MLB Player News

Moncada went 1-for-4 with a walk, a home run and two runs scored during the White Sox's 4-3 win Saturday over the Royals.

By taking a Brandon Maurer pitch over the wall, the youngster cut a two-run deficit in half during the eighth inning and the Pale Hose eventually overtook Kansas City for a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Moncada is only 2-for-10 to start the season, but his first tater of the year is a reminder of his alluring power/speed potential for 2018 and beyond.

Urshela (hamstring) is scheduled to play in a pair of minor-league games Monday and Tuesday, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Urshela was forced to start the season on the disabled list after suffering a strained right hamstring late in camp. He remains without a timetable for his return, but seeing as the injury was initially expected to keep him sidelined for just 10-14 days, Urshela could potentially be ready to return when first eligible (April 5) if everything goes off without a hitch in his upcoming minor-league appearances. More should be known following Tuesday's game. Once healthy, Urshela is expected to serve as a reserve infielder.

Escobar is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Orioles, Dan Hayes of The Athletic Minnesota reports.

Escobar will head to the bench after starting at shortstop and going 1-for-5 in the season opener. The 28-year-old switch-hitter is expected to see the majority of starts at shortstop with Jorge Polanco suspended for 80 games.

Devers is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rays, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

Devers started Boston's first two games of the season but will sit Saturday. Eduardo Nunez will slide over to third base in Devers' place, with Brock Holt starting at second. Devers is 2-for-8 with three RBI so far this season.

Davis will be inserted into the Astros' starting nine at first base against the Rangers on Saturday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

During the first two games of the 2018 season, Marwin Gonzalez has collected starts at the position while Yulieski Gurriel serves a five-game suspension. It remains to be seen whether Davis will head back to Triple-A Fresno or stay in the big leagues once Gurriel returns to the active roster.

Paredes will start the 2018 campaign with High-A Lakeland, Emily Waldon of The Athletic reports.

Paredes was dealt to Detroit at last year's trade deadline and spent the final 32 games of the 2017 campaign with Low-A West Michigan. His time with the Whitecaps didn't compare to his production with the Cubs' High-A squad earlier that year, but he showed his potential as the youngest qualified hitter in the Midwest League during his age-18 season. The infield prospect is considered a solid defender with excellent contact skills at the plate.

Donaldson (dead arm) will serve as the Blue Jays' designated hitter for the next few games until his throwing shoulder improves, MLB Network Radio reports.

The good news is that it sounds like Donaldson won't lose out on significant at-bats while he deals with this dead arm phase. Instead, Kendrys Morales will lose out on playing time with Donaldson getting starts at DH, while Yangervis Solarte serves as the team's third baseman. Manager John Gibbons noted that structurally, everything is fine with Donaldson's arm/shoulder.

Duffy went 1-for-4 with an RBI double and a run in Thursday's 6-4 Opening Day victory over the Red Sox.

The oft-injured 27-year-old got the Rays' comeback from a 4-0 deficit started with his timely two-bagger in the eighth inning that plated Daniel Robertson. Duffy made it through spring without any notable health issues and did so in fine fashion, hitting .327 over 53 plate appearances. Slated for a healthy dose of leadoff work in 2018, Duffy could be poised for an above-average season in runs scored thanks to a solid group of hitters behind him.

Manager John Gibbons said after Thursday's loss that Donaldson is dealing with a 'dead arm,' Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Donaldson simply didn't look like himself on several throws across the diamond Thursday. He had already sat out of Toronto's exhibition games in Montreal for maintenance purposes, but it's clear that his arm still isn't 100 percent. Gibbons said that this is a case of dead arm rather than any sort of injury for Donaldson. It'll be worth monitoring whether the Blue Jays opt to deploy him as the designated hitter until his arm is back to full strength.

Bregman will start at third base and hit second in Thursday's season opener against the Rangers, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Bregman opened last season as the club's No. 2 hitter, but a slow start at the dish eventually dropped him to the lower third of the lineup. Manager A.J. Hinch moved the infielder back up to the two hole in mid-August once Bregman started to heat up at the plate, and the 23-year-old never relinquished that spot after continuing to produce during Houston's run to the World Series. Without the World Baseball Classic occupying most his training time this spring, Bregman should enter the 2018 campaign fresher than he did a season ago, which should aid his chances of a breakout.