MLB Player News

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura was back in action Monday against Chicago after he missed Sunday's game with a forearm injury. 

Segura batted third for the Brewers in the 5-0 as he went 0 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. He's batting .313. 

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura returned to the starting lineup Monday against the Cubs after sitting out Sunday with forearm tightness. Segura is mired in a 3-for-20 slump in his last five games, but he's batting .273 in 22 July games.

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura is out of Sunday's lineup due to forearm tightness, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Segura's injury is not expected to be serious and he is targeting a Monday return to action.

Rockies manager Walt Weiss said it has been a joy to watch rookie third baseman Nolan Arenado and veteran shortstop Troy Tulowitzki man the left side of the infield, according to The Denver Post.

"The rule of thumb is that if the third baseman goes to his left, and can get the ball, he should go get it," Weiss said. "Really, that's a luxury for a shortstop, because that play Tulo makes going to his right -- and he makes that play as well as anybody I have ever seen -- is tough for a shortstop. So anytime a third baseman can make that play, it helps the team."

Tulowitzki has no problem with Arenado stealing some plays since it helps his positioning on the field.

"Sometimes Nolan will say, 'Oh, my bad.' But I've told him to get every ball that he possibly can, and don't worry about it," Tulowitzki said. "If he takes more balls in the hole, I can cheat up the middle a little bit more."

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura said after Saturday's game that he does not expect to play Sunday, MLB.com reports. He was removed from Saturday's game against the Rockies due to forearm tightness.

Segura is targeting a return for Monday's series opener against the Cubs.

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura left Saturday's game against the Rockies after being hit by a pitch in the fourth inning. The team announced that Segura is suffering from forearm tightness, MLB.com reports.

Segura was 2 for 3 with one run, two RBI and his 31st stolen base of the season before exiting.

Uh-oh. The Athletics' Josh Donaldson is batting .186 (8 for 43) over his last 12 games. Guess this is the beginning of the end, right?

Well, it is his longest cold stretch of the season, but not by as much as you'd think.

In June, he had a 10-game stretch in which he hit .146 (6 for 41). In late April and early May, he had an eight-game stretch in which he hit .179 (5 for 28). At the very beginning of the season, before anyone knew what they had in Donaldson, he hit .120 (3 for 25) in seven games.

In other words, it seems scary because it's happening right now and because you keep waiting for the other shoe to drop with him, but to me, Donaldson's little cold spell is much ado about nothing. His .299 batting average and 24 homers in 545 at-bats since his return from the minor leagues last August counts for so much more.

Jean Segura's 5-for-30 skid to begin the second half isn't such a big deal on its own, but it has shed light on just how much the Brewers shortstop has fallen off since the end of May, when he was batting .354. In 47 games dating back to June 1, which is about half the season so far, he's batting just .269 with 11 extra-base hits (three homers, five doubles and three triples), 15 steals and a .674 OPS.

Scary stuff, right?

No, not really. See, even with the inevitable regression in batting average and home runs, stealing a base every third game adds up to some serious Fantasy production for Segura. During that 47-game stretch in which he's batting .269 with a .674 OPS, he's still the third-best shortstop in standard Head-to-Head leagues.

Granted, the shortage of quality shortstops has something to do with that, but even among all hitters, he still ranks a respectable 43rd during that stretch. Considering his pedigree makes him out to be a .300 hitter in the long run, you should continue to think of him as an elite Fantasy option.

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria is hitting second again Thursday against the Red Sox.

Longoria was moved to the two-spot Wednesday, and it appears to be a trend now. Longoria is hitting .276/.354/.515 in 373 at-bats. He'll take on John Lackey during Thursday's contest.

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez hit his 26th home run of the season in his team's 4-2 win over the Nationals Wednesday. It was the only hit of the game for Alvarez, who also walked once and scored two runs.

Alvarez has homered in two straight games, putting him just four home runs away from matching last year's career high of 30 home runs. He has hit .244/.302/.509 in 328 at-bats.