MLB Player News
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Jeimer Candelario 3B | LAA
Tigers' Jeimer Candelario: Drives in three Wednesday
Candelario went 2-for-5 with three RBI in Wednesday's loss to the Royals.
The 23-year-old has been raking since joining the Tigers at the July 31 trade deadline, and he now has a solid .299/.379/.453 slash line. The club has shifted Nick Castellanos to right field to make room for Candelario, and the youngster should be the everyday third baseman to begin 2018.
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Gio Urshela 3B | MIN
Indians' Giovanny Urshela: Day off Wednesday
Urshela is not in the lineup for Wednesday's matchup against the Twins.
Urshela has been Cleveland's primary option at third base lately, but he'll get the day off and give way to Yandy Diaz at the hot corner. Over 23 games in the month of September, Urshela has hit .280/.308/.420.
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Danny Valencia 3B | BAL
Mariners' Danny Valencia: Smacks two-run blast in win
Valencia went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run and a walk in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Athletics.
Valencia's 410-foot shot to center in the seventh erased a 3-2 deficit and gave the Mariners a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The 33-year-old hadn't gone deep since Aug. 28, and the three RBI he tallied with Tuesday's round tripper brought his monthly total to a meager four. The lack of run production is part of what has been a miserable September for Valencia, one that's seen him hit just .167 over 32 plate appearances.
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Josh Donaldson 3B | MIL
Blue Jays' Josh Donaldson: Uncorks two more long balls
Donaldson went 3-for-5 with a pair of solo homers against the Red Sox on Tuesday.
Both came off star left-hander Chris Sale, and they pushed Donaldson's homer total to 33 in just 110 games this season. If not for the time he missed to injury earlier this year, Donaldson would surely have cleared 40 long balls by now, and while his batting average is down from the last two seasons, he's drawing walks at a higher pace while unleashing his power stroke with regularity. At 31 years old, he should have a number of seasons left as one of the game's top third basemen.
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Mike Moustakas 3B | CHW
Royals' Mike Moustakas: Expected to sit Thursday
Moustakas is expected sit Thursday's game against the Tigers, Josh Vernier of 610 Sports reports.
With the Royals out of the playoff picture, manager Ned Yost will afford a few of his starters a day off as the season winds down. It will be Moustakas' final day off of 2017, as he's expected to start all three games against the Diamondbacks over the weekend. The 29-year-old has enjoyed a breakout season in which he's hit .271/.312/.526 with 38 homers in 143 games.
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Jeimer Candelario 3B | LAA
Tigers' Jeimer Candelario: Returns to lineup
Candelario (knee) is back in the lineup Tuesday against the Royals.
This was expected, but Candelario is indeed set to return after missing Sunday's game with a knee contusion. He will bat cleanup against lefty Jason Vargas; Candelario is 7-for-18 with four doubles against left-handed pitching at the big-league level so far this season.
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Matt Duffy 3B | TEX
Rays' Matt Duffy: Plays three innings in instructional league
Duffy (heel) logged three innings at shortstop and took three at-bats for the Rays' instructional league squad Monday, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Duffy (heel) will end up missing the entire 2017 season after enduring multiple setbacks from offseason surgery to address a left heel injury, but the infielder appears determined to get some work to ease any concerns the Rays may have about his health heading into next spring. It's expected that Duffy will work deeper in his subsequent appearances in instructional league games, with the end goal of eventually playing a full nine-inning contest. Assuming Duffy's heel presents no further complications heading into next spring, he should be given every opportunity to vie for a starting job a shortstop, even if the Rays retain the arbitration-eligible Adeiny Hechavarria.
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Josh Donaldson 3B | MIL
Blue Jays' Josh Donaldson: Homers in three-hit effort Monday
Donaldson went 3-for-3 with a solo home run, three RBI and a walk in Monday's game against Boston.
Donaldson continued his late-season surge by tacking on his eighth home run and 17th RBI of the month. The long ball also marked his MLB-leading 14th first-inning homer of the year. Dating back to Aug. 1, only Giancarlo Stanton (24) and J.D. Martinez (22) have more blasts than Donaldson (20).
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Jean Segura 3B | CLE
Mariners' Jean Segura: Unlikely to play until weekend
Segura (finger) is unlikely to play in the Mariners' upcoming series against the Athletics, Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.
Segura sprained his finger over the weekend, and while the issue isn't thought to be overly serious, he'll apparently need a couple days off to allow it to heal. He's hoping to play in Seattle's upcoming series against the Angels, but that will depend on how his finger responds to treatment in the coming days. In the meantime, Taylor Motter should continue to start at shortstop for the Mariners.