MLB Player News

Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis gets a break from the field on Sunday. Kipnis will lead off and play designated hitter for Sunday's game. 

Kipnis had started the last 20 games at second base and has started 85 of the team's 87 games there this season. The only other time he DHed this season was June 20. 

Jose Ramirez, called up from Triple-A on Saturday, gets his first start of the season at second base. 

Phillies left fielder Cody Asche became the first Phillies player to hit a home run into McCovey Cove on Saturday. Asche blasted a sixth-inning two-run home run that made into to the water beyond the right-field stands.

It was Asche's fifth home run of the year, but it wasn't enough to aviod the 8-5 loss to the Giants on Saturday. 

Giants third baseman Matt Duffy stuffed the box score once again on Saturday. Duffy fell a home run shy of the cycle, as he went 3 for 4 with a double, a triple, two RBI and a run scored in the 8-5 win over the Phillies. 

Duffy hit a go-ahead triple in the sixth, giving the Giants a 5-4 lead. The 24-year-old rookie is batting .344 with four doubles and three triples in his last 15 games.

National League All-Star manager Bruce Bochy indicated that Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu will replace Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon in the starting lineup of this year's All-Star game.

LeMahieu has had a solid first half for the Rockies, as he owns a .310 batting average following his 1-for-3 day at the plate on Saturday. LeMahieu, who was selected to his first All-Star game last weekend, was the winner of the players' vote, which is why Bochy elected to have him start the game, according to CSN Bay Area.

Gordon, who had been voted by the fans to start, was forced out of the Midsummer Classic after dislocating his thumb on Saturday.

Shortstop Eugenio Suarez was a scarce offensive bright spot for the Reds on Saturday, as they were creamed 14-3 by the Marlins. Suarez launched a solo home run in the second inning, give the Reds a brief 1-0 lead. It was is fourth home run of the season, and his only hit of the day. 

Danny Valencia came through with a big three-run home run in the Blue Jays' 6-2 win over the Royals on Saturday. Valencia slugged his sixth homer of the season in the top of the ninth inning to give the Jays a four-run cushion.

Valencia did not start the game, but he entered in the sixth inning for Josh Donaldson who felt ill. Valencia has now homered three times in his last 11 games. 

Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson was forced to leave Saturday's game in the bottom of the sixth, due to illness. 

The team confirmed that Donaldson was suffering from flu-like symptoms, per TSN Radio.

"Donaldson has been sick, and then it was a tough day with the heat," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said, per MLB.com. "He was a little dehydrated."

The Indians placed infielder Mike Aviles on the MLB Family Medical Emergency list, the team announced on Saturday. 

To replace Aviles, the team recalled infielder Jose Ramirez from Triple-A Columbus. 

Ramirez was hitting .349 with 13 stolen bases at Columbus. He hit .180 with eight steals in an earlier stint with the Indians this year. 

Giants third baseman Matt Duffy was struggling at the plate leading into Friday's meeting with the Phillies. He had just three hits over his last seven games.

On Friday, Duffy broke out of that slump and went 4 for 6 with two RBI. He boosted his batting average from .283 to .292 with the impressive outing.

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura went 3 for 4 and scored a run in the 3-2 loss to the Dodgers on Friday. All three hits went for singles, and he was also caught stealing for the third time this year.

This was the fourth three-hit performance this month for Segura, who is batting a robust .469 (15 for 32) in eight games so far in July. Interestingly, none of the 15 hits Segura has collected this month have gone for extra bases.