MLB Player News

Newman, who went 0-for-3 against Atlanta on Sunday, is expected to see ample playing opportunities in September.

General manager Neal Huntington said Sunday that Newman will get "a large chunk of the time at shortstop," especially with the trading of Adeiny Hechavarria and impending free agency of Jordy Mercer. Newman made a costly error at second base Sunday and has just three hits in his first 30 at-bats, but he's the frontrunner for the starter's job in 2019. The infielder slashed .302/.350/.407 with four homers and 28 stolen bases for Triple-A Indianapolis this season.

Bregman went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Sunday against the Angels.

Bregman took Junichi Tazawa deep in the in the seventh inning to record his 27th home run of the season and second in as many games. He has already set career-high marks in nearly every offensive category -- stolen bases being the exception -- and is in the midst of a 26-game on-base streak.

Muncy went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Sunday against the Diamondbacks.

Muncy took Clay Buchholz deep in the fifth inning to record his 31st home run of the season. Despite losing playing time due to the crowded Dodgers depth chart -- his 58 at-bats in August were his lowest in a month since April -- he has managed nine home runs since the All-Star break in 106 at-bats. While he's best fit for a daily lineup league due to the unsteady playing time, his power upside makes him valuable in any league.

Newman will start at second base and bat seventh Sunday against the Braves.

Despite recording only three hits in 27 at-bats since being promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis in mid-August, Newman will pick up his fourth start in a row as the Pirates give Josh Harrison the day off. Harrison is just getting over a hamstring injury, so once he's further removed from that setback, he'll likely settle back into a full-time role. That would result in fewer opportunities at the keystone for the likes of Newman and Adam Frazier.

Donaldson went through a workout prior to Sunday's game against the Rays but won't be included in Cleveland's lineup for the series finale, T.J. Zuppe of The Athletic Cleveland reports.

Indians general manager Chris Antonetti noted that Donaldson took part in agility drills in the outfield, ran the bases and took batting practice without any restrictions, according to John Lott of The Athletic Toronto. Though Donaldson was activated from the 60-day disabled list Saturday after being acquired from the Blue Jays a day earlier, it's unclear how soon he'll enter the lineup as the Indians look to ensure he has completely recovered from the calf issue that has sidelined him for most of the campaign. Donaldson probably wouldn't be asked to play on an everyday basis right away. The Indians' main goal is getting him ready for the postseason.

Duffy is out of the lineup for Sunday's series finale at Cleveland, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Duffy has a .368/.432/.421 slash line with six multi-hit efforts in the last nine games but will head to the bench against Indians right-hander Carlos Carrasco. Joey Wendle will slide over to third base for the Rays while Brandon Lowe gets the start at second base.

Duffy went 2-for-5 with a two-run double and a run in a win over the Indians on Saturday.

Duffy erased a 2-0 deficit in the sixth inning with a timely swing, plating Brandon Lowe and Joey Wendle with a two-bagger. The infielder had been on a hot streak prior to a brief 0-for-7 hiccup over the prior two games, but Saturday's effort got his September off to a rousing start.

Devers (hamstring) may have to share third base with Eduardo Nunez when he's activated from the disabled list, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Manager Alex Cora discussed the third base situation, telling reporters Devers needs to be more consistent at the plate and is wary of the errors. "One thing for sure: Raffy has to play better. We knew that. The whole season offensively he's been up and down. Defensively, he's made his errors. But he needs to be better. And that's the bottom line. We're here to win ballgames. And whoever is playing the best, he's going to play," said Cora. The two players make for a natural platoon with Devers hitting from the left side and Nunez from the right.

Escobar went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Saturday against the Dodgers.

Escobar took Clayton Kershaw deep in the second inning to record his 20th home run of the season. He's now reached the 20-homer plateau for the second consecutive season, though he's significantly improved on last season's slash line and is nearly certain to set new career-best marks in home runs, RBI and runs scored.

Segura went 3-for-4 with two RBI on Saturday against the Athletics.

All three hits were singles for Segura, with both of his RBI coming on a base knock in the fifth inning. He had missed two games with a shin injury but showed no ill effects while recording his sixth multi-hit effort in his last nine games. That run has his average up to .321 across 505 at-bats this season, good enough for fourth in the American League and his highest mark since July 25.