MLB Player News

Duffy is not in the lineup against Toronto on Friday.

Duffy will take a seat for the first time since July 27 as Brandon Lowe gets a start in the infield for Friday's series opener. Over that 11 games span, Duffy is hitting .326/.367/.348 with four RBI and four multi-hit games. Look for him to rejoin the lineup Saturday.

Duffy went 2-for-3 with an RBI double and a walk in a win over the Orioles on Thursday.

Duffy's hot start to August persists, and he would have had his first multi-RBI game since July 1 if Mallex Smith hadn't been gunned down at the plate on Duffy's two-bagger. The 27-year-old continues to sport personal bests in average (.304) and on-base percentage (.356), while his 17 doubles and 32 RBI both rank as the second-highest figures of his career.

Valencia was designated for assignment by the Orioles on Friday.

Valencia has started only four of the last 10 games so it's relatively easy to see why the Orioles would make the move, despite his .325 average since the All-Star break. Outfielder Cedric Mullins joins Baltimore from Triple-A Norfolk for his first taste of the majors.

Muncy hit a pinch-hit home run in the seventh inning of Thursday's game against the Rockies.

It was nice to see Muncy connect as he entered the game with just a .183/.265/.383 line since the All-Star break. Given the dip in performance, the addition of Brian Dozier and the return of Justin Turner from the disabled list, Muncy will likely continue to sit a couple times per week moving forward.

Davis was optioned to Triple-A Fresno on Thursday, Christian Boutwell of MLB.com reports.

Davis will head to the minors after appearing in 13 games during his latest big-league stint. Since being recalled from Triple-A on July 20, he's gone just 6-for-40 with one RBI. In a corresponding move, Carlos Correa (back) is expected to be activated from the disabled list ahead of Friday's tilt against Seattle.

Rendon went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored in Thursday's game against Atlanta.

Rendon plated a run in the third inning on a sacrifice fly to left field. Following Thursday's series finale, he's recorded back-to-back multi-hit games, going 5-for-8 with two RBI over that stretch. Rendon heads into the weekend series hitting .291 with 16 homers and 58 RBI through 90 contests in 2018.

Moustakas is not in the lineup against the Padres on Thursday.

Moustakas will take a seat with southpaw Robbie Erlin on the mound for San Diego. In his place, Travis Shaw will man the hot corner while Hernan Perez gets a start in the infield.

Devers will not play in Thursday's series finale against the Blue Jays, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports.

Devers, who had been sidelined by a hamstring injury, had a triumphant return from the disabled list Wednesday when he doubled and homered in four at-bats. The decision to hold him out Thursday appears to be a precautionary one.

Moncada went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts and was caught stealing in Wednesday's 7-3 loss to the Yankees.

The good news is that Moncada snapped an 0-for-18 stretch with a single in the fifth inning, but those two strikeouts give him nine over his last 13 at-bats and raised his league-leading total to 163. The struggling leadoff hitter is the subject of stories on the team's official web site, in the Chicago Tribune and in the Chicago Sun-Times. They all report that Moncada needs to be more aggressive. He's got a great eye and can run up pitch counts, but when he sees a pitch he can drive, Moncada needs to swing.

Devers went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 10-5 win over the Blue Jays.

The 21-year-old has been out of action since July 28 with a hamstring strain, but Devers looked none the worse for wear in his return to the lineup. Injuries have cut into his production during his sophomore campaign, but Devers still has 16 homers in 97 games and an opportunity for a big finish to 2018 if he can stay healthy.