MLB Player News

Astudillo went 1-for-3 with a solo homer in Friday's 2-0 win over Pittsburgh.

Astudillo launched a solo shot in the third inning that proved to be the game's deciding run. It was his first home run of the season and first extra-base hit since April 5. The 29-year-old utility man is slashing .289/.282/.421 with six RBI in 39 plate appearances.

Urshela (back) is starting at third base and batting fifth Friday against Cleveland.

The 29-year-old sat out Thursday while dealing with back tightness but will rejoin the starting nine Friday. Urshela has a .276/.311/.448 slash line with two homers, four doubles, seven RBI and six runs in 16 games this season.

Devers went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, a steal and two runs scored Thursday against the Mariners.

Devers led off the second inning with a blast to right field for his sixth home run of the season. He was once again a catalyst for Boston's offense two frames later, when he reached base on a single and subsequently stole second base before coming around to score. Since managing two hits in his first 21 plate appearances, Devers has recorded six multi-hit games in 13 starts.

Bregman went 3-for-4 with three RBI during Thursday's win over the Angels.

Bregman made his at-bats count Thursday by collecting a trio of hits, including a two-run single in the third inning and an RBI single in the fifth. The 27-year-old has put together a solid slash line of .326/.392/.478 across 12 games, though he's off to a bit of a slow start in the power department with two home runs and one double.

Rendon (groin) is likely to be activated in time for the team's series beginning Monday at Texas, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Rendon is reportedly very close to a return, though it appears the Angels will be cautious with him. As a result, he may miss the remainder of the team's series in Houston. Jose Rojas and Luis Rengifo should continue to fill in during his absence.

Urshela (back) is out of the lineup for Thursday's game at Cleveland, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

DJ LeMahieu will shift over to third base in the series opener in Cleveland while Urshela gets a day of recovery after he was removed from Wednesday's 4-1 loss to Atlanta with back tightness. Manager Aaron Boone suggested Urshela wouldn't be sent in for any further medical tests, so the 29-year-old should be ready to rejoin the lineup at some point during this weekend's four-game series.

Donaldson went 4-for-6 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBI in Wednesday's 13-12 extra-inning loss to the A's.

He got the wild slugfest started by launching a solo shot off Frankie Montas in the first inning, Donaldson's first homer of the year. The veteran has hit safely in all six games he's played sandwiched around a hamstring injury, and he's now hitting .556 (10-for-18) on the season.

Urshela exited Wednesday's loss to the Braves with tightness in his lower back, though manager Aaron Boone said the third baseman isn't scheduled to undergo any medical testing, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

The 29-year-old went 1-for-3 before leaving the contest with the injury, and he should be considered day-to-day for the time being. DJ LeMahieu could be shifted to play third base should Urshela be forced to miss any time.

Angels manager Joe Maddon said that Rendon (groin) doesn't have a definitive return date from the 10-day injured list, but the skipper believes the third baseman is "getting really, really close" to being activated, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Maddon's comments came after Rendon went through some light pregame work on the field Wednesday, which included fielding grounders and throwing across the diamond. The Angels may want to see Rendon ramp up his running program before they're comfortable activating him, but he at least looks to be in the day-to-day stage of his recovery at this point. It's not out of the question for Rendon to make his return to the lineup at some point during the Angels' four-game series in Houston over the weekend.

Astudillo will start at first base and bat sixth Wednesday against the Athletics.

Astudillo is in the lineup for a third straight game, this time filling in for the injured Miguel Sano (hamstring) after making his previous two starts at second base. Even if Sano is back in action for the Twins' next game Friday versus the Pirates, Astudillo should still be a decent bet to pick up steady work at the keystone. The Twins' primary option at second base, Jorge Polanco, is mostly working at shortstop these days since Andrelton Simmons tested positive for COVID-19 a week ago.