MLB Player News

Moustakas (wrist) remains sidelined Friday against the Cubs.

Moustakas hasn't played since taking a grounder off his wrist Monday. His absence Friday comes as little surprise, as manager Craig Counsell indicated Thursday that he was likely still a few days away from returning to action. Hernan Perez starts at the hot corner in his absence.

Muncy's wrist X-rays showed no fracture, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Muncy previously underwent a fluoroscopy that also revealed no fracture. Although Muncy indicated after the game that he will undergo additional tests Friday, his injury is currently being diagnosed as a contusion, which bodes well for his chances to avoid a stint on the injured list. The 29-year-old exited Wednesday's game after being hit by a fastball on his right wrist.

Davis went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Cubs.

Davis accounted for New York's only run of the game with a 432-foot blast to center field in the first inning. The long ball was Davis' eighth in August and marked the third straight game in which he has gone yard. The 26-year-old is slashing .303/.366/.520 with 18 homers and 47 RBI in 369 plate appearances this season.

Escobar went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run and two runs scored in the Diamondbacks' 11-5 win over the Dodgers on Thursday.

Escobar officially reached the 30-homer plateau for the first time in his career with a sixth-inning three-run blast off Joe Kelly, bringing his career-high RBI total up to 106 in the process. The 30-year-old is also slashing a solid .267/.320/.522 across 525 at-bats.

Newman went 4-for-4 with a pair of home runs, a double and four RBI to help the Pirates to an 11-8 victory over the Rockies on Thursday.

Newman only had seven long balls for the season coming into the game, but he clubbed two in this contest, first touching up Chi Chi Gonzalez with a first-inning solo shot before adding another solo blast off Jesus Tinoco in the fifth. This type of power shouldn't be expected regularly from Newman -- they were at Coors Field, after all -- but he's providing solid across-the-board production for the Pirates this season. He's slashing .309/.354/.439 across 392 at-bats while driving in 50 runs and swiping 13 bases in 20 attempts.

Muncy (wrist) is expected to remain out at least until early next week, even if his test results bring good news, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Muncy underwent a fluoroscopy Wednesday, but he's set to have X-rays at Chase Field on Thursday night. The Dodgers will likely review his test results before providing another update on the infielder's status, though skipper Dave Roberts anticipates Muncy missing at least a few games even in a best-case scenario.

Burger (Achilles) has been taking swings and working out at the White Sox complex in Glendale (Ariz.), Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Chicago general manager Rick Hahn discussed Burger's possible return, hoping the team's top pick in the 2017 draft can enter spring training 2020 as part of an affiliate. He hasn't played since Sept. 2017 due to Achilles and heel injuries, so targeting a return is more art than science. "There is a little bit of projection involved when you are dealing with health," Hahn said. "He's well on his way. There's been the second rupture, or the revision it's technically called, [which] was pretty stunning for everyone. Usually the Achilles going out is a shock to the system, but nobody really envisions it happening twice." Hahn added that Burger will remain a third baseman.

Muncy (wrist) is not in the lineup Thursday against the Diamondbacks.

This isn't all too surprising. Muncy was struck on the wrist by a pitch in the fifth inning Wednesday, and while initial X-rays cleared him of structural damage, he said after the game that he'll undergo additional tests on his injured right wrist. Muncy also stated that he expects to miss at least a few days, per Alanna Rizzo of Spectrum SportsNet LA. Enrique Hernandez is starting at the keystone in this one while Muncy awaits the results of his tests.

Manager Bob Melvin said Chapman will play Friday against the Yankees, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Chapman was struck in the helmet by a pitch during Wednesday's 6-4 loss to the Royals. He was cleared of any concussion symptoms, however, and appears poised to rejoin the lineup Friday after entering Thursday's series finale in the ninth inning as a defensive replacement. Through 23 games in August, Chapman is slashing .244/.337/.570 with seven home runs and seven doubles.

The Mets promoted Baty on Thursday from their rookie-level Kingsport affiliate to short-season Brooklyn.

The 12th overall pick in June's first-year player draft, Baty will move on to his third different affiliate after slashing .236/.355/.461 between stops with Kingsport and the Mets' Gulf Coast League affiliate. The third baseman will provide Brooklyn with some reinforcement for its postseason run, which should provide some meaningful experience for the 19-year-old as he prepares for a likely assignment to a full-season affiliate in 2020.