Valbuena is not in the lineup against the Red Sox on thursday.

Valbuena will take the night off after starting each of the last four games at third base. All signs point to him returning to the lineup Friday in Kansas City.

Valbuena went 4-for-5 with a double and four RBI during Houston's 10-0 rout of Texas on Sunday.

The 29-year-old third baseman is hitting .207/.290/.435 with 19 home runs and 40 RBI over 294 at-bats for the Astros this season.

Valbuena is back in the lineup Saturday against the Rangers.

Marwin Gonzalez had started the last two games at third base for the Astros, but Valbuena will draw back into the lineup Saturday against Rangers' righty Colby Lewis. Valbuena, who is batting fifth, is 1-for-8 lifetime against Lewis. That lone hit, however, was a home run.

Valbuena is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.

With Houston closing out the first half against left-handed Matt Moore, it comes as no surprise to see Valbuena out of the lineup. Unless he adds to his totals as a pinch-hitter, Valbuena will enter the break with 19 homers, 36 RBI, 43 runs and a stolen base, but with a .199/.285/.430 batting line.

Valbuena (toe) is back in the lineup Thursday against the Indians, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Valbuena missed the last three games due to a sprained big toe, but he's back at his usual third base spot Thursday. He'll bat cleanup against Cleveland starter Cody Anderson.

Valbuena (toe) is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Indians.

Valbuena sprained his left big toe over the weekend, and he'll remain out of the lineup for the third straight day. Marwin Gonzalez will draw another start at the hot corner in Valbuena's place.

Valbuena (toe) is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Indians.

Diagnosed with a sprained toe following X-rays on Monday, Valbuena will be out of the lineup for a second straight game. Marwin Gonzalez will get the start at third base, while Valbuena can still be considered day-to-day.

Houston Astros third baseman Luis Valbuena is not in the starting lineup for the second consecutive day Tuesday against the Cleveland Indians because of a sprained toe, according to the team's official website.

Houston Astros third baseman Luis Valbuena is not in the starting lineup for the second consecutive day Tuesday against the Cleveland Indians because of a sprained toe, according to the team's official website. Marwin Gonzalez will start in Valbuena's place.

Valbuena was diagnosed with a sprained left big toe following X-rays on Monday, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports.

With Valbuena day-to-day with the injury, Marwin Gonzalez will draw the start at third base for Monday's game against the Indians. The Astros will see how Valbuena progresses in the next couple days before determining if a trip to the DL is necessary, but with an extended gap in the schedule coming next week with the All-Star break, he wouldn't have to miss much action if the injury proves to be a short-term situation.

Valbuena (toe) is not in the lineup Monday against the Indians.

Valbuena has been bothered by soreness in his big toe recently, and he'll be held out Monday and should be considered day-to-day. Marwin Gonzalez will take Valbuena's spot at third base.

Valbuena has been bothered recently by some soreness in his big toe, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Valbuena didn't seem too bothered by the injury at Fenway Park this weekend, going 4-for-12 with three walks, though he still hasn't gone deep since June 23. He might get a day or two off this week, but it doesn't sound as if he's in any immediate danger of missing extended time.

Houston Astros third baseman Luis Valbuena has been bothered recently by some soreness in his big toe, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Houston Astros third baseman Luis Valbuena has been bothered recently by some soreness in his big toe, according to the Houston Chronicle. Valbuena still had four hits and three walks in 12 at-bats during a weekend series against the Boston Red Sox.

Valbuena is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Royals.

With the Astros facing left-handed Danny Duffy, it will be Marwin Gonzalez starting at third base. Valbuena sometimes stays in the lineup against southpaws, but he only has a .165/.242/.353 slash line against them this season, albeit with five home runs in 85 at-bats.

Valbuena hit two home runs Tuesday against the Angels as part of a 3-for-5 game with three runs scored and three RBI.

Valbuena now has six home runs in his past 10 games played and continues to have one of the best power seasons for a sub-.200 hitter since Mark McGwire hit 29 home runs (.187/.316/.492) for the 2001 Cardinals. Valbuena sits at .195/.269/.456 after his latest outburst. McGwire is the only hitter ever to hit more than 20 home runs, bat under .200 and slug over .450. Valbuena will join that club if things keep up in one of the weirdest seasons in recent memory.

Valbuena is out of the lineup Monday against the Astros.

With lefty Hector Santiago on the hill, manager A.J. Hinch will counter with a right-handed heavy lineup, meaning Valbuena will find himself on the bench. Marwin Gonzalez will cover third base in place of Valbuena.

Valbuena smashed his 17th homer and drew a walk in four trips to the plate Saturday in Seattle.

The 29-year-old is having one of the oddest seasons you'll ever see, as his ISO (.245) is a ridiculous 60 points higher than his horrendous .185 batting average. Indeed, Valbuena is tied for fifth in the American League in homers, and those long balls represent almost 40 percent of his hits. His BABIP is .165, one of the lowest marks in the majors, so it's bound to come up to some degree, but his flyball-heavy approach means there's not a big batting-average normalization coming for the career .224 hitter.

Valbuena homered twice against Rockies lefty Chris Rusin in the Astros' win over Colorado on Tuesday afternoon.

Entering play Tuesday, Valbuena had hit just two of his 14 homers this season against lefties. With four homers over his last five games, Valbunea has provided cheap power for owners that have stuck with him after a 15-game slump in late May and early June where he hit .094/.169/.226 and lowered his season batting average from .211 to .180.

Valbuena went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, a walk and two runs scored during Sunday's 13-0 thrashing of the Mariners.

Valbuena's home run off Mariners reliever Danny Farquhar was his 14th of the season. The 29-year-old third baseman is only hitting .185/.256/.412, however, with a paltry .106 average against southpaws this season.

Valbuena went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run on Friday against Felix Hernandez and the Mariners.

Valbuena and teammate Jason Castro both took King Felix deep as part of an eight-run first inning on Friday. The Venezuelan's 13th homer of the season was a welcome sight after he had failed to record a hit in his previous six games.

Valbuena is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle reports.

With lefty Jose Quintana due up for Chicago, Valbuena will head to the bench in favor of Marwin Gonzalez at third base. Valbuena is just 7-for-59 against left-handed pitching so far this season (.119/.159/.237) and may see fewer opportunities against southpaws moving forward.