MLB Player News

Astudillo isn't in the starting lineup for the second half of Friday's doubleheader against the White Sox.

Astudillo went 0-for-1 with an RBI and a walk in the first half of the twin bill, and he'll get the night off. Juan Graterol draws the start behind the dish and will bat ninth.

Duffy (quadriceps) is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Duffy will sit for the second straight game after exiting with right quad tightness Wednesday. Joey Wendle grabs another start at third base for the Rays, with Brandon Lowe starting at second base.

Moncada is not in the lineup for the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the Twins, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Moncada takes a seat for the matinee as right-hander Jose Berrios heads to the mound for Minnesota. Leury Garcia will start at second base and bat second in his absence.

Astudillo went 2-for-4 with a double, four RBI and a run scored Thursday against the Tigers.

Astudillo drove in a pair of runs with a single in the third inning, and followed that up with a two-RBI double in the fifth. He's been especially hot of late, collecting multiple hits in six of his last 10 starts. That's paced him to an impressive .357/.372/.524 slash line across 82 plate appearances, to go along with three home runs, 19 RBI and eight runs scored.

Donaldson went 3-for-4 on Thursday against the Royals.

All of Donaldson's hits were singles and the Indians had a quiet game offensively, leaving him with no counting stats to show for his effort. However, he has reached base in seven of his last nine at-bats across the last two games. Donaldson's playing time is ramping up, and though his power production isn't up to its usual levels -- he has only three extra-base hits across 40 at-bats in September -- he's still shown the ability to reach base at a high clip.

Newman is not in the starting nine versus the Cubs on Thursday.

Newman will receive a standard day off after starting six of the previous seven games. During this series against Chicago, he's gone 3-for-12 with one run scored. Jordy Mercer will snag a start at the shortstop position in his stead.

Duffy (quadriceps) is not in the lineup against the Yankees on Thursday, Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reports.

Duffy exited Wednesday's contest with right quad tightness and will require some additional time off before returning to the lineup. He should be considered day-to-day ahead of Friday's series opener versus Toronto, though there's a chance he will be available off the bench Thursday. In his absence, Joey Wendle will start at third base while Brandon Lowe gets the nod at second.

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said Moncada has the ability to defend at positions other than second base, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. "He has the athleticism also to be an above-average defender at other positions too. It's a subject for further conversation," said Hahn.

The notion of moving Moncada doesn't come out of nowhere. While in Boston's organization, he played third base and was promoted to the majors at that position. Additionally, because the White Sox used the fourth overall pick in the 2018 draft to select Nick Madrigal, a second baseman with shortstop skills, the team may eventually have to create room in the middle infield. Moncada would be more valuable as a middle infielder, but the 23-year-old's bat should play as a corner infielder or outfielder, his .233 batting average this season notwithstanding.

Anderson went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer in Wednesday's loss to the Nationals.

Anderson's three-run shot off Jefry Rodriguez in the seventh inning accounted for all of Miami's offense in Wednesday's 9-3 loss. The 25-year-old is now in the midst of a six-game hit streak, going 9-for-22 (.409) with a homer and six RBI over that stretch.

Donaldson went 0-for-1 with four walks and a run scored in Wednesday's win over the White Sox.

Even without a hit, Donaldson had a solid day at the plate in reaching base a season-high four times. The 32-year-old is hitting just .222 since joining Cleveland, but he's also sporting .378 OBP in that span.