MLB Player News

Donaldson (calf) is 'ramping up intensity' in his rehab over the next several days, after which he will begin baserunning and preparation for game play, MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm reports.

Jays manager John Gibbons said that once Donaldson is cleared to resume running at full intensity, he wouldn't require a lengthy rehab assignment. While that sounds as if the Jays are optimistic, it's still not exactly a clear timetable and sounds as if they are putting their best face on the situation. This jibes with their potential desire to trade him before the end of the month. There's still good reason to remain skeptical.

Maggi was placed on the minor-league disabled list Monday with a right hamstring strain.

The move is retroactive to Saturday, so Maggi will be eligible to return Aug. 18 should he prove ready. The 29-year-old is hitting .269/.333/.353 across 54 games with Triple-A Columbus this season.

Robinson is expected to come back to Texas when rosters expand Sept. 1, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Robinson was recently sent down to Triple-A Round Rock when Delino DeShields (concussion) came off the disabled list, but Rangers manager Jeff Banister was pleased with the adjustments Robinson's made since his first demotion in May. "We like what we saw from Drew," Banister said. "He made some nice adjustments in the batter's box. We know what he can do defensively and with his versatility. He had more consistent at-bats, the swing-and-miss is down. We like the improvements, and we like the adjustments." For now, Robinson will ply his craft at Round Rock while Delino DeShields is evaluated as the center fielder for next season. DeShields has been demoted twice due to a poor batting average and on-base percentage. If DeShields doesn't clean up his approach, the Rangers could move onto Robinson as the center fielder in 2019.

Bregman went 2-for-4 with a run scored and one RBI in the 4-3 loss to Seattle on Sunday.

Bregman slapped an RBI single and later scored during Houston's eight inning rally. The 24-year-old is riding a short seven-game hitting streak, raising his season average to .280, just shy of his .284 mark last season. With 22 homers and 73 RBI, Bregman has established himself as a strong fantasy infielder.

Candelario went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI in Sunday's win over the Twins.

The team batted Candelario first in this one in an effort to get the 24-year-old going, as he came into the day batting just .184 over his last 30 games. Based on the two-hit performance, expect Candelario to get more run from the leadoff spot moving forward.

Chapman went 2-for-5 with an RBI single and a run in a win over the Angels on Saturday.

Chapman's streak of reaching safely has now reached 19 games, a stretch during which he's boosted his season average 27 points to .274. The 25-year-old has racked up 45 extra-base hits (23 doubles, six triples, 16 home runs) over 101 games this season, leading to an impressive .500 slugging percentage.

Ramirez is out of the lineup Sunday against the White Sox.

Ramirez hasn't gotten a day off since early May, so he'll get some time to rest during Sunday's series finale. He continues to scorch the league with across-the-board production, producing an 1.117 OPS with five stolen bases over the past 14 games. Erik Gonzalez will log a start at the hot corner in his stead.

Robinson was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Robinson played sparingly during his most recent cup of coffee with Texas, but he manager to go 2-for-6 with a double and five runs scored with the chances he did get. He'll head back to the minors to make room for Delino DeShields to return from the disabled list, though his positional versatility makes him an obvious callup whenever another Ranger position player gets injured in the future.

Candelario is hitting leadoff Sunday against the Twins, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Candelario is normally a staple of the second spot in the order for Detroit, but it appears the team is trying to mix things up to get the offense going. The young third baseman is hitting just .184 over the past 30 games, but his strong 10.3 percent walk rate makes him a decent option atop the batting order. This could help him rack up a few more runs if he can maintain this spot in the batting order, potentially at the expense of RBI production, though.

Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Saturday during the Indians' 3-1 victory over the White Sox.

Ramirez went nearly a week between homers, and he rectified that disappointment with his 34th blast. It's his latest conquest in an eye-popping 2018 in which he's slashing .298/.409/.624 to accompany 84 RBI, 79 runs scored and 27 stolen bases across 508 plate appearances. He continues to plow forward in an MVP-quality campaign.