MLB Player News

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez was held out of the starting lineup Wednesday vs. L.A. Dodgers after leaving Tuesday's game due to knee discomfort. Josh Harrison started in Alvarez's absence.

Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado has been struggling to hit for power since returning from a thumb injury, but he didn't struggle in the third inning of a Tuesday night loss to Washington.

Arenado slammed his first homer since May 5, a two-run job against Jordan Zimmermann. Despite the power outage, Arenado does have nine hits in his last eight games.

Cubs infielder Mike Olt has been optioned to Triple-A Tuesday.

Olt has struggled this season, hitting just .139 over 187 at-bats. He's been able to provide some pop, hitting 12 home runs. Olt was optioned following Tuesday's game. He went 0 for 4, with three strikeouts. 

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez was removed from Tuesday's game with a knee issue.

Alvarez left the game with left knee discomfort. He was 1 for 2, with a double, before being removed from the game. 

Phillies third baseman Cody Asche put together a solid performance Monday, though it came ina  7-4 loss to the Giants.

Asche went 3 for 4 with three singles in the loss, just one night after he struck out in all four of his at-bats. He scored once in the loss.

Asche is hitting .256/.306/.401 in 227 at-bats on the season.  

In order to keep Arismendy Alcantara on the roster, the Cubs might be faced with a difficult decision to to demote outfielder Junior Lake or infielder Mike Olt, who are both struggling offensively, to Triple-A Iowa, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

"I don’t want to speculate on any of that," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said Saturday. "They’ve been working hard. They stay positive, and they’ve been handling it extremely well. One of the things I try to talk to them about is not to focus so much on the results. I want them to focus on the at-bat."

The Phillies feel third baseman Cody Asche could make the switch to another position once prospect Maikel Franco is ready to take over at the hot corner. However, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said the team isn't at that crossroad yet since they don't see Franco as being ready for the majors, per The Philadelphia Inquirer.

"He could," Amaro Jr. said of a position switch for Asche. "He's athletic enough. But there is not anyone pushing him right now. Maikel isn't pushing him."

Brewers infielder Jean Segura is back in the starting lineup Friday against the Nationals, after he was reinstated from the bereavement list earlier in the day.  

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura was reinstated from the bereavement list Friday, after he spent nearly a week away from the team dealing with a death in the family. The Brewers open a series against the Nationals Friday, though it is not yet clear if he will be in the lineup for that evening's game, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said Thursday shortstop Jean Segura rejoined the team Wednesday one week after Segura’s 9-month-old son passed away in the Dominican Republic, and added Segura will be activated off the bereavement list for the weekend series against the Nationals, per MLB.com.

"He’s back in town. He got back last night and I talked to him, and he’s ready to go," Roenicke told 620-AM WTMJ’s Greg Matzek on Thursday. "He needs to do this, he feels, to keep his mind off of some things. So he’ll be back with us. I don’t know that he’ll be playing every day at the beginning. It’s kind of up to him and how he feels. But he wants to do this, so he’ll meet us there tomorrow."