MLB Player News

Valencia is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Brewers.

Valencia continues to be on a season-long tear, as his average is up to .343, but he'll get what appears to be just a regular day off Tuesday. Yonder Alonso will slide over to third base in his place, while Billy Butler will handle the first base duties.

Donaldson plans on playing through the pain of his jammed thumb, the Toronto Star reports.

With Donaldson seeing so many inside pitches of late -- jamming him -- he'd actually suffered a series of thumb strains, not all of which were previously reported. The situation became intolerable following a ninth-inning strikeout Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, Donaldson arrived early at the Rogers Centre to receive extensive treatment on the swelling, then did work in the batting cages before pronouncing himself ready. The reigning AL MVP is known to be a tenacious competitor, and owners should continue deploying Donaldson as long as manager John Gibbons is penciling him into the lineup.

Escobar started at shortstop and went 0-for-3 in Sunday's loss to Tampa Bay. He's started just three of Minnesota's last six games.

Escobar has lost the starting shortstop job to hot-hitting Eduardo Nunez. However, Nunez gets starts at second and third base, so Escobar should play in about every other game. Until Nunez slows down at the plate, Escobar will continue to have a reduced role.

Longoria went 3-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored during Sunday's win over the Twins.

Longo absolutely terrorized Minnesota over the four-game set, finishing with five homers, eight RBI and six runs scored. Additionally, he has a nine-game hitting streak in the works during which he has hit .457, and he is now on pace to have his best offensive season since 2013.

Donaldson (thumb) is in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox, Barry Davis of Sportsnet reports. He'll bat second and serve as the team's DH.

The Blue Jays were labeling Donaldson as day-to-day after a jammed thumb prevented him from playing Saturday, but he'll require no additional time off to let the digit heal. Since he's being used as the DH, there's still reason to believe that Donaldson's injury might inhibit him in the field for a few more days, though that shouldn't stop him from occupying a regular spot in the team's lineup. Until Donaldson is ready to resume duties at third base, Matt Dominguez, who was promoted from Triple-A Buffalo and will start Sunday, may be asked to man the position.

Valencia went 2-for-5 with a solo homer, walk and two runs scored in Saturday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Astros.

The veteran third baseman's banner season continues, as his average now sits at .343 following Saturday's effort. That represents a 70-point improvement over his career figure, while his nine homers have him on pace to surpass the career-high 18 he hit in 2015 during stints with both the Blue Jays and the A's. The 31-year-old now has three of those round-trippers in the last seven games, while hitting safely in five of the last six contests.

Alvarez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Yankees, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Alvarez had started the preceding four games and homered twice while driving in five runs, but he'll get the afternoon off with lefty CC Sabathia on the mound. Mark Trumbo will take over Alvarez's usual spot as the Orioles' designated hitter.

Plouffe isn't in Sunday's lineup against the Rays, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Plouffe will get a day of rest with Eduardo Nunez shifting to third base and Eduardo Escobar starting at shortstop. The 29-year-old Plouffe had started the previous five games, recording at least one hit in each contest.

Ramirez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Royals, MLBPressbox.com reports.

After stringing together four two-hit games in a row, Ramirez's streak came to an end Saturday, when he went 0-for-4. The 23-year-old will receive the day off Sunday, but he still appears to be entrenched in a regular lineup spot at either left field or third base.

Longoria smashed a home run for the third straight game Saturday versus the Twins.

It was a solo bomb, his second of the series against Minnesota. Longoria also had a two-run shot Thursday versus the Twins. The homer on Saturday extended Longoria's hitting streak to eight games, and he has four homers during that stretch.