MLB Player News

Moncada, who will be called up to Boston on Friday, is expected to start at third base against right-handed pitchers, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports.

Moncada had his struggles against left-handers at Double-A Portland, so the Red Sox may be reticent to deploy him against southpaws. But if he's hitting while Boston continues to get paltry production out of Travis Shaw and Aaron Hill, Moncada could emerge as more than just a strict platoon guy. He also gives the the Sox some speed off the bench and could used as a pinch runner.

Moncada will be called up Friday, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports.

Moncada will see time at third base, where the Red Sox have experienced a black hole of production for a couple of months now. Aaron Hill, Travis Shaw and Brock Holt are a combined 50-for-242 (.203) as third baseman since July 8. The Red Sox will be cognizant of putting too much on the young man's plate, but Moncada can certainly help at third base and as a pinch runner.

Escobar is out of Wednesday's lineup against the Indians, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press reports.

Jorge Polanco will start at shortstop while Escobar gets the night off. Having gone 5-for-18 (.278) with two doubles over the last seven games, Escobar has remained consistent with his season line of .266/.298/.385.

Moncada figures to get the call from Double-A Portland when rosters expand Thursday, CSNNE's Sean McAdam reports.

This doesn't come as much of a surprise, as the Red Sox's post All-Star break offensive production at third base ranks in the bottom five in all of baseball, and Moncada has been getting used to the hot corner at Portland over the last 10 days. He is the unquestioned top fantasy prospect in baseball, and may therefore already be rostered in a large percentage of formats. However, if he is available, the time to grab him is now, as he could offer five-category production over the final month.

Duffy is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Duffy will get a scheduled day off, as the Rays go with Tim Beckham at shortstop and Brad Miller as the DH on Wednesday. Duffy is hitting .270 with three RBI in 63 at-bats since coming over from San Francisco.

Machado went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer Tuesday against Toronto.

Machado's 444-foot bomb in the fifth inning was one of three long balls for a homer-happy Orioles offense. The 24-year-old is now just three shy of last season's career-high 35 home runs, and has made up for a lack of steals with a .306/.357/.563 line. He has left the yard 10 times in August after doing so just nine times in the previous two months combined.

Longoria hit an eighth-inning solo blast off Boston reliever Clay Buchholtz that broke a 3-3 tie and proved to be the game-winner Tuesday.

The big fly was Longoria's 31st of the year and flew an impressive 434 feet to left-center field. It also came after catcher Luke Maile tied the game with a two-run home run the inning prior, driving an emotional dagger into a Red Sox team that is fighting for a playoff spot. The Rays are just 56-75 this season, but Longoria has been great, hitting .287/.337/.549. The .549 slugging mark is a career best for Longoria, who turned 30 years old last October.

Donaldson went 1-for-3 with a solo homer in Monday's game against the Orioles.

Donaldson extended his hitting streak to eight games with his fourth-inning blast. The third baseman's 34th home run of the year put him on pace to surpass last season's career-high total of 41 homers. The reigning AL MVP has been heating up as he makes a last ditch effort to win the award again in 2016. Over Donaldson's last five games, he has eight hits, including six home runs, five walks, 11 RBI and eight runs scored.

Donaldson went 3-for-4 with a walk, three home runs and four RBI in Sunday's win over the Twins.

It was his first career three home run game and the 10th multi-homer game of Donaldson's career. The reigning AL MVP has been overshadowed a little by teammate Edwin Encarnacion this season but Donaldson still has a fantastic .294/.407/.578 slash line with 33 homers, 91 RBI and 105 runs scored on the year with plenty of baseball left to play. He may not repeat as MVP, but his 2016 campaign may end up being just as valuable as last year's.

Machado went 3-for-5 with a run scored in Sunday's win over the Yankees.

He's racked up four multi-hit performances in his last five games with three home runs, seven RBI and six runs scored, pushing Machado's slash line on the season to .309/.360/.564. Expect him to once again be a big part of the conversation when it comes to the AL MVP at the end of the year.