MLB Player News

A matchup against Washington left-hander Gio Gonzales has both outfielder Gregory Polanco and first baseman Pedro Alvarez out of the lineup for the Pirates on Sunday.

Polanco has struggled despite steadier playing time lately. He has just five hits in his last 38 at-bats and is just 5-for-32 against left-handers this season.

Alvarez is on a similar slide. He is batting .167 (5-for-30) since June 6 and is 3-for-21 against southpaws in 2015.

Nationals second baseman Anthony Rendon has been benched Sunday against Pittsburgh in favor of Danny Espinosa.

Rendon, who had started every game since June 4, is in a 2-for-16 mini-slump and owns a disappointing slash line on the year of .233/.333/.311.

Phillies left fielder Cody Asche was the lone bright spot in an otherwise meager offensive display on Saturday against the Cardinals. Asche went deep for his third home run of the season, a solo home run which accounted for all of the Phillies' scoring in the 10-1 rout.

The home run was Asche's first since April 22. Asche has generally been struggling at the plate after spending some time in the minor leagues. Since his return on May 29, Asche is batting .200 with 13 strikeouts to just three walks.

"It's not what I expect out of myself, not what I know that I have in me," Asche said, per MLB.com. "That gets frustrating at times. I'm not a .230 hitter, I know that. I'm not going to be. It's just a thing you've got to keep working through. Hopefully they keep trusting me and trusting in my ability. Hopefully tonight is a step in the right direction."

Cubs infielder Mike Olt played in his first minor-league rehab game on Friday. Manning third base for Double-A Northwest Arkansas, Olt went 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored. 

The team has not unveiled any next steps in the infielder's recovery from a fractured wrist suffered in April.

Cubs infielder Mike Olt will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A Tennessee on Friday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Olt has been on the disabled list since mid-April with a fractured wrist. 

There is currently no indication how many rehab games Olt will need, and what the plan for him will be once he is deemed healthy.

A 3-for-28 slide has Phillies outfielder Cody Asche on the bench Friday night in St. Louis.

Asche actually owns a better average against lefties this season - and southpaw Tyler Lyons will be on the mound for the Cardinals.

Giants third baseman Matt Duffy came up big during his team's win over the Mariners on Thursday.

Duffy went 1 for 4 with a triple and two RBI.

Duffy is hitting .437 with seven hits, a home run, a triple and five RBI in his last four games.

Pirates first baseman Pedro Alvarez will not start on Wednesday against the White Sox.

Alvarez is hitting .226 with seven hits, three RBI and three walks during his last 11 games. He will be replaced by Corey Hart at first base.

Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon totaled two hits -- including his fourth double -- two runs and two RBI during a 16-4 rout of the Rays on Tuesday. He also had one walk for the seventh straight game.

Rendon pushed his hitting streak to seven games. He is batting .346 (9 for 26) with three doubles, three RBI, six runs, seven walks and two strikeouts in that span.

Rendon has totaled three multihit games since coming off the disbaled list June 4.

Braves second baseman Jace Peterson went 0 for 5 with three strikeouts in Tuesday's loss to Boston. 

Peterson's hitless day ended a nine-game hitting streak, which was the second longest active streak in the National League. 

Peterson hit .385 with six RBI and a 1.006 OPS over the streak.