MLB Player News

Donaldson (calf) will hit in a minor league game Friday, John Lott of The Athletic Toronto reports.

Donaldson remains on a cautious schedule that appears to have him set to return on or close to Opening Day. There's little reason yet to discount him on fantasy cheat sheets.

Moncada went 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBI in Wednesday's game against the Royals.

Moncada, who was hitting .200 with 13 strikeouts in 30 at-bats entering Wednesday's game, finally busted out this spring. The two-homer explosion doesn't move the needle in terms of him starting the season with the White Sox, but it is a reminder of the elite talent that's half a season away from the majors. He's expected to start the 2017 season at Triple-A Charlotte, where Moncada will work to improve his pitch recognition and better handle breaking balls.

Robinson is slashing .296/.441/.704 and has hit three home runs through 13 spring games.

While Robinson has yet to appear in the majors, his performance this spring is making a case for that to change during the upcoming campaign. However, while he regularly brings power to the plate, history would suggest that Robinson's batting average is due to come down. During the 2016 season at Triple-A Round Rock he posted a .257 batting average but notched a phenomenal .480 slugging percentage.

Donaldson (calf) will get three or four at-bats in Tuesday's minor league game in Clearwater, The Athletic Toronto's John Lott reports.

It was anticipated that Donaldson would soon get into game action, and this marks the beginning of that stage in his rehab. It is unclear if he is ready for action in the field yet, but so far his status for Opening Day has not been seriously questioned.

Bregman got his first at-bat of the World Baseball Classic in Team USA's 8-0 victory over Canada on Sunday, Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle reports. He struck out while pinch-hitting for Nolan Arenado.

To see the promising Bregman get so little playing time bothers Houston manager A.J. Hinch, who would like to see his player get more at-bats. Bregman is expected to be Houston's starting third baseman this spring, but won't have the benefit of a full training camp due to his participation in the WBC.

Devers was assigned to minor-league camp Tuesday, Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald reports.

Devers remains one of the top prospects in the Red Sox organization, but the 20-year-old is probably at least a season or two away from making an impact in the big leagues. Manager John Farrell mentioned that the organization's main priority will be in helping Devers improve his body composition, but he's already quite advanced as a hitter. After slashing .282/.335/.443 over 546 plate appearances at High-A Salem a season ago, Devers is expected to move up a rung to Double-A Portland to kick off 2017.

Longoria went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's 8-2 Grapefruit League win over the Blue Jays.

Despite a very good spring, Longoria had yet to homer prior to Sunday, when he launched a sixth-inning Brett Obelholtzer pitch down the left-field line. Based on his work this spring, Longoria seems primed to build on his resurgent 2016, as he's now slashing .400/.400/.550 with three RBI. However, Sunday's blast was notably his first extra-base hit over 20 at-bats.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Monday that Donaldson (calf) will pick up at-bats as the team's designated hitter in major or minor league games within the next few days, John Lott of The Athletic Toronto reports.

Donaldson has battled a right calf strain for nearly a month, which has prompted the Blue Jays to ease him back into action as Opening Day approaches. He has yet to make his debut in Grapefruit League play, but it sounds like that could happen by the end of the week. If the at-bats as DH go well, Donaldson's next step would be to resume his normal duties at third base, but he's seemingly on track to do that before the regular season begins.

Muncy was sent down to minor league camp Sunday.

Muncy has split the last two seasons between Triple-A Nashville and the big club in Oakland. Although he holds his own at the Triple-A level, his performance in the show has remained disappointing and has resulted in a .195/.290/.321 line for his career. While the 26-year-old could very well see time in the majors again in 2017, it's unlikely that Muncy will take on a role that would give him much fantasy value.

Machado went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's World Baseball Classic victory over Team USA.

Down 5-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Machado kick-started the Dominican Republic's 7-5 comeback win with a deep fly off Nationals right-hander Tanner Roark. Machado was just 3-for-18 (.167) over seven Grapefruit League contests before leaving for the WBC. However, the All-Star third baseman has found his stroke on the world stage, going 4-for-9 with a homer and pair of runs scored through the team's first two games.