MLB Player News

Newman is out of the lineup against the Reds on Saturday.

Newman went 1-for-4 with one RBI during Friday's series opener and will receive a breather for the matinee while Jordy Mercer picks up a start at third base.

Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, four RBI and two runs in Friday's 14-6 victory over the Royals.

Donaldson blew the game open with a grand slam in the seventh inning to stretch the Indians' lead to 10-0. He also added a double and a run earlier in the frame, as the Indians scored 10 of their 14 runs in the seventh. Donaldson now has a .249 batting average to go along with eight home runs and 23 RBI over 212 plate appearances in 2018.

Muncy is not in the lineup against San Francisco on Friday, Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group reports.

As expected, Muncy will take a seat for the series opener with southpaw Madison Bumgarner on the mound for the Giants. In his place, David Freese will bat third and man first base.

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.