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Juan Uribe returns from back issue

Uribe went 0 for 3 in the game with a walk, in a 6-4 loss. He did not appear in the second game of the doubleheader. Uribe is batting .267 on the season.

Eric Chavez progress nicely

"Everything has been good -- hitting, running, throwing," Chavez said. "I didn't know really what to expect, but [it's] gone really good."

Chavez has been out since May 30, and thinks he will only need a few days of rehab to get his timing back once he is healthy enough to go out.

"I told [manager Kirk Gibson] as far as timing is concerned, I don't need much," Chavez said. "For me, it will be more how does a check swing feel, how does a swing and miss feel, how does a 2-0 swing feel, all that stuff more than my timing. It doesn't take me long. I've only been out three weeks or whatever, so it's not going to take long."

Still no timetable for Brett Lawrie

Pablo Sandoval to begin rehab Saturday

Phillies promote Maikel Franco to Double-A

Franco, 20, dominated at high Class A Clearwater, where he hit .299/.349/.576 with 16 home runs in just 65 games. With the Phillies lacking an obvious long-term third baseman -- Michael Young is 36 years old and on an expiring contract -- Franco's stock will be worth watching closely as the Phillies look to fill the hot corner.

Michael Young triples up on doubles

Young went 3 for 4 in the game with an RBI and two runs scored. He now has 12 doubles to go with a .288 average, the highest it has been since May 21. 

Matt Dominguez swats grand slam

Conor Gillaspie homers in defeat

Gillaspie went deep in the second inning for a two-run shot off Mike Pelfrey. It was his fifth HR of the year.

Gillaspie finished 1 for 4 in the game and is now batting .254.

The 25-year-old has gone 3 for 8 in his last two games and that is a hot streak compared to how he was hitting earlier in June.

Manny Machado first to 100 hits

Machado, who leads the majors with 101 hits, went 2 for 5 with yet another double as he continues to lead the majors in two-baggers by a wide margin with 33. He's batting .324 and has five homers, 37 RBI and 46 runs scored. 

Evan Longoria feels fine after playing third

Longoria, who had been limited to playing designated hitter while he was dealing with plantar fasciitis, went 0 for 3 with a walk and a run scored in the 5-1 loss to the Red Sox in the opener. He's batting .303 on the year. 

Alex Liddi sent back down

Don't freak out about Anthony Rendon

My response: Why worry?

I don't mean about anything ever. I just mean that this particular situation doesn't warrant it. The Nationals already have said Espinosa has to start producing before he gets back, and so far, he's hititng as poorly on his minor-league rehab assignment as he did in the majors, going 2 for 13. I don't see how it gets better. He's playing with a rotator cuff and a bone chip in his wrist. I understand he wants to play and thinks he can, but every body (not to mention everybody) has its limits.

The Nationals may not consider Espinosa a lost cause for this season, but to me, it's such a likely scenario that, for the sake of having high-end production at second base, I prefer to hold on to Rendon and hope for the best.

Kevin Youkilis out 10-12 weeks

Youkilis has not played since June 13, and was initially placed on the disabled list with a lumbar strain. He is hitting .219/.305/.343 in 105 at-bats. He'll have surgery Thursday.

Todd Frazier having a solid June

While Frazier's overall line (.245 average, .762 OPS) leaves little to be desired, most of the damage came from an ugly May -- he was solid in April and relatively hot in June. The upside here is a decent average (maybe .260-ish), with around 25 home runs and 10-12 steals. Considering Frazier has first and third base eligibility, he gets a small boost in value for the multi-positionality. 

He's not a slam-dunk option for all leagues, but Frazier should be considered for a starting spot in most formats.

Mark DeRosa playing third

DeRosa has seen a lot of playing time with Brett Lawrie sidelined. He's also been utilized as a middle-of-the-order hitter. DeRosa will bat fifth against Rockies starter Jeff Francis. DeRosa is hitting .226/.302/.419 in 93 at-bats. 

Mike Moustakas starting fourth straight game

Moustakas has seen his playing time come into question lately, as Miguel Tejada has seen more games at third. Moustakas has scuffled this year, hitting just .183/.249/.279 in 197 at-bats. He'll have an opportunity to get things going against Indians starter Ubaldo Jimenez.

Mark Reynolds will benefit from move off third base

Across 117 at-bats as the team's third baseman, Reynolds has hit .171 with five home runs and a .553 OPS. But  in 71 at-bats as a first baseman, Reynolds has hit .310 with five home runs and a .948 OPS. And in 46 at-bats as DH, Reynolds has hit .261 with a .939 OPS and four home runs. 

With Lonnie Chisenhall being recalled Tuesday, Reynolds will move back to first base and DH duty. This could bring with it an uptick in his offensive output and give his 55 percent starting percentage a decent boost. 

Lonnie Chisenhall should be added in most formats

Chisenhall had a rough go of things earlier in the season, hitting .213 with three home runs in his first 94 at-bats with Cleveland. But the former top-25 prospect had shown plenty of promise in the minors before 2013, with a decent average, nice power potential and a handful of steals. 

Chisenhall will probably play every day (with Mark Reynolds moving back to first base/DH), and is rosterable in most formats, especially considering the disappointing crop of third basemen so far. He should be good for double-digit home runs and a .265-.280 average. 

Indians recall Lonnie Chisenhall

Chisenhall will immediately return to the team's starting lineup. He's batting seventh against Royals starter Ervin Santana Tuesday. Chisenhall hit .390 in 105 at-bats at Triple-A. 

Chisenhall hit .213/.253/.351 in 94 at-bats in the majors. 

Multi-hit games eluding Chase Headley

Headley is batting .164 (10 for 61) with one home run, six RBI, seven walks, eight runs and 14 strikeouts in 16 June games (15 starts).

Nationals facing tough decision at second base

"Now that Danny is healthy he needs to go ahead and show what he is capable of doing," manager Davey Johnson said Monday, per The Washington Post. "He certainly has the talent to do it. What Rendon is doing doesn’t have any bearing on what he is doing. He needs to get comfortable on both sides of the dish and do the things he is capable of doing. I know he is handling it defensively. Is he in a good frame of mind? Is he getting in a good groove left and right? And not worry about anything other than that.”

General manager Mike Rizzo said previously Espinosa, who hit .158 prior to going on the DL, could end up in the minors once he's ready to return and it's becoming a real possibility thanks to Rendon, who is batting .344 in 18 games.

"I don’t think there’s a better defensive second baseman in the league than Danny Espinosa," Johnson said. "But the one thing we want is Danny to be comfortable on both sides of the dish. And when he does that, he could be All-Star. It’s that simple."

Evan Longoria returns to third base

Longoria had been limited to playing designated hitter while he was dealing with plantar fasciitis. The injury was not thought to be serious, and Longoria was able to shake it after a few days coming off the bench. Longoria is hitting .306/.365/.552 in 268 at-bats. 

Report: Alex Liddi headed to Triple-A

Liddi went 0 for 1 with a strikeout Monday in Anaheim. He's batting .059 over 17 at-bats for the Mariners. 

Alberto Callaspo adds four to Angels hit parade

Callaspo singled for all four hits and drove in two runs with two runs scored. His single to center in the sixth inning plated Albert Pujols and Howie Kendrick. 

The No. 7 batter went 4 for 5 and is now batting .250 on the year. Callaspo has gone 6 for 13 over his last three games with four runs driven in. He has four homers and 24 RBI on the year for the Angels. 

Miguel Cabrera homers among three hits

Cabrera hit his 19th home run of the season in the first inning off starter Jake Arrieta for a two-run shot. The Tigers won 5-1. 

Cabrera finished 3 for 4 in the game with two RBI and is batting .358 for the Tigers. The three-hit game was his first multi-hit contest since picking up three hits against Tampa Bay back on June 6. That said, Cabrera still leads the American League in batting and RBI. 

Pablo Sandoval could begin rehab assignment Friday

Sandoval, who last played on June 8, has been dealing with a strained tendon in his left foot. If all goes well with his rehab assignment, he'll likely come off the disabled list early next week.

Lonnie Chisenhall worth a speculative add in deeper leagues

There's always a chance the team just plugs Yan Gomes in at first and leaves everyone else in their respective places, but a move back to first could benefit Reynolds, who is hitting .171 with a .553 OPS in 117 at-bats as a third baseman, but was hitting .299 with a .946 OPS in 67 at-bats at first. 

Chisenhall is a solid speculative add in deeper (14 team Roto) formats. If he gets called up, he offers some nice value in batting average and power. 

GM concerned about Kevin Youkilis

"Back issues usually don’t get better," Cashman said, per The Journal News. 

Youkilis has been sidelined for all but 28 games this season because of his back injury. Cashman added the Yankees went ahead and signed Youkilis this offseason because he passed his physical with flying colors and "comfort level knowing the White Sox offered him a two-year deal and that’s where he just came from."

Alex Rodriguez set to face live pitching

Luis Valbuena jumps to leadoff spot

Valbuena will face Cardinals rookie Shelby Miller Monday. Valbuena is hitting .244/.357/.417 in 156 at-bats. Valbuena's .257 on-base percentage is the best among the team's normal starters.  

Joaquin Arias adjusts quickly to starting role

Arias is batting .387 (12 for 31) with one double, two runs and four RBI in his last seven games -- all starts at third base.

Nolan Arenado emerges from month-long slump

Arenado's batting average has risen from .221 to .268 during his recent 11-game run. Prior to his hot streak, Arenado hit .190 (19 for 100) over a 28-game stretch from May 7-June 4, which dropped his average from .323 to .221.

Josh Donaldson has slump-breaking performance?

Donaldson doubled, hit a solo home run and scored twice in a 10-2 rout of Seattle. Donaldson hit his second June home run and compiled his fifth multi-hit game this month. Donaldson is batting .254 (15 for 59) with two doubles and 10 RBI in 14 June games.

Pedro Alvarez hits another home run

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Alvarez hit a three-run home run on the sixth pitch of his at-bat against Zack Greinke. Alvarez is now hitting .213/.283/.454 in 207 at-bats.

Matt Dominguez ends RBI slide

Dominguez hit .207 (6 for 29) with a double between three-RBI games.

Anthony Rendon keeps producing

Rendon is batting .461 (18 for 39) with one home run, five RBI, six runs and six doubles during his 10-game hitting streak. He has obviously hit safely in all nine games since his recall in early June.

Will Middlebrooks bashes three-run homer

Middlebrooks went deep for the ninth time this season off starter Miguel Gonzalez for the only three runs the starter allowed. He's batting .199 on the year. 

Middlebrooks has struggled for most of the season for the Red Sox, but a rest Saturday apparently did him some good. 

Placido Polanco has successful return

He had come into Sunday without an RBI in his last 16 games (15 starts). In fact, Polanco had just one RBI in 37 games from April 23-June 15.

Juan Uribe scratched with back tightness

Aramis Ramirez to DH during Houston series

Anthony Rendon learning nuances of new position

"It has been working great. I'm trying to get feedback from anybody that could help me out," Rendon said, per MLB.com. "You never stop learning from this game. That's the crazy thing. I'm trying to do too much. I'm just trying to make the plays."

Eckstein said Rendon has done a nice job transitioning from third base to second base, but he's still learning the position. He's committed two errors in eight games at second base.

"He just has to be out there and play," Eckstein said. "The other day, we had a situation where there was a potential play at the plate, and he wanted to make sure he was in the right spot. We confirmed to him that he was in the right spot. We want to make sure he is backing up the right way, and him and [shortstop Ian Desmond] work together. The more he is out there, the more he is going to learn."

Manny Machado on record pace for doubles

Machado has gone 18 for 57 (.316) over that stretch with six doubles, six RBI and seven runs scored. The doubles are what are setting Machado apart this season. Machado is leading the majors by a wide margin in doubles with 31. 

His 30 doubles over his first 68 games played this season put him in some very rare company. Machado's 30 doubles over his first 68 games are the most by any player under the age of 22 since 1920. That tops Ted Williams' 25 in 1939 and Joe DiMaggio's 24 in 1936. Machado is currently on pace to shatter the major league record for doubles in a season. 

Machado leads the major leagues in hits with 97 as Miguel Cabrera's 92 are second. He has 36 RBI and a .324 batting average to go with it. 

Jose Iglesias making first start at second

Seeing plenty of time around the diamond due to his hot bat, Iglesias has gone 18 for 39 (.462) over 12 games in June with a homer, four RBI and nine runs scored. He's hitting .447 overall through 85 at-bats. 

Aramis Ramirez out of Sunday lineup

Ed Lucas making most of PT since promotion

Lucas is batting .333 (14 for 42) with two doubles, four RBI, six walks and seven runs in 11 June games (10 starts).

Todd Frazier gets day off

Placido Polanco 'back' in starting lineup

Maikel Franco close to Double-A promotion

His strong first half likely means he will be on the move to Double-A Reading shortly, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Franco entered the season as the Phillies' 11th-best prospect, according to MLB.com.

"We'll have some things like that going on," director of player development Joe Jordan said when asked about Franco's potential promotion to Reading.

David Freese homers in big game

Freese finished a robust 3 for 4 with three runs scored, two RBI and a walk. Freese is hitting .292, but his .410 slugging percentage is his worst mark in three years. Freese is hitting more ground balls than ever (58 percent), so there's no guarantee his power returns to its previous level.

Anthony Rendon's first homer a game-winner

Trevor Plouffe flirts with cycle

Quiet day for Josh Donaldson

Placido Polanco makes late appearance

Alex Rodriguez runs the bases

Manager Joe Girardi said Rodriguez ran at 75 percent. Rodriguez ran sprints around the back of the diamond Friday. He does not have a timetable to return yet.

Josh Donaldson returns for Oakland

Donaldson enters with just one hit over his last four games spanning 17 at-bats.  

Brett Lawrie doesn't begin rehab Saturday