MLB Player News

Nationals second baseman Anthony Rendon has been benched Sunday against Pittsburgh in favor of Danny Espinosa.

Rendon, who had started every game since June 4, is in a 2-for-16 mini-slump and owns a disappointing slash line on the year of .233/.333/.311.

Indians rookie third baseman Giovanny Urshela is out of the lineup Sunday against Tampa Bay. Mike Aviles is manning the position instead.

Urshela has performed decently since his promotion. He has hit safely in seven of his nine starts and owns a .242/.306/.343 slash line. He has also provided a distinct defensive upgrade.

Phillies left fielder Cody Asche was the lone bright spot in an otherwise meager offensive display on Saturday against the Cardinals. Asche went deep for his third home run of the season, a solo home run which accounted for all of the Phillies' scoring in the 10-1 rout.

The home run was Asche's first since April 22. Asche has generally been struggling at the plate after spending some time in the minor leagues. Since his return on May 29, Asche is batting .200 with 13 strikeouts to just three walks.

"It's not what I expect out of myself, not what I know that I have in me," Asche said, per MLB.com. "That gets frustrating at times. I'm not a .230 hitter, I know that. I'm not going to be. It's just a thing you've got to keep working through. Hopefully they keep trusting me and trusting in my ability. Hopefully tonight is a step in the right direction."

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria blasted his seventh home run of the year in his team's win over the Indians on Saturday.

Longoria went 1 for 3 with a three-run home run in the top of the first inning.

Longoria is now hitting .312 with 10 hits and six RBI over his last nine games.

White-hot Orioles third baseman Manny Machado continued to mash Saturday against Toronto with three hits, including two doubles, one of which scored two runs.

Machado has 10 hits in the last five games and has sweetened his already-sweet slash line to .298/.355/.519. He has 10 multi-hit performances in the last 14 games.

Twins shortstop Eduardo Escobar returns to the starting lineup for Saturday's game. 

Escobar will play short for the first time in five games and the 14th time this season. He'll bat eighth in the order. 

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe drove in four runs in Friday's win over the Cubs. 

Plouffe went 2 for 4 with two doubles. He has 16 doubles and 38 RBI on the year. 

It was Plouffe's biggest RBI day since he drove in five on May 3. 

Cubs infielder Mike Olt played in his first minor-league rehab game on Friday. Manning third base for Double-A Northwest Arkansas, Olt went 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored. 

The team has not unveiled any next steps in the infielder's recovery from a fractured wrist suffered in April.

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in Friday's win over Cleveland. 

The hitless game ended Longoria's hitting streak at seven. He hit .360 with .774 OPS over the streak. 

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado went 2 for 4 in Friday's loss to Toronto. 

Machado walked once and scored twice. He had two hits for the second straight game and stole a base, his eleventh of the year, for the second straight day.