MLB Player News

Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo homers in Wednesday's win over Houston.

While Donaldson's going to have a tough time matching last year's 123 RBI, he's actually outdoing himself anyway -- he's a strong bet for a second straight 40-homer campaign and has lifted his OPS by nearly 60 points from last season, pushing the 1.000 mark. Last season was no mirage -- at 30 years old, he's one of the game's top hitters, and he's actually only getting better.

Valencia is out of the lineup against the Angels on Wednesday.

Valencia will be out of the lineup for the fourth time in the past six games. Max Muncy will get the start in right field for the A's on Wednesday, with Yonder Alonso at first and Ryon Healy at third.

Duffy (Achilles) is aiming to be activated from the DL by the end of next week, the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin reports.

He has resumed his rehab assignment with High-A Charlotte after coming over to Tampa Bay in the Matt Moore trade, but will not be ready join his new team until late next week. Duffy, who will be asked to play some shortstop with the Rays, said he will embrace the position change. It would make sense for the Rays to play him all over the field, kind of like they did with Ben Zobrist back in the day, which should add some positional eligibility to his profile in the coming weeks.

Bregman is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Blue Jays, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports.

Bregman, who wasted no time assaulting opposing pitchers upon arriving at Double-A and Triple-A, has found the feat harder to duplicate against big league pitching. He is 1-for-32 to start his career, so it's understandable that the Astros will give him a day to clear his head. Marwin Gonzalez will man third base and hit second Wednesday.

Duffy (Achilles) will resume his rehab assignment Thursday with High-A Charlotte, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Duffy hasn't played a big league game since June 19 but appears to be close to finally making his return. The 25-year-old will likely play a few more rehab games at various levels before making his Rays debut. Duffy has been highly effective against southpaws this season, hitting .290 with two home runs and five RBI in 69 at-bats and could see time at all four infield positions once he is healthy.

Alvarez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers.

Alvarez will take the night off while Mark Trumbo takes over the DH role and Steve Pearce slides into right field. The 29-year-old has been hot as of late, going 8-for-19 with three home runs, four RBI and four runs scored over the last five games.

Devers, 19, is batting .273/.333/.438 with nine home runs, 50 RBI and 11 steals through 98 games for High-A Salem.

Considering Devers hit below the Mendoza Line for the first two months of the season, his .273 average is a testament to just how hot he has been recently. The stolen bases are also a surprising development and would only add to his value in long-term keeper leagues. Devers had eight career steals coming into this season.

Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a pair of solo homers off Rangers starter Yu Darvish in Tuesday's win.

Alvarez has found his power stroke after an excruciatingly slow start, with 12 of his 15 homers coming since the start of June. The recent surge has propelled the former Pirate's slugging percentage up to career high .500, thanks almost entirely to his success against right-handers like Darvish.

Donaldson (hamstring) is in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Astros, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports.

Donaldson was scratched from Monday's lineup due to a hamstring issue, which reportedly had been lingering since Saturday, but manager John Gibbons implied that his scratch was precautionary and Donaldson ended up making a pinch-hit appearance during Monday's game. Donaldson will slot back in Tuesday against right-hander Lance McCullers, looking to build on his solid (but not really Donaldson-like) .259/.348/.448 second-half slash line.

Donaldson (hamstring), who was a late scratch from Monday's lineup, is not expected to require a stint on the DL, the Toronto Sun reports.

The reigning AL MVP tweaked his hamstring when legging out an infield single in Saturday's 9-1 win over Baltimore. He was the designated hitter Sunday and even came in to play third base late in the game. Obviously, something didn't feel right before Monday's contest, and manager John Gibbons wasn't in the mood to push the issue. "Can't risk it turning into anything long term," Gibbons said. "That would be a disaster." An injury to Donaldson this late in the fantasy season could indeed spell disaster for fantasy owners looking to win a championship. It might not be a bad idea to find an insurance policy just in case this thing spirals.