MLB Player News

Valencia is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Blue Jays, Joe Stiglich of CSN California reports.

There has been nothing to suggest an injury is in play, so it seems Valencia's absence is related to his recent struggles at the plate (5-for-31 in July). Ryon Healy will man third base in his absence. Valencia has enjoyed a strong season overall and has been frequently mentioned in trade rumors as the deadline approaches.

A.J. Hinch said that Bregman will not join the Astros when they head to Seattle to face the Mariners on Friday, MLB Network Radio reports.

Reports surfaced over the past few days that Bregman might join the Astros right after the All-Star break, but Hinch quickly erased those rumors. Hinch did add that Bregman could help the Astros down the stretch. Bregman will report back to Triple-A Fresno, where he has played eight games this season.

The reigning AL MVP enters the 2016 All-Star Game with a .304 average, 23 home runs, 63 RBI, 80 runs and a 1.017 OPS through 336 first-half at-bats.

The third baseman ranks among the best in baseball in practically every offensive category and is very much in the hunt for winning a second consecutive AL MVP award. If you thought it wasn't possible for Donaldson to get much better than he was a season ago, well, think again. He's improved his plate discipline to elite levels, walking at a career-high rate of 15.3 percent while striking out only 16.8 percent of the time, compared to 18.7 percent last year. Donaldson's 80-percent contact rate is up a tick from 2015, and his .294 ISO destroys last season's career-high mark of .271. The 30-year-old is on pace to mash 40-plus home runs, notch 100-plus RBI and score 140-plus runs in 2016.

Bregman continued his hot ways, going 3-5 with a single, double and triple for team USA at the All-Star Futures game on Sunday.

There is not much else Bregman has to prove to the Astros at this point. Since being called up to Triple-A Fresno, he's hit .389/.421/.889 with five home runs and 14 RBI in only 36 at-bats. The only thing keeping Bregman in the minors at this point is the recent resurgence of current big league third baseman Luis Valubena. Once Valbuena begins to cool off, expect Bregman to get the call and supplant Valbuena as the everyday player at the hot corner for Houston.

Moncada went 2-5 on Sunday, including a single, stolen base and a 405-foot home run on his way to being named MVP of the All-Star Futures Game.

Moncada, Rotowire's top-ranked prospect, has been on fire for Double-A Portland leading up to Sunday's Futures Game. Over the past 10 games, he's hitting .350 with four home runs, 11 RBI and four stolen bases. That momentum continued Sunday as he faced off and excelled against some of the best young talent in baseball. There is still a chance Moncada could come up to Boston in 2016, but 2017 seems like a more likely timetable for the 21-year-old phenom.

Escobar went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer and two runs overall in Sunday's 15-5 victory over the Rangers.

He found a way to inflict some damage despite hitting out of the nine-hole, launching his third homer of the season in the seventh off reliever Cesar Ramos with Kurt Suzuki aboard. The homer was Escobar's first since June 18 versus the Yankees and he's now slashing .261/.286/.372 in a part-time role.

Donaldson got the start at DH on Sunday, going 2-for-4 with a walk and a three-run home run in a win over the Tigers.

The home run was his 23rd of the season, but more importantly the run he scored was his 80th, making him the first player to cross the plate 80 times before the All-Star break since Ian Kinsler and Hanley Ramirez did it in 2008 and just the sixth American League hitter in history with 20-plus homers and 80-plus runs before the break. The other five? Merely Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Reggie Jackson, Frank Thomas and Alex Rodriguez. Donaldson heads into the second half with a .304/.418/.598 slash line and clearly has every intention of repeating as AL MVP.

Longoria went 4-for-5 with a solo homer, two RBI and a run in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Red Sox.

Perhaps feeling a bit of extra motivation following his All-Star snub, Longoria is now 7-for-13 over his last three games, and his ninth-inning homer was his first since June 20. Despite the season-long malaise the Rays offense has been mired in, the 30-year-old slugger is on pace for his best homer total since hitting 32 in 2013.

Escobar (hamstring) lined out as a pinch hitter and then played second base in Thursday's win over Texas.

Escobar hadn't played since July 2 due to a sore hamstring. It looks like he'll avoid the DL and return to his backup role. He's lost the starting shortstop job to Eduardo Nunez and will get occassional starts at shortstop when Nunez plays third base.

Alvarez was reinstated from the bereavement list Thursday.

Alvarez has been out since Monday following a death in his family. The 29-year-old should be back in the lineup for the Orioles' game against the Angels on Friday.