MLB Player News

Muncy will start at second base and bat second in the order Sunday against the Cubs.

Muncy will be making his third start in four games at the keystone, suggesting that he might be viewed as the team's primary option at that position while Jed Lowrie (foot) remains on the DL. There's little reason to go out and grab Muncy, since he's sitting on a .240 average with one homer, three RBI and four runs over 58 plate appearances this season.

Escobar is out of the lineup Sunday against the Rays, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Following Eduardo Nunez's trade to the Giants, Escobar has taken over as the Twins' primary shortstop, starting 10 straight games prior to Sunday's day off. He's gone 0-for-11 over the last three contests, so sitting out could give Escobar a chance to recharge. Jorge Polanco will cover shortstop for Escobar.

Longoria went 2-for-3 with a solo homer and a walk in Saturday's 7-3 victory over the Twins.

Longoria blasted a 383-foot shot in the third off Jose Berrios, his first round-tripper since July 27. The veteran third baseman is only slashing .190/.250/.381 in 21 August at-bats, but his 24 homers represent his best figure in that category since 2013.

Moncada will miss about a week of action due to a sprained left ankle, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Moncada suffered the injury Friday night while sliding into third base. Boston president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said the organization feels lucky that the injury wasn't worse. "Fortunately, it's not major," Dombrowski said. "They did everything, I don't know if they had MRI or X-rays, but they did all that's necessary and it's definitely a sprain, the lowest type sprain he'll be out about a week."

Despite being hit by a pitch on the head in Friday's game against the Royals, Donaldson will start Saturday's contest, Sportsnet's Barry Davis reports.

Donaldson was fortunate to remain in Friday's game after being struck, and he did not suffer any aftereffects Saturday outside of some swelling on his cheek. He will man the hot corner Friday and again hit third in the Blue Jays' new-look batting order.

Alvarez is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the White Sox, according to Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun.

Alvarez socked two home runs Friday and has five long balls in three games this month, but he will be held out Saturday with the Orioles loading up on right-handed hitters against lefty Carlos Rodon. Mark Trumbo will serve as the Orioles' designated hitter Saturday.

Ramirez went 3-for-5 with a double and run in Friday's 13-7 loss to the Yankees.

The 23-year-old now has a 10-game hitting streak and has rattled off six multi-hit efforts over that span. Ramirez has seen a 16-point boost to his average during his current stretch, bringing it back to an even .300 on the season.

Moncada left Double-A Portland's game Friday with an ankle injury, the Portland Press Herald reports.

Moncada hurt the ankle while sliding into third base, though it doesn't sound serious. "It's a mild strain," Portland manager Carlos Febles said. "He'll be fine in a couple of days."

Machado went 3-for-5 with two RBI and scored a run in Friday's win over the White Sox.

Machado's two-run double in the third inning was his 32nd two-bagger of the year, which is good for second in the majors only behind David Ortiz's 36 doubles. The third baseman went 20-for-98 (.204) in a dreadful July that dropped his overall average 27 points, from .330 to .303. But he's jumped out on the right foot in August, going 6-for-17 with a pair of doubles through the first four games of the month. In Machado's four-year career, he owns a .296/.333/.454 slash line in August, so it's fair to expect his game will get back on track in the coming weeks.

Alvarez went 2-for-5 with two solo shots in Friday's victory over the White Sox.

Alvarez now has five homers in his last three games. He homered twice against the Rangers on Tuesday and once Thursday, before upping his total to 18 on Friday. The 29-year-old has three multi-homer games this season in his first go-round with Baltimore. Although Alvarez hasn't received as much playing time as he did in Pittsburgh, he's been much more productive in his at-bats. The DH is posting career-high marks in batting average (.259), slugging percentage (.517), OPS (.832) and ISO (.258). Per at-bat, Alvarez is one of the best power hitters in the game.