MLB Player News

Valencia was a late scratch from the Orioles' lineup Sunday against the Tigers due to an undisclosed issue, Rich Dubroff of PressBoxonline.com reports.

Valencia had been in line to bat fifth and start at third base, but Pedro Alvarez will now replace him in the field, while right fielder Anthony Santander moves up from seventh to fifth in the order. Expect the Orioles to provide an update on the reason behind Valencia's absence in the near future.

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

Robinson will ride the pine for the second straight day with the Blue Jays bringing another left-hander to the hill in J.A. Happ. Though Adrian Beltre's hamstring injury will indirectly pave the way for Robinson to slot in as the Rangers' primary second baseman, it looks like he'll be part of a platoon at the position with Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who will shift over to third base against right-handed pitching.

Duffy is out of the lineup Sunday against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After missing 10 days with a hamstring injury, Duffy returned from the disabled list Friday and started back-to-back games against Boston, going 5-for-11 with a double in those contests. It doesn't sound like he experienced any setbacks with the hamstring in either game, so it seems Duffy's absence Sunday is just a planned rest day. After Duffy served as the leadoff man the past two days while the Rays faced southpaws, Denard Span will assume table-setting duties in the series finale with right-hander Rick Porcello on the bump.

Alvarez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Tigers, Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun reports.

After going deep twice in the series opener Friday, Alvarez has yet to receive an opportunity to build on the performance with the Tigers bringing left-handed pitchers to the hill for the final two games of the weekend. Alvarez's career-long struggles against southpaws will continue to confine him to a platoon at designated hitter, though he'll see the larger portion of starts as the left-handed option.

Bregman went 2-for-3 with two walks, a double and two RBI on Saturday against the Athletics.

Bregman continues to heat up at the plate. Over his past 10 games, he has recorded six multi-hit games and has raised his batting average from .214 to .267 as a result. Though his counting stats have yet to follow, his increased productivity at the plate bodes well for his numbers moving forward.

Segura went 3-for-4 with a home run, stolen base, four RBI and three runs scored Saturday against the Indians.

Segura was productive across all parts of the box score Saturday, a common occurrence for him throughout the early portion of the season. He has taken advantage of consistently batting second, a beneficial position that should only help his counting stats as the middle of the Mariners' lineup heats up. Though his hot start has not translated to many home runs, his 12 extra-base hits indicate that he is hitting the ball well and is a positive sign for his future production.

Duffy (hamstring) hit out of the leadoff spot and went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts in a win over the Red Sox on Friday.

The versatile infielder returned to action following his 10-day disabled list stint and hit safely for the fifth straight game in the process. Duffy had gotten off to a solid start at the plate before the injury, a pace he'll look to maintain now that the oft-injured 27-year-old appears to be back to full health.

Candelario will wear a wrist guard when he's on base to protect himself when he slides, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Candelario rested Thursday with a sore left wrist, and the team believes his discomfort could be coming from his sliding technique, in which he puts down his left hand and wrist to brace himself. He returned to the lineup Friday and wore the brace when he reached base in the first inning. Candelario is slashing a strong .281/.355/.531 through 24 games.

Chapman went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored in Friday's win over the Astros.

Chapman opened the scoring against Dallas Keuchel with a home run in the fifth inning. He doubled off Keuchel in his next at-bat, coming around to score on a Matt Olson single. Chapman is now hitting .278 with six home runs and 15 RBI. His 21 runs scored leads all MLB third basemen, and his .932 OPS is good for fourth at the position.

Moustakas went 2-for-6 with a solo home run and two runs in the Royals' 7-4 loss to the White Sox on Friday.

Moustakas kept rolling with his first-inning blast off Reynaldo Lopez, bringing his slash line up to .311/.336/.621 with eight home runs on the season. So far he's picked up right where he left off following last year's career-best campaign that saw him launch 38 home runs and put up a .835 OPS.