MLB Player News

Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Monday's win over the Orioles.

The Blue Jays entered the ninth inning with a 2-1 lead, but Curtis Granderson took a bases-loaded walk and then Donaldson homered to blow the game wide open. Donaldson already has three homers and he's started five of the last six games at third base, so the dead-arm issue seems to be fully behind him. The 32-year-old is looking for his fourth straight 30-plus-homer season.

Davis went 1-for-4 with an RBI single in Monday's 2-0 win over the Twins.

Davis' sixth-inning single provided the only run the Astros would need on a cold night in Minnesota. The hit was his first in 10 trips to the plate and leaves him with a .111 batting average over the first two weeks of the season. The Astros have two more games this week before they are expected to welcome back Yulieski Gurriel (hand) on Friday. His return will signal an end to Davis' stay on the major-league roster.

Duffy went 2-for-5 with two RBI and two strikeouts in Monday's 5-4 win over the White Sox.

Duffy appears to be locked in as the five hitter against righties and the leadoff man against lefties. The 27-year-old capitalized on his opportunity in the five hole Sunday, as he drove in a pair of runs. Duffy now has back-to-back multi-hit games, and he figures to be the everyday third baseman for the Rays whenever he's healthy.

Davis will draw the start at first base Monday against the Twins, Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Josh Reddick's illness will prevent him from playing Monday and caused a chain reaction in the lineup. Marwin Gonzalez will move to the outfield, granting Davis a rare start. Davis has looked lost at the plate early on, with just one hit and one walk in 15 plate appearances. His early-season slump comes on the heels of an impressive spring training when he posted a 1.067 OPS. The inflated spring OPS may have been due to opposing hurlers working on their stuff and throwing a substantial amount of fastballs, some of which were down the heart of the plate. He's noticed a difference in the way he's getting pitched to during the regular season -- more sliders down and away. "Get the balls that are up," Davis said. "There's nothing wrong with my swing, fundamentally... I was chasing the sliders down, instead of keeping them up." His stay with the Astros is expected to end Friday when Yulieski Gurriel (hand) is due to be activated off the disabled list.

Moncada went 2-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored in Monday's 5-4 loss to the Rays.

Moncada showed some power, as one of his two hits was a double. Although he went hitless in Sunday's outing, the 22-year-old has put together multi-hit performances in two of his last three games. While he's beginning to accumulate hits at the dish, strikeouts remain an issue for Moncada, as he's struck out in 34.1 percent of his plate appearances this season.

Alvarez is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Blue Jays, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

As expected, Alvarez will take a seat on the bench with a left-hander starter (J.A. Happ) toeing the rubber for the Blue Jays. In his place, Danny Valencia will pick up another start at designated hitter, batting sixth.

Devers went 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 8-7 win over the Rays.

Devers plated two and scored a run during Boston's six-run uprising in the eighth inning, turning what appeared to be a sure loss into a win. The third baseman has driven in runs in six of eight games played and is tied for the team lead in RBI (nine) with Xander Bogaerts. It's a shame to waste an impact bat like that in the lower third of the order, but manager Alex Cora likely doesn't want the 21-year-old putting too much pressure on himself in the middle of the order.

Valencia went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and two runs scored in Sunday's win against the Yankees.

Although his batting average is sitting at a bleak .167 for the year, Valencia found some power and hit his first home run of the season Sunday. However, Valencia's fantasy value remains low, as he figures to platoon at the designated hitter spot with Pedro Alvarez until Mark Trumbo (quadriceps) comes off the disabled list.

Ramirez went 0-for-3 on Sunday but had a walk and a RBI in Cleveland's 3-1 win over the Royals.

Ramirez has had a dismal start to the 2018 campaign, hitting .061 in 33 at-bats, but he got the job done Sunday when he drove in the tying run with a groundout in the bottom of the eighth. He hit over .300 in each of the past two Aprils, so this is an uncharacteristically slow start for the 25-year-old. A day off to clear his head could be on the horizon, as Ramirez has played in every one of the team's games to begin the year.

Robinson is out of the lineup Sunday against the Blue Jays.

Robinson has taken over as the club's primary center fielder since Delino DeShields (hand) hit the shelf, but the 25-year-old will hit the bench Sunday with a lefty (Jaime Garcia) on the mound for Toronto. Right-handed batter Carlos Tocci will enter the lineup in Robinson's stead and bat ninth.