MLB Player News

Valencia is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Astros.

He has started the last 10 games, primarily getting the nod in right field and with one start coming at first base over that stretch. Jake Smolinski will start in right field while Brett Eibner gets a rare start in center field Tuesday.

Bregman's hamstring injury usually needs 4-to-6 weeks of recovery time, according to Astros GM Jeff Luhnow, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Luhnow did say that recovery time can be pushed a bit, but even so, Bregman has only missed one week. With just under two weeks left in the regular season, expecting Bregman to make a return seems wildly optimistic. Perhaps he can make a postseason appearance if the Astros manage a deep run, but his fantasy season is most likely over.

Alvarez is not in the lineup Monday against the Red Sox.

Alvarez has been scuffling in the month of September, batting a mere .212 with five RBI since the calendar turned. With that in mind, he'll head to the bench for a day off while Mark Trumbo takes over as the designated hitter and Michael Bourn garners a start in right field to fill out the lineup.

Escobar is not in the lineup Sunday against the Mets.

Escobar has started seven consecutive games and gone a dismal 1-for-28 (.036) in that time. James Beresford will start at the hot corner while Escobar heads to the bench.

Valencia went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer Saturday in a 11-2 win over Texas.

Amid questions this week of whether he'd even remain on the Athletics roster the rest of the season, Valencia has proved himself valuable as the team has won five of its last six while averaging 10 runs a game. Valencia has totaled nine runs and has reached base 10 times over that period and is slashing .289/.347/.458 with 69 runs, 17 homers and 51 RBI on the season.

Ramirez went 1-for-4 with a game-winning RBI single in the 10th inning and a walk in Saturday's 1-0 victory over the Tigers.

The third baseman put an end to the scoreless marathon with his clutch single off reliever Justin Wilson, plating Jason Kipnis with the winning run. Ramirez has followed up a stellar August in which he slashed .350/.387/.581 by hitting safely in 14 of his first 16 games of September, with four multi-hit efforts over that span.

Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a solo homer and walk in Friday's 5-4 victory over the Rays.

The slugger was the first to break through against Chris Archer, tagging him for a 435-foot solo shot in the second that cut the Rays' 2-0 lead in half. The blast represented Alvarez's first RBI since Sept. 6, and the homer was his second of September. After a solid August in which he slashed .297/.357/.641, Alvarez is hitting just .222 over his first 27 at-bats this month, but his three doubles and pair of round-trippers have played a large part in his .556 slugging percentage.

Longoria went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Orioles.

The veteran slugger took Ubaldo Jimenez deep in the first to open the scoring on the night, his 34th round-tripper on the season. Although he's only hitting .222 overall in 63 September at-bats, he's tallied three straight multihit efforts and has gone 5-for-9 with two home runs and seven RBI over the first two games of the current series versus the Orioles. His home-run total is a career high, while his 93 RBI represent his best number in that category since 2011.

Bregman (hamstring) may be shut down for the remainder of the season, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Manager A.J. Hinch told reporters Friday that Bregman would have immediately been placed on the DL if his injury occurred in any month but September, which obviously does not bode well for the top prospect's chances at getting back on the field this season. Yulieski Gurriel is the logical stopgap at third while Bregman is sidelined, but losing Bregman is a crushing blow to the Astros overall. Bregman got off to a famously slow start at the dish upon arriving to the show, but he slashed .319/.362/.639 with eight home runs and 28 RBI in his last month's worth of games.

Bregman (hamstring) is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Mariners.

As expected, Bregman will sit out Friday's game and possibly the entire weekend as he receives treatment on his injured hamstring. Yulieski Gurriel will take at third base Friday and bat second in the order against Felix Hernandez.