MLB Player News

Escobar is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Brewers, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Escobar's opportunities have been on the rise since late July after manager Paul Molitor removed Jorge Polanco from his everyday role at shortstop, but Escobar hasn't really been able to capitalize. He's batting an unremarkable .203/.329/.305 since the All-Star break, and with Polanco having heated up in recent games to take back ownership of the shortstop spot, Escobar's window to make an impact for fantasy owners may have closed. Escobar will hit the bench for a second straight game Wednesday.

Devers is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Rays, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

After kicking off his big-league career with four multi-hit performances in his first seven games, Devers has fallen into a slump over the past week, going 3-for-19 in his subsequent five starts. Devers doesn't look to be in much danger of losing his everyday role just yet, but the recent returns of Dustin Pedroia and Hanley Ramirez from injury -- as well as the trade-deadline pickup of utility infielder Eduardo Nunez --will afford manager John Farrell more flexibility with his lineups if the rookie is unable to right the ship.

Bregman went 1-for-3 with two walks and three RBI in Tuesday's 8-5 loss to the White Sox.

Bregman's triple extended his hitting streak to 10 games and gave him nine straight with an extra-base hit. The first half of the season was a lackluster one for Bregman, who found himself batting down in the order and making little impact. However, he's been a different hitter since the All-Star break, particularly in his power stroke. 15 of his 26 hits since the break have gone for extra bases.

Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a pair of two-run homers in Tuesday's victory over the Yankees.

In his first two at-bats (first and third inning), Donaldson delivered a souvenir to the outfield bleachers for his 15th and 16th home runs of the year. Tuesday's power display gave the slugger six long balls over his last 10 games while pushing Donaldson's slugging percentage (.486) to its highest point since July 1. As summer winds down, the veteran is heating up. Through six contests this month, he's 6-for-21 (.286) with four homers, two doubles, nine RBI and seven runs.

Candelario was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday.

With Jose Iglesias set to return from the bereavement list Wednesday, Candelario will be shipped back to the minors. He went 1-for-2 during Tuesday's contest and should be back in the majors when rosters expand in September.

Escobar is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Brewers, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Escobar is just 3-for-22 (.136) in seven games this month, so he'll head to the bench for a breather after starting nine straight contests. Jorge Polanco will take his place at shortstop for the game.

Moustakas has been battling a sore knee since being hit by a pitch that cleared the benches on July 26 vs. the White Sox, Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star reports.

Based on his current streak (8-for-18 with two homers, four RBI and four runs over his last five games), Moustakas doesn't appear to be hindered much. However, the third baseman has looked uncomfortable at times recently, most noticeably while running the bases. Manager Ned Yost said Moustakas suffered a deep bruise in his hip that required draining, causing stiffness in the slugger's knee that may be lingering. Fantasy owners have no reason to sit the All-Star as of now, but it's certainly a situation worth monitoring.

Machado went 1-for-4 with a grand slam during Monday's win over the Angels.

Machado has caught fire of late with three home runs, six doubles, 12 RBI and eight runs through his past nine games. The heater has been long overdue, as his .256/.318/.464 slash line is still well below the standard he set over the previous two years. A two-month surge could go a long way toward closing the gap, though.

Moustakas went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Monday's loss to St. Louis.

This was Moustakas' 32nd homer of the year and seventh through his past 16 games. The 28-year-old is up to an impressive 73 RBI and 57 runs with a .276/.307/.588 slash line for the season, finally reaching the high-end power potential that made him the second overall selection in the 2007 draft.

Chapman went 2-for-4 with an RBI double, another two-bagger, a walk and two runs in Sunday's 11-10 win over the Angels.

The rookie has already compiled five extra-base hits (four doubles, one home run) and six RBI over his first six games in August. He's been much more patient at the plate during that span as well, posting a 23.1 percent walk rate while striking out at only an 11.5 percent clip. Those numbers, while generated in what is admittedly a modest sample, represent an encouraging juxtaposition to his season-long 10.5 percent and 29.3 percent figures, respectively, in those categories.