MLB Player News

Athletics infielder Danny Valencia (elbow) is in the lineup for Monday's game against the Angels, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Valencia will get the start Monday despite taking a pitch off the elbow the day before. He will bat cleanup against Angels starter Hector Santiago.

Indians infielder Jose Ramirez was scratched from Monday's lineup against the Twins.

Ramirez was initially slated to bat fifth and play third base, but Mike Aviles will assume the hot corner duties in the new lineup. It's unclear if the 23-year-old suffered a late setback, but the move may have been a reaction to a late pitching change by the Twins, switching from the right-handed Phil Hughes to southpaw Tommy Milone.

Twins third  baseman Trevor Plouffe (illness) is back in the lineup Monday against the Indians, LaVelle E. Neal of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Plouffe was held out of the lineup Sunday with an illness, but it was apparently not a major issue as he's back in the lineup Monday. He'll serve his usual third base duties and bat fifth.

Indians third baseman Giovanny Urshela (shoulder) is not in the lineup Monday against the Twins, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Urshela has been sidelined since Sept. 17 with a shoulder injury, and there is still no clear timetable for a return at this point. Jose Ramirez will continue to fill in at third base, batting fifth Monday.

Athletics third baseman Danny Valencia is considered day to day after taking a pitch off of the elbow Sunday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. 

Valencia was hit on the elbow pad by a pitch, causing him to leave the game after logging just one at-bat. X-rays returned negative and Valencia told reporters he's fine, but the team is considering him day to day nonetheless.

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe is out of the lineup Sunday against Detroit, per LaVelle E. Neal of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Plouffe hasn't had a day off since Sept. 9, so the third baseman was likely overdue. But it does come as a bit of a surprise considering Minnesota is in the midst of a heated playoff race. Plouffe is hitless in five of his last six games, which might better explain his absence.

Indians infielder Jose Ramirez went 3 for 5 with a double, triple, RBI and three runs scored in Saturday's 9-5 victory over the Royals.

The 23-year-old has had a rough season with the bat, but Saturday's performance was one of his best of the season. Ramirez's bat has been hot at the plate all month and is in the midst of a four-game stretch where he is hitting .421 (8 for 19) with two doubles, a triple, a homer, three RBI and six runs scored. His September average is also up to .333 after Saturday's effort, easily making it his most prolific month with the bat all season.

Twins shortstop Eduardo Escobar went 2 for 4 with a triple, homer, three RBI and two runs scored in a 6-2 victory over the Tigers.

The standout night was an extension of an impressive September for Escobar, who is now hitting .314 with four homers and 16 RBI during the month. The 26-year-old has also hit safely in five out of the last six contests, with three multi-hit outings during that span and eight overall for the month. Escobar has provided some solid offensive production out of the shortstop position for the Twins in 2015, with 30 doubles, four triples, 12 homers and a .268/.309/.459 line.

White Sox third baseman Mike Olt was 1 for 4 with a solo home run in a winning effort against the Yankees on Friday night

Olt missed a game with a sore shoulder, but was back in the lineup against southpaw C.C. Sabathia. He has some pop, the home run was his fourth as the White Sox evaluate his potential for next season, but his lackluster .200 batting average is not very encouraging.

Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson was 1 for 3 with a solo home run in Toronto's win over Tampa Bay on Friday night.

We are running out of complimentary words to describe Donaldson's season. He now has 40 home runs - he passed 40 doubles on Wednesday - and 121 RBI to go with a very handy .301 average. Expect to see him prominently featured in MVP discussions as the season comes to a close.