MLB Player News

Phillies third baseman Cody Asche could be activated from the disabled list Thursday, MLB.com reports.

Asche is on the disabled list with a strained hamstring, but he began a Class A rehab assignment Friday and hasn't suffered any setbacks. He has hit .258/.346/.425 with four home runs and 18 RBI in 120 at-bats.

Royals infielder Danny Valencia began his minor-league rehab assignment Tuesday at Triple-A Omaha, as he works his way back from a hand injury.

Valencia started at third base for the Storm Chasers, going 2 for 4 at the plate. He added a walk and drove in one run on a solo home run in his return to action. 

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado will stay with the team through the weekend, as he continues to wait on an appeal hearing for his suspension.

According to MASNSports.com, Machado's hearing will come after the team's upcoming series in New York. That means he will not begin serving his suspension until at least Monday against the White Sox, when the Orioles return from a road trip. 

Even with a slow start to his season, Evan Longoria ranks seventh among third basemen in standard Head-to-Head leagues and ninth in Rotisserie leagues. Among a relatively weak crop of third basemen, those rankings are not so impressive, but Longoria appears to be well on his way to re-establishing himself as an elite at the position.

Longoria has been missing power for most of this season, as he is slugging just .401, but as his flyball rate has increased in recent weeks, so has his rate of extra-base hits. He has hit a home run and two doubles over his last three games, and over his last 21 games, Longoria has posted a .275/.363/.475 slash line.

The one area where Longoria may not improve much is run production, as the Rays' lineup as a whole has struggled. That could prevent him from scoring or driving in more than 80 runs, and for that reason, I have dropped him from second to fourth in my third baseman rankings.

Stil, with improved plate discipline and no erosion in his contact rate, all Longoria needed was more power to approach his prior form and value. His year-to-date stats are still mediocre, so now is a good time to try to buy Longoria at a discount, before his numbers start to reflect his rebound.

The Athletics dropped slumping third baseman Josh Donaldson to sixth in the batting order Sunday. He's mired in a 2-for-40 skid.

"It's just a little bit of a change of scenery, which you do from time to time just to mix things up," manager Bob Melvin told MLB.com. "I talked to him about it [Saturday] night so he was aware. But he hits two, three and four for us, and it won't be long before he's back."

It was Donaldson's first time batting sixth since Aug. 19, 2013. He went 1 for 4 with an RBI, and is hitting .250 with 17 homers and 51 RBI.

Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado is expected to get more X-rays Thursday on his broken left finger, per The Denver Post. The Rockies are expecting to outline a timeframe for Arenado's return following Thursday's exam.

"Everything is pending that X-ray," Rockies trainer Keith Dugger said. "He's done everything he can do. The only things he's not doing is taking groundballs and swinging."

Although Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon had to bat leadoff Sunday at St. Louis in place of the injured Denard Span, he's found a home in the Washington lineup batting second.

In 45 games hitting second, Rendon is batting .269 with a .440 slugging percentage, .773 OPS, three triples, six home runs, seven doubles, 21 RBI and 35 runs.

"I think he's pretty good where he's at," Washington manager Matt Williams said. "He sees a lot of pitches, which contributes to his on-base percentage. He's got the ability to hit the other way, he handles the bat well, he's pretty suited for No. 2. He could lead off if we needed him to lead off. He could probably hit five or six and drive runs in as well, we've seen him do that as well. But I think right now he's a pretty good two-hole hitter.

"He's still pretty young -- last year was his first year, it's not like he's been around 10, but he's handled it fine. He stays on pitches, he hits the breaking ball well, he hits the ball to right field and will move a runner when we need to move a runner, he handles the bat. So it's a pretty good spot for him."

Twins infielder Trevor Plouffe is expected to land on the disabled list Sunday.

Plouffe is dealing with an oblique strain. X-rays came back negative, so the team ruled out any broken ribs. Plouffe is hitting .241/.320/.400 in 245 at-bats.

Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson was ejected from Saturday's 5-1 win over the Yankees for arguing balls and strikes at the end of the seventh inning after going 0 for 4 at the plate.

Donaldson has been absymal over the last week-plus, going 0 for 29 in his last seven games. After finishing May with a .280/.375/.550 line, the third baseman has now hit .250/.338/.493 with 17 home runs and 50 RBI in 268 at-bats.

X-rays have ruled out broken ribs for Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Plouffe believes he's suffered a bruise or strain in the rib/oblique area. His availability Sunday will depend on how he feels after a night of rest, but he appears unlikely to play. The Twins are expected to make at least one roster move before Sunday's game after suffering multiple injuries Saturday.