MLB Player News

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.

Rendon went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Reds.

The 25-year-old continued his productive start to June, as he's now hit safely in each of the first three contests in the new month. The homer was also the third for Rendon in the last 10 games, after he'd only smacked a pair between Opening Day and May 23. The Nats' third baseman is now slashing .500/.636/1.000 over his first eight at-bats in June.

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.

McMahon, 21, is batting just .225/.323/.349 with two home runs, 25 RBI and seven steals through 49 games for Double-A Hartford.

Other than the surprising uptick in stolen bases, it has been a lost season thus far for McMahon, who has experienced a power outage while also failing to hit for average.

Donaldson is dealing with a jammed thumb and is listed as day-to-day, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports.

Donaldson is out of the lineup Saturday due to some lingering thumb soreness stemming from Friday's game against the Red Sox. He is considered day-to-day, so there is hope that he won't miss much time beyond Saturday. Darwin Barney will slide over to start at third base for Saturday's contest.

Donaldson is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Red Sox.

Manager John Gibbons will give his star third baseman the day off Saturday with the Blue Jays facing knuckleballer Steven Wright. Darwin Barney will take over at the hot corner Saturday, but Donaldson should be expected to rejoin the lineup for Sunday's series finale in Boston.

Suarez went 3-for-4 with a solo homer, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 7-2 victory over the Nationals.

The 24-year-old has come out the gates smoking in June, now slashing .571/.667/1.571 over his first 11 at-bats of the month. The offensive outburst has already raised Suarez's average 23 points to .242, a much-needed boost after he produced a .173/.229/.357 line in May. Despite his forgettable stretch at the plate, Suarez's power never left him, and he's now up to 13 homers after hitting three over the last two games.