MLB Player News

Alvarez is not in the lineup against the Yankees on Friday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Alvarez will take a seat on the bench for the fourth straight contest after starting three of the first four games as the Orioles' DH. Danny Valencia will man the position and bat fifth in Friday's contest.

Duffy went 1-for-6 with a home run and two RBI Thursday against the Red Sox.

After finding himself on the bench Wednesday due to a defensive miscue, Duffy hit his first home run of the season to give the Rays a 2-0 lead in the eighth inning. It was also encouraging to see that he was slotted back into the leadoff spot in the lineup, which should put him in a decent position to score runs despite a poor supporting cast around him in Tampa Bay.

LeMahieu went 2-for-4 with two RBI against the Padres on Thursday.

LeMahieu has gotten off to an encouraging start by any measure, as he has hit two home runs and has his batting average up to .320 in seven games this season. More impressive is that his production has come entirely on the road, without the benefit of hitter-friendly Coors Field. Over the past three seasons, LeMahieu has managed a .473 slugging percentage at home as opposed to just a .385 mark on the road.

Robinson returned to the lineup Thursday and went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a caught stealing in a 6-3 win over the Athletics.

Robinson, who was given the day off Wednesday, has been the primary center field replacement for the injured Delino DeShields (hand). The 25-year-old has hit hits in four straight games and reached base safely in all five that he's played. He's part of the lower half of the order, which ignited and sustained rallies Thursday, but overall those same lineup spots have done little over the first week of the season. If Robinson continues to get on base and move runners along, he should be in the lineup regularly during DeShields' absence.

Rendon went 3-for-3 with two doubles, an RBI and a walk in Thursday's loss to the Mets.

Rendon was the only bright spot in an otherwise rough showing for the Nationals, as the third baseman produced half of the team's hits and had a hand in both runs scored. He has now collected a hit in all seven games this season and is slashing .290/.353/.452 through 34 plate appearances.

Chapman went 2-for-4 with two runs in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Rangers.

That's three straight two-hit outings for Chapman, who owns a five-game hitting streak overall. The season-opening surge has the infielder in sole possession of the Athletics' offensive leaderboard in the early going, an encouraging sign given the subpar .234 average and .313 OBP he generated as a rookie in 2017.

Muncy (oblique) is listed as the starting first baseman for Triple-A Oklahoma City in its season-opening lineup Thursday against Iowa.

Muncy received an invite to the Dodgers' major-league spring training but was an early cut after sustaining an oblique injury. Since reporting to minor-league camp, Muncy appears to have made a full recovery from the issue, so he shouldn't face any limitations as Oklahoma City kicks off its season.

Reyes will open the season back at High-A Frederick, MLB.com's Mike Rosenbaum reports.

This is a pretty big surprise, as Reyes has 176 games at High-A under his belt, and he hit .302/.333/.434 in 50 games there before his season was cut short by surgery to repair a broken pinky finger. The Orioles have likely stressed a more patient approach that could allow him to access more of his huge raw power in games. If he shows progress in that area, he could receive a very early promotion to Double-A.

Riley will begin the season with Double-A Mississippi, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

This is less a reflection on the development of the Braves' No. 2 fantasy prospect after he hit .315/.389/.511 in 48 games at the same level to close out 2017, and more a matter of finding Riley regular at-bats while Rio Ruiz clogs up the hot corner at Triple-A Gwinnett. Riley's Triple-A debut should still come fairly early this season, and if the 21-year-old keeps raking, it might only be a pit stop before he gets to the majors in the second half.

Escobar is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest against Seattle, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Escobar will take a seat after starting the past three games, as manager Paul Molitor elected to go with Ehire Adrianza at shortstop for the club's home opener. Through the first week of the season, Escobar has gone 7-for-16 with one home run and five RBI.