MLB Player News

Astudillo agreed to a minor-league contract with the Twins on Thursday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Astudillo will join the Twins after spending all of the 2017 season with Arizona's Triple-A affiliate (Reno), hitting .342/.370/.558 in 36 games for the Aces. The 26-year-old owns an impressive 3.1 percent strikeout rate over his career, so the case could be made that no other hitter in the minors is better at making contact. Unfortunately, he fits best defensively at first base or DH, and has just 17 home runs in 560 minor-league games. He continues to get some work at catcher, but if he could handle that position, he would have likely already reached the majors. Look for him to serve as an organizational depth piece for the Twins in 2018.

The Royals made a qualifying offer to Moustakas prior to Monday's deadline, the Kansas City Star reports.

It's expected that Moustakas will turn down the $17.4 million offer for 2018 and ink a multi-year deal this winter. Whether he, Eric Hosmer or Lorenzo Cain end up returning to Kansas City on a long-term deal is very much up in the air at this point. The Royals will receive a pick after the end of the first round of the 2018 first-year player draft if Moustakas inks a deal with another club worth $50 million or more, while they'll receive a compensatory pick after the second round if the new contract is worth less than $50 million.

Duffy (heel) was reinstated from the disabled list Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Duffy wound up missing the entire 2017 season while dealing with various setbacks that stemmed from offseason surgery on his left heel. He was able to spend some time on the team's instructional league team in September, and should be fully healthy by the time spring training rolls around.

Urshela (leg) is in Wednesday's lineup for Game 5 of the ALDS against New York.

Urshela was dealing with some soreness after taking a line drive off his left leg during Monday's contest, but should be good to go for Wednesday's pivotal affair. The 26-year-old will bat ninth and man the hot corner.

Urshela is experiencing soreness after taking a liner off his left leg during Game 4 of the ALDS on Monday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The injury isn't thought to be anything overly serious, but it could force Urshela to miss the Indians' decisive Game 5 against the Yankees on Wednesday. If Urshela is unable to play, the Indians would likely push Jose Ramirez to third base and turn to either Jason Kipnis or Erik Gonzalez to take over at the keystone.

Devers is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Astros, Tim Britton of The Providence Journal reports.

Devers will retreat to the bench as manager John Farrell elects to go with Deven Marrero at third base due to southpaw Dallas Keuchel taking the mound for Houston. During Game 1 on Thursday, Devers went 0-for-3 with one RBI and two strikeouts.

Longoria went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and a run scored in Sunday's 6-0 win over the Orioles.

Longoria did his damage during a five-run eighth inning, driving in the frame's first run before eventually scoring from third thanks to Trevor Plouffe's bases-loaded walk. The soon-to-be 32-year-old third baseman finishes the season with a .261/.313/.424 line.

Donaldson expressed interest in signing a contract extension with the Blue Jays while talking to reporters on Sunday, according to Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com.

"I've made it known to our front office that I enjoy being a Toronto Blue Jay, that I enjoy my time here," Donaldson said. "If it's a possibility, I would definitely enjoy being a Blue Jay for a long time. I'm not going to sit here and try to force their hand, and they're not going to sit here and force mine." Donaldson finished the season on a high note after battling a calf injury in the first half, hitting .276/.386/.606 with 24 homers and 53 RBI in 67 games after the All-Star break. Donaldson will go to arbitration for the final time this offseason, so the Jays have one year of control remaining if they want to keep him without making a long-term commitment.

Segura isn't in the lineup Sunday against the Angels.

Gordon Beckham will draw another start at shortstop as Segura remains on the bench for Seattle's season finale against the Angels. Segura recently dealt with a hurt finger, but there's no reason to believe that it's acting up again. Instead, it looks like the Mariners are simply being careful with the 27-year-old. Segura played in 125 games for the Mariners this season and hit .300/.349/.427 while stealing 22 bases.

Bregman isn't in the lineup Sunday against Boston.

Over the last seven games, Bregman has gone 12-for-31 (.387) with three home runs and 11 RBI. His recent surge at the plate is coming at the right time as Houston is set to begin postseason play Thursday against the Red Sox. J.D. Davis will start at the hot corner in Bregman's place Sunday.