MLB Player News

Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson was 1 for 3 with a solo home run in Toronto's win over Tampa Bay on Friday night.

We are running out of complimentary words to describe Donaldson's season. He now has 40 home runs - he passed 40 doubles on Wednesday - and 121 RBI to go with a very handy .301 average. Expect to see him prominently featured in MVP discussions as the season comes to a close.

Rockies All-Star second baseman DJ LeMahieu is not in the lineup Friday against the Dodgers, Eric Stephen of True Blue LA reports.

LeMahieu had started four straight games coming into Friday, but it appears to just be a regular day off. Rafael Ynoa will take over at second base in his absence and bat eighth.

Indians third baseman Giovanny Urshela (shoulder) is not in the lineup Friday against the Royals.

Urshela is nursing a shoulder injury and will now miss his seventh straight contest as a result. Jose Ramirez will man the hot corner in his stead and bat ninth.

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria went 3 for 4 with his 20th homer in a win over the Red Sox on Thursday.

It's nice to see Longoria hit that milestone, but his numbers are still lagging well behind those of the top third basemen in fantasy. This year was probably the last time we'll see fantasy owners pay a steep price for Longoria, as he's been consistently proving over the last two years that he doesn't belong in the upper echelon of hitting talent.

White Sox third baseman Mike Olt (shoulder) is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees, according to CSN's Dan Hayes. 

Olt will be held out Thursday after exiting the previous day's game with shoulder discomfort. It's not clear if the setback will cost him further action, but Tyler Saladino will man the hot corner for the White Sox on Thursday night.

Contrary to a previous report, Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado (head) is hitting third in Thursday's lineup against the Pirates, The Denver Post's Patrick Saunders reports. 

Saunders originally reported that Arenado was out of the lineup, but he was reading off the prior day's lineup card, so Arenado was not a late add, it was just an error by the reporter.

Thankfully his head injury appears to have been really minor and he should continue to man the hot corner for the Rockies over the rest of the season.

Rockies slugger Nolan Arenado is still sidelined Thursday against visiting Pittsburgh with a head injury, per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post.

He left the game Tuesday after landing on his forehead while diving for a grounder. Though he passed the initial concussion tests, the injury is still serious enough to force him to miss his second game in a row.

White Sox manager Robin Ventura said third baseman Mike Olt felt his shoulder 'go a bit numb' during Wednesday's game, the Chicago Tribune reports. 

The discomfort made it difficult for Olt to throw, so he left Wednesday's game in the fifth inning. He should be considered day to day moving forward, with Tyler Saladino and Gordon Beckham the likely candidates to replace him at third base.

Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson went 3 for 4 with his 40th double and a run scored against the Yankees on Wednesday.

It just seems like Donaldson does something to help fantasy owners every single day, so it's no surprise that he's among the leaders in the race to be named MVP of the American league. This is already his first season clearing 40 doubles, 100 RBI and 100 runs, and Donaldson's next long ball will give him his first 40-homer campaign.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado went 1 for 4 with his 30th homer -- a two-run shot -- against the Nationals on Wednesday.

Machado's career high in homers entering this season was just 14, but he hit a dozen in half a season last year, portending this season's power breakout. The great thing is, at age 23, Machado hasn't even entered his best years.