MLB Player News

Plouffe is not in the lineup Saturday against the Yankees, LaVelle Neal of the Star Tribune reports.

Plouffe will get a rare day off Saturday as the Twins go with Eduardo Nunez at third base in his stead. Expect Plouffe, who started the previous 11 games, to return to the field Sunday as Minnesota closes out the four-game set.

Donaldson went 3-for-4 with a triple, solo homer, three RBI, a walk and three runs in Friday's 13-3 victory over the Orioles.

Although he was naturally overshadowed by teammate Michael Saunders' three-homer night, Donaldson is stroking a bat as hot as the latter's. He extended his hitting streak to 10 games with his fourth consecutive multi-hit effort, and is just one homer short of matching his total for all of May. The 30-year-old slugger now has round-trippers in three of his last four games, and is hitting .373 (19-for-51) with four doubles, three triples, four homers and 17 RBI over 47 at-bats in June.

Escobar started at shortstop and went 3-for-4 with his first home run of the season in Friday's loss to the Yankees.

Escobar is hitting .326 (15-for-46) since returning from the disabled list May 23. However, he's having a hard time finding consistent playing time due to Eduardo Nunez's hot season. Escobar has started just four of the last 15 games.

Suarez went 1-for-4 with a double, a run, an RBI and a walk Friday at the Astros.

Suarez's double broke up a tie game in the 11th inning, which led to the Reds picking up the victory. Despite the heroics, he now has just six hits in his last 40 at-bats, and his batting average is at .227.

Alvarez is in the lineup, batting sixth at DH against Toronto on Friday.

Alvarez is retuning to the Orioles' lineup after sitting the last three games, making his 33rd start at DH this season. The 29-year-old is swinging a hot bat right now, homering twice in his last two starts while collecting three runs and three RBI.

Longoria (forearm) is back in the lineup playing third base and hitting third Friday against the Giants, the Tampa Tribune's Roger Mooney reports.

There aren't a lot of details available regarding the nature of Longoria's forearm discomfort, but it's possible there could be lingering issues that he attempts to play through. Nonetheless, he should be deployed as usual in most formats now that he's back in the mix.

Newman was promoted to Double-A Altoona on Friday, MLB.com's Adam Berry reports.

Newman returned to action earlier this week after missing three weeks with a fractured orbital bone, and a 7-for-11 stretch -- which raised his OPS with High-A Bradenton to .922 -- helped him quickly take the next step up the minor league ladder. Newman was selected in the first round last year and will turn 23 later this summer, so the Pirates figure to let him get a shot at the Triple-A level once he proves capable of handling Double-A pitching.

Longoria (forearm) hopes to return to the starting lineup for Friday's series opener versus the Giants, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The veteran third baseman was forced from Wednesday's game versus the Mariners early due to the discomfort he felt in his left forearm, and the ailment also caused him to sit out Thursday's series finale. Longoria also conceded that the same issue was the culprit behind him sitting out a game against the D-backs on June 7, but feels that the recent rest will facilitate a Friday return to the lineup. "It's really just when I check-swing it just gets sore," he said. "It's the same symptoms as it was last time. It feels pretty much identical. And it responded well the next day after that so that leads me to believe it will be hopefully the same thing."

Rendon went 1-for-4 with a solo homer and a walk Thursday at the Padres.

Rendon's seventh blast of the year extended the Nationals' lead to two runs in the sixth inning to help lead the team to a win. He's now produced only five hits in his last 31 at-bats, and he's slashing .254/.336/.407.

Donaldson went 3-for-3 with a double, two walks and three runs in Thursday's 13-2 rout of the Phillies.

This season hasn't quite been a repeat of Donaldson's MVP-worthy 2015, but he's been ramping things up in a big way of late -- over the last nine games, Donaldson's gone 16-for-34 (.471) with three homers, two steals, 13 RBI and 14 runs. He also has more walks (eight) than strikeouts (six) in that span. In fact, Donaldson has raised his walk rate to a career-high 15.1 percent this year. The 30-year-old looks like he's destined to end up in that MVP conversation again after all.