MLB Player News

Valencia (neck) is back in the lineup Saturday against the Mariners, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Valencia was scratched from Friday's lineup with what the team called a "neck issue," but it doesn't look to be anything serious. Valencia will get the start in right field and bat sixth in the order against Mariners right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma.

Bregman will not play this weekend, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The 22-year-old returned to the lineup Wednesday, but with Houston officially eliminated from postseason contention on Thursday, he will be shut back down. Bregman struggled initially upon arrival to the major leagues but quickly adjusted and finished with an impressive .791 OPS in 217 plate appearances. He appears primed to open 2017 in an everyday role.

Valencia has been scratched from Friday's lineup with a neck issue, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Matt Olson is now slated to start in right field against Taijuan Walker and the Mariners. The extent of the neck injury is uncertain and thus Valencia's status for the final two days of the regular season is up in the air.

Bregman is out of the lineup Friday against the Angels, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

It was feared that Bregman's season was over as a result of a hamstring injury but he made a surprise return to the lineup Wednesday, finishing 1-for-4 with an RBI in a loss to Seattle. He will turn third base over to Yulieski Gurriel on Friday but Bregman figures to start at least one of the Astros' final two games of the regular season.

Moncada has gone to Arizona to prepare for Fall League, ending his season with the Red Sox, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Though Moncada is immensely talented and certainly a centerpiece of the Red Sox future, his youth and inexperience were evident during his stint with the big league ball club this fall as he slashed .211/.250/.263 with 12 strikeouts in 19 at-bats. Brock Holt and Travis Shaw figure to man the hot corner the rest of the way while Moncada reports to Arizona Fall League.

Bregman went 1-for-4 with an RBI in his return to the lineup Wednesday against the Mariners.

Making his first start since Sept. 14 after dealing with a hamstring injury, Bregman was back in the two-hole and delivered an RBI single in the fifth inning. Prior to his injury, the 22-year-old was on fire, hitting .316 with three home runs and 12 RBI over 13 games in September. His return to the lineup is a welcome sight for the Astros, who are barely clinging onto playoff hope. However, another loss or Orioles win would eliminate them from contention.

Bregman (hamstring) is in the lineup Wednesday against the Mariners, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Bregman has been working back from a hamstring injury, and as of Tuesday morning, it was unclear whether he'd be able to return to action in 2016. The infielder made a surprise appearance in Tuesday night's matchup with Seattle, entering as a pinch hitter and going 1-for-1 at the plate with an RBI single. Bregman was initially scheduled to fly to Florida to work in the Astros' Instructional League, but he'll instead remain in Houston and get the starting nod at third base Wednesday afternoon. It will be Bregman's first start since Sept. 14.

Bregman (hamstring) made a surprise pinch hit appearance Tuesday against the Mariners, going 1-for-1 with an RBI single.

It wasn't even clear that Bregman would play again this season. He had a flight booked to get work in the Instructional League in Florida, but that flight was canceled after Tuesday's game. Bregman was immediately taken out in favor of a pinch runner after the hit, so it's not clear when he will be healthy enough to return to the lineup for a full game. This is an encouraging development that offers his owners some hope that they will get more production from the star rookie before the end of the season.

Donaldson went 2-for-2 with two walks and a two-run homer in Tuesday's victory over Baltimore.

Donaldson's first-inning smash was his 37th of the season. Unlike last year's MVP campaign, Donaldson has struggled down the stretch, hitting just .200 over 70 at-bats in September. On the bright side, the third baseman appears to making positive strides as the season comes to a close. Donaldson has notched a hit and scored a run in six of the last seven games, while also crushing three home runs during that span.

Escobar went 2-for-4 with a walk, solo homer and scored twice in Tuesday's game against the Royals.

Escobar's fourth-inning blast was his sixth of the season, and his first in the team's last 51 games. Tuesday also marked the switch-hitting infielder's first RBI and run since Sept. 15, as Escobar has had a brutal final month of the 2016 campaign. Entering the contest, he was hitting a pathetic .089/.150/.089 through 56 September at-bats, light years beyond his worst numbers for any month this year.