MLB Player News

Donaldson was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The Braves haven't announced a reason behind Donaldson's removal, but his absence is presumably for maintenance purposes more than anything else with the postseason just days away. Assuming Atlanta doesn't summon Donaldson from the bench, he'll conclude his first season in the National League with a .259/.379/.521 slash line, 37 home runs, 96 runs, 94 RBI and four steals across 659 plate appearances.

Candelario is not starting in Sunday's game against the White Sox.

Candelario takes a seat with Ronny Rodriguez starting at third base and John Hicks manning first. Candelario has gotten regular playing time at first with Dawel Lugo taking over the primary role at third, though neither young player has broken out in 2019. The Tigers will be looking for the 25-year-old Candelario to take a big step forward in 2020 to warrant staying in a prominent role.

Chapman is not in the lineup for Sunday's game at Seattle, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Athletics clinched home-field advantage for Wednesday's AL Wild Card Game on Saturday, so it's no surprise to see him receive the day off in the finale. Sheldon Neuse will cover third base in his place Sunday.

Arenado (side) is not in Sunday's lineup against the Brewers.

As expected, he will be unable to make it back before the end of the regular season. Ryan McMahon is starting at third base and hitting cleanup.

Segura (ankle) is not in Sunday's lineup against the Marlins.

He will end up missing the final three games of the regular season with the ankle injury but is expected to have a normal offseason. Sean Rodriguez is starting at shortstop and batting eighth.

Ramirez (hand) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game at Washington, Byron Kerr of MASN Sports reports.

Ramirez missed the first two games of the series since he's still experiencing soreness in his right hand after missing most of September, and it's no surprise the Indians will keep him on the bench for the finale with their playoff hopes dashed. The 27-year-old should finish 2019 with a .255/.327/.479 slash line, 23 home runs, 83 RBI and 24 stolen bases in 129 games. Yu Chang receives another start at third base Sunday.

Rendon is not in Sunday's lineup against the Indians.

The Nationals have secured home-field advantage for Tuesday's Wild Card Game, so it makes sense that they would give their best position player a breather on the final day of the season. Wilmer Difo is starting at third base and hitting eighth.

Muncy went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Saturday's win over the Giants.

Muncy launched a 429-foot shot to right field in the sixth inning to plate the final run in the 2-0 victory. The 29-year-old has followed last season's breakout performance with another strong campaign in 2019, tying last year's mark with 35 homers while slashing .252/.370/.518 and placing second on the squad in RBI (98), runs (99) and walks (86).

Moncada hit a pinch-hit home run in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Tigers. He went 2-for-4 in the afternoon contest.

Moncada launched his 25th home run and has hit safely in 20 of his last 22 games (40-for-92, .435). He's finishing up the season with an 1.111 OPS during September, which alongside fellow young building blocks Tim Anderson (.985) and Eloy Jimenez (1.107) makes the White Sox an interesting team to watch in 2020.

Manager Bud Black said Arenado (side) "probably won't play" in Sunday's season finale versus the Brewers, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports.

Arenado was withheld from Saturday's starting nine due to side soreness, and it's not a major surprise to see the team remaining cautious with its star third baseman for the final game of the season. Assuming he remains sidelined, the 28-year-old will finish 2019 with a .315/.379/.583 slash line with 41 home runs and 118 RBI in 155 games.