MLB Player News

Bregman may get a start in left field Wednesday for Triple-A Fresno, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports.

The Astros are clearly working on ways to get Bregman comfortable all over the diamond, as he received his first Triple-A start at third base Tuesday. A shortstop by trade, he is quick and agile enough and has the instincts to handle pretty much any position other than catcher, and perhaps center field, so the Astros should have no problem squeezing him into the lineup almost every day once he receives his long awaited call-up to the big leagues.

Valencia is not in the lineup Wednesday against Houston.

Valencia has started the last four games as the DH or first baseman, but he'll get the day off Wednesday as the A's go up against right-hander Doug Fister. Yonder Alonso will get the nod at first, while Coco Crisp leads off as the DH.

Longoria homered and knocked in three runs in a 2-for-5 game Tuesday against the Rockies.

Longoria is on fire over his last three games -- 6-for13 with three homers, two triples and six RBI. He now has 22 home runs, surpassing last year's total (160 games) and tying his mark from 2014 (162 games). He's having a resurgent season after two years where he was scarcely better than the league average. Longoria is now on pace for 36 home runs after this power surge, which would be a career high.

Bregman will make his Triple-A debut at third base Tuesday against Triple-A Round Rock.

A promotion to the big leagues figures to be in the cards for Bregman in a matter of days, not weeks, as he now has six homers in 13 games at Triple-A, and boasts a 1.010 OPS on the season across 75 games at Double-A and Triple-A. With the Astros signing star Cuban 2B/3B Yulieski Gurriel, it will be interesting to see how the infield is deployed when both Bregman and Gurriel are in the fold, but the Astros will still find a way to get Bregman in the lineup almost every day upon his call-up.

Moncada went deep twice on Monday for Double-A Portland, making it the first multi-home run performance of his minor league career.

Moncada, a switch hitter, hit both home runs batting left-handed, putting one somewhere in the Delaware River. Moncada is hitting .329/.415/.683 with seven home runs and 20 RBI in just 21 games at Double-A. He also has seven stolen bases during that span. Expect the Red Sox to continue challenging Moncada, potentially calling him up to Triple-A or the big leagues at some point before the season ends.

Longoria went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in Sunday's win over the Orioles.

He now has 21 HR on the season, putting him on pace to top his previous career high of 33 set back in 2009. Longoria is now just the third third baseman in MLB history to hit 20 or more homers in eight of their first nine seasons, joining Eddie Mathews and Scott Rolen.

Valencia is starting at DH and hitting cleanup Saturday, the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser reports.

With the A's calling up third baseman Ryon Healy on Friday, Valencia is headed for slightly reduced playing time going forward. That said, he should get plenty of starts at DH and he is expected to start at first base Sunday, which could become a theme. His bat is not the problem - he's slashing .306/.357/.498 - but his defense at third base leaves a lot to be desired. He is also a prime candidate to be traded before the end of July.

Alvarez went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and solo homer in Friday's 4-3 victory over the Rays.

His 433-foot solo shot in the third opened the scoring for the Orioles, and his run-scoring two-bagger in the fifth plated J.J. Hardy to close Baltimore's deficit to 3-2 at the time. The 29-year-old is swinging a hot bat in July, having sandwiched multi-hit efforts around the All-Star break and slashing .500/.875/1.375 over his first 16 at-bats of July with three doubles, Friday's homer and two RBI.

Valencia said Friday that he has been told to expect some cuts to his playing time, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. He is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Blue Jays.

The A's want to get a look at Ryon Healy at third base and that look will come at Valencia's expense, although Valencia figures to remain heavily involved between first base, left field and DH. Valencia put together a very strong first half, hitting .304/.356/.498 with most of his at-bats coming out of the cleanup spot, and the team probably wants to continue showcasing him for a trade.

Plouffe said Friday that he will likely rest his cracked rib for another week or so, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Plouffe was handed a three-to-four week estimated recovery timetable when he hit the DL, but it sounds like his absence could extend beyond a month as he will need time to gradually ramp up his activity. Miguel Sano has taken over at third base in Minnesota and it's possible Plouffe's chances will be scaled back a bit once he's activated.