MLB Player News

Valencia (hamstring) is back in the lineup Friday against the Rays, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Renewed hamstring tightness cost Valencia a couple starts, but he will return Friday to take on right-hander Jake Odorizzi. The 31-year-old Valencia continues to hit both lefties and righties at a good clip, but there hasn't been any power to speak of to this point, and until he starts barreling the ball more consistently Valencia will remain merely a deep-league option.

Segura went 3-for-5 with a steal and a run in a loss to the Giants on Thursday.

Don't lay this one on the D-backs' leadoff man, who now owns a 10-game hitting streak and a lofty .353 average for the season. His unimpressive success rate on steals (5-for-8) and lack of walks are really the only marks against him, and they can't be considered major ones in his case. Surprisingly given Arizona's scary lineup, Segura's only scored 19 times in 34 games -- that's not a bad rate, but it also puts him outside the National League's top 20 in runs. The culprit: still-cold slugger Paul Goldschmidt, who hasn't been driving in runs with anything resembling his usual proficiency.

Rivera was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs on Thursday.

With Scooter Gennett coming off the disabled list Thursday, Rivera was the likeliest candidate to be sent down to clear a spot on the active roster. He slashed an unplayable .196/.213/.261 at the plate through 46 at-bats with the Brewers prior to his demotion. The 24-year-old infielder will head down to Triple-A to see more regular playing time.

Arenado went 3-for-4 with a walk and his league-leading 13th homer of the season in Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Arenado's two-out solo shot in the bottom of the eighth helped the Rockies end a Coors Field losing streak at seven games with a much-needed 8-7 victory. The third baseman is elite across the board in practically every category and, although it's early, Arenado certainly looks like a legitimate MVP candidate.

Rendon went 2-for-4 with a double, a steal and two runs against the Tigers on Wednesday.

It's been a slog for the talented 25-year-old this year, as he's sitting on an easily career-worst .619 OPS, but he does at least have consecutive multi-hit games now. Still, the power that he showed during his lone healthy season has not been in evidence this year, and his modest speed contributions aren't really making up for it. Better times are surely ahead, but Rendon's a hard player to predict because of the way injuries have repeatedly derailed him throughout his career.

Donaldson went 4-for-6 with a double, two runs, and a walk in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Giants.

The slugger didn't go deep, but he still provided his fantasy owners with a very solid day. He has consistently been Toronto's best hitter and is looking to follow up his 2015 MVP performance with another strong campaign this season.

Duffy collected three hits and stole a base during Wednesday's 5-4 win over Toronto.

Hitting third in the order, Duffy ended a three-game hitless drought. The young infielder started the season hot but has cooled since then. His .261 average is below his career .285 number, but he looks to be an important part of San Francisco's offense. The stolen base was his fourth of the season, putting him on pace to pass his career mark of 12 set last season.

Asche (oblique) will play in a full nine-inning extended spring training game Thursday, Meghan Montemurro of The News Journal reports.

Asche is returning from an oblique injury that he suffered in late March and has just recently begun baseball-related activities. After swinging a bat earlier this week, the Phillies are now giving the 25-year-old the green light to play in an extended spring training game. Pending any setbacks in his outing on Thursday, the outfielder should be closing in on a rehab assignment in the coming weeks with a possible return to the majors later this month.

Valencia (hamstring) is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Red Sox.

This is the second consecutive game Valencia is missing after coming out of Monday's game with hamstring tightness. Valencia's off to a strong start on the season, hitting for a .311/.354/.361 slash line. Throughout his career, he's always been an excellent hitter against lefties, but is hitting .319 against righties versus .286 against lefties this season. Yonder Alonso remains in the lineup at third base on Wednesday.

Ramirez (hand/wrist) is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Astros.

He was hit on the hand/wrist by a pitch in Tuesday's game and was sent for X-rays, although the team said those X-rays were a precaution. Ramirez does not play every day, even when healthy, so with Thursday being an off day, the team may be taking advantage of the opportunity to give him a couple days to rest in advance of the weekend series against the Twins. Marlon Byrd will start in left field with Juan Uribe manning the hot corner Wednesday.