MLB Player News

Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 10-4 win over the Athletics.

Ramirez drove in a pair on a double in the third inning to put Cleveland ahead 3-2, and later plated a run on an RBI single in the seventh. He's been red hot at the plate recently, going 8-for-22 with six RBI and five extra-base hits in his last five games. Ramirez is batting an impressive .296 with 24 homers, 59 RBI and an outstanding 1.001 OPS through 85 games this season.

Longoria (hand) is close to taking ground balls and hitting off a tee, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Longoria continues to make steady progress after undergoing hand surgery June 19, as he's nearing the next step in his recovery. Manager Bruce Bochy stated he hopes Longoria will be activated from the disabled list sometime during the first week in August.

Valencia is not in Friday's lineup against the Twins, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Valencia will head to the bench for the third time in the last four games, with Joey Rickard starting in right field and batting eighth. The 33-year-old Valencia is in the midst of an 0-for-16 slump and is without a hit in July.

Devers is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Royals, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

The 21-year-old will hit the bench Friday as the Royals send veteran Jason Hammel to the mound. Devers has a .288/.309/.545 slash line with four home runs over his last 17 games.

Moustakas (back) will start at third base and bat third against the Red Sox on Friday, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Moustakas missed Tuesday's and Wednesday's games due to back spasms but makes his return to the lineup following Thursday's off day. The 29-year-old has struggled with a .210/.273/.370 slash line with only eight extra-base hits since the start of June.

Candelario is out of the lineup for the second straight game Friday against the Rangers, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

There haven't been any reports that Candelario is injured, so it appears that he's just been given a few days off to clear his head after a rough patch in which he's hit just .146 over his last 14 games. Ronny Rodriguez starts again at third base.

Riley (knee) began a rehab assignment Thursday and went 1-for-3 with a strikeout for the rookie-level GCL Braves, David O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Riley landed on the disabled list in early June with a right knee sprain and Thursday marked his return to action. The 21-year-old will likely remain with the GCL Braves for a few games to re-acclimate himself before returning to Triple-A Gwinnett, where he slashed .284/.345/.431 with 38 strikeouts in 102 at-bats this season.

Asuaje went 2-for-2 with a pair of walks, a triple, an RBI and two runs scored in Thursday's victory over the Diamondbacks.

Asuaje has been locked in since being called up July 1, going 5-for-7 with four walks over four games (two starts). The 26-year-old struggled during his first stint in the majors (.193/.256/.284 in 43 games prior to demotion), but he earned his recent callup after slashing .338/.408/.492 with Triple-A El Paso. Jose Pirela and Cory Spangenberg remain in the mix at the keystone, but Asuaje is making a strong case to earn more playing time if he can keep this up.

Anderson went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBI in Thursday's 14-12 loss to the Nationals.

Anderson was a major part of Miami's offensive onslaught Thursday, cracking his 22nd double of the year in the sixth inning and adding his sixth homer, a three-run shot, in the eighth. He had been struggling mightily of late, carrying a .179/.273/.282 line over his last 10 games entering Thursday, but this could be the start of a turnaround at the dish for Anderson.

Candelario is not in the lineup against Texas on Thursday, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Candelario will receive a standard day off following nine straight starts in the Tigers' lineup. In his place, Ronny Rodriguez will draw a rare start at third base. Over 75 games this year, Candelario is hitting .235 with a .780 OPS and 33 RBI.