday in Minnesota following a quad injury. After looking good in batting practice, Donaldson went 1 for 4 with a run scored in the loss to the Twins. 

Donaldson singled and scored in the game, but also struck out twice for the A's. He is batting .297 on the season. 

Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson's injured quad may no longer be an issue, the San Francisco Chronicle reports Tuesday. Donaldson was seen launching homers in batting practice before Tuesday's game in Minnesota. 

The corner infielder was able to make his return to the lineup Tuesday against the Twins after sitting out Sunday's game. 

Nationals second baseman Anthony Rendon was out of the lineup for the third time in six games and the seventh time in 18 games Tuesday at the Mets. Stephen Lombardozzi started in his place. Rendon hasn't played more than three games in a row since playing eight in a row Aug. 13-20.

His recent lack of production might have something to do with it. The rookie is batting .213 with a .604 OPS in 150 at-bats since the All-Star break after batting .301 with an .812 OPS in 163 at-bats before it.

Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson sat out Sunday's game versus the Astros, as he aggravated a strained right quad during Saturday's contest. He was replaced in the lineup by Alberto Callaspo.

Oakland manager Bob Melvin intimated that he rested Donaldson so that he could return to the lineup for Tuesday's series opener against the Twins. He explained the decision to MLB.com, saying "with the off-day [Monday], it is definitely the prudent thing to do."

The Twins recalled seven players from Triple-A Rochester Sunday, including shortstop Eduardo Escobar, outfielders Eric Fryer and Chris Parmelee, and pitchers Scott Diamond, Michael Tonkin, Cole De Vries and Shairon Martis.

All seven players have previous major-league experience and will serve as depth for the Twins in the final weeks of the season.

Orioles designated hitter Danny Valencia remained red hot on Saturday in a 4-3 walk-off win over the White Sox from Baltimore. The right-handed hitter has been a savior for Baltimore against left-handed starters.

Valencia went 3 for 4 in the game with two doubles. He's batting .314 on the season after 102 at-bats for the Orioles with seven homers and 15 runs batted in.

Valencia has recorded hits in eight of his last nine games and all eight of those games have been multi-hit performances. In fact, Valencia has gone 18 for 32 (.563) over his last nine games with six doubles, three homers and seven RBI for Baltimore.