MLB Player News

Rendon (toe) is available to pinch hit Saturday against the Dodgers, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports.

The third baseman is being held out of the lineup for the seventh game in a row, but it seems like the team is confident enough in his health to let him come off the bench if need be. Wilmer Difo will start at the hot corner in his place, but it seems like Rendon is getting closer to a return.

Rendon (toe) remains out of the lineup Saturday against the Dodgers.

Rendon has been out for seven straight games after fouling a pitch off his toe more than a week ago. The Nationals probably wish they had placed him on the disabled list right away, as he'd be nearly eligible to return, but since DL stints can only be backdated by three days, he'd be out at least a week if the Nationals decide to place him on the DL now. Wilmer Difo will get another start at third base in his place.

Escobar is not in the lineup Saturday against the Rays, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Escobar has taken over as the everyday shortstop in Minnesota while Jorge Polanco is suspended. Saturday will be just his third game out of the lineup. He's doing a solid job filling in for Polanco, hitting .277/.321/.468 through 53 plate appearances. Signs point to those numbers falling, though, as he's benefiting from a .353 BABIP and has a career-high 26.4 percent strikeout rate. Ehire Adrianza will start at shortstop in his place.

Moncada went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Friday's 10-0 loss to the Astros.

Moncada has kickstarted his running game, stealing a base in four straight contests. Prior to this run, he had not attempted a steal over his first 12 games. There's still too much swing-and-miss in his plate appearances, but Moncada gets his share of walks and opportunities to steal bags.

Muncy got another start at the hot corner Friday, going 0-for-4 in a loss to the Nationals.

Muncy was called up after Logan Forsythe (shoulder) was placed on the disabled list earlier this week. The 27-year-old has started both of the last two contests, both against right-handed starters, placing him on the strong side of a platoon at third with Kyle Farmer. Forsythe isn't expected to be out for long, so this uptick in playing time will be short-lived for the utility infielder. That said, Muncy posted a healthy .309/.414/.491 slash line over 379 plate appearances with Triple-A Oklahoma City last season, so there could be some value to be had for those in deep and NL-only formats, as well as a bargain play in DFS in games with a scheduled righty on the mound.

Segura went 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored, two RBI and two stolen bases in Friday's 6-2 win over the Rangers.

The steals were only his second and third of the year, but otherwise Segura has had a nice start to 2018, slashing .303/.329/.447 with a home run, 10 RBI and 12 runs in 18 games. Dee Gordon is enjoying a similarly strong start, and the duo should continue to put plenty of pressure on opposition pitching staffs as the season progresses -- and provide plenty of RBI opportunities for Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz.

Machado went 1-for-3 with a walk and clubbed his sixth home run of the season in Friday's win over the Indians.

Machado now has three home runs over the past two games, all solo shots. The 25-year-old continues to see the ball well and now has an eight-game hitting streak, with a .338/.418/.650 slash line in 80 at-bats on the season.

Suarez (thumb) will travel with the Reds to St. Louis and participate in some fielding and light throwing drills, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Suarez remarked that he has been feeling "much, much better" but he still isn't ready to resume swinging a bat at this time. This is yet another step forward in his return from a fractured thumb that he suffered in early April, though the 26-year-old remains without a timetable for his return.

Rendon (toe) is not in the lineup Friday against the Dodgers.

This is the sixth game in a row that Rendon will miss after fouling a ball off his toe a week ago. No word on how soon he'll return to the lineup has emerged, though the extended absence certainly isn't a good sign. Wilmer Difo will man the hot corner once again in his absence.

Arenado is hitting fourth Friday against the Cubs, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Arenado is normally a staple in the third spot of the Rockies' batting order, but manager Bud Black appears to be switching things up. Charlie Blackmon hit third while Arenado was serving his suspension, and it seems like the team was satisfied enough with what they saw during that time to give that alignment a longer look. Arenado's run-producing outlook remains largely the same moving forward, but he could lose out on a few at-bats if the one-spot drop in the order sticks for the remainder of the year.