MLB Player News

Urshela (hamstring) is scheduled to play in a pair of minor-league games Monday and Tuesday, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Urshela was forced to start the season on the disabled list after suffering a strained right hamstring late in camp. He remains without a timetable for his return, but seeing as the injury was initially expected to keep him sidelined for just 10-14 days, Urshela could potentially be ready to return when first eligible (April 5) if everything goes off without a hitch in his upcoming minor-league appearances. More should be known following Tuesday's game. Once healthy, Urshela is expected to serve as a reserve infielder.

Suarez went 2-for-5 with a home run, two RBI, and two runs scored against the Nationals on Saturday.

Suarez's homer was a two-run shot in the ninth inning off Enny Romero, though all it did was cut the deficit from eight to six. The 26-year-old has hit second in both of the Reds' first two games and should benefit from hitting in front of Joey Votto in hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park.

Escobar is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Orioles, Dan Hayes of The Athletic Minnesota reports.

Escobar will head to the bench after starting at shortstop and going 1-for-5 in the season opener. The 28-year-old switch-hitter is expected to see the majority of starts at shortstop with Jorge Polanco suspended for 80 games.

Devers is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rays, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

Devers started Boston's first two games of the season but will sit Saturday. Eduardo Nunez will slide over to third base in Devers' place, with Brock Holt starting at second. Devers is 2-for-8 with three RBI so far this season.

Davis will be inserted into the Astros' starting nine at first base against the Rangers on Saturday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

During the first two games of the 2018 season, Marwin Gonzalez has collected starts at the position while Yulieski Gurriel serves a five-game suspension. It remains to be seen whether Davis will head back to Triple-A Fresno or stay in the big leagues once Gurriel returns to the active roster.

McMahon is out of Friday's lineup against the Diamondbacks.

The Rockies have started the season against back-to-back lefties, so McMahon has yet to start a game this season. Ian Desmond will once again slot in at first base and hit sixth against lefty Robbie Ray. McMahon appeared as a pinch hitter Thursday and went 0-for-1 with a strikeout. Look for him to be in the lineup Saturday against righty Zack Greinke.

Paredes will start the 2018 campaign with High-A Lakeland, Emily Waldon of The Athletic reports.

Paredes was dealt to Detroit at last year's trade deadline and spent the final 32 games of the 2017 campaign with Low-A West Michigan. His time with the Whitecaps didn't compare to his production with the Cubs' High-A squad earlier that year, but he showed his potential as the youngest qualified hitter in the Midwest League during his age-18 season. The infield prospect is considered a solid defender with excellent contact skills at the plate.

Donaldson (dead arm) will serve as the Blue Jays' designated hitter for the next few games until his throwing shoulder improves, MLB Network Radio reports.

The good news is that it sounds like Donaldson won't lose out on significant at-bats while he deals with this dead arm phase. Instead, Kendrys Morales will lose out on playing time with Donaldson getting starts at DH, while Yangervis Solarte serves as the team's third baseman. Manager John Gibbons noted that structurally, everything is fine with Donaldson's arm/shoulder.

Duffy went 1-for-4 with an RBI double and a run in Thursday's 6-4 Opening Day victory over the Red Sox.

The oft-injured 27-year-old got the Rays' comeback from a 4-0 deficit started with his timely two-bagger in the eighth inning that plated Daniel Robertson. Duffy made it through spring without any notable health issues and did so in fine fashion, hitting .327 over 53 plate appearances. Slated for a healthy dose of leadoff work in 2018, Duffy could be poised for an above-average season in runs scored thanks to a solid group of hitters behind him.

Rendon is batting second and playing third base Friday against the Reds.

Rendon batted second on nine occasions for the Nationals last season, but former manager Dusty Baker's old-school lineups saw Rendon bat sixth more often than any other spot (73 times). New manager Dave Martinez appears to be favoring on-base percentage at the top, with Adam Eaton leading off and Rendon batting second. The 27-year-old had the best offensive season of his career in 2017, hitting .301/.403/.533 with 25 homers in 147 games. If Friday's lineup is a preview of things to come and Rendon sticks in the second spot, expect a shift from RBI to runs, which won't effect his overall fantasy value much. The more significant effect will be an increase in his total number of plate appearances, which should slightly boost all of his counting stats.