MLB Player News

Donaldson (illness) isn't listed in the lineup or as an available bench option for Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Donaldson, who has been nursing a minor shoulder issue in spring training, was able to return to the lineup Saturday against the Nationals, but exited early than expected after experiencing dehydration. The Blue Jays are likely just giving him another day to rest and get his energy back up, so he should return to the field at some point early this week.

Asuaje went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's contest against the Indians.

Asuaje is batting .367 (11-for-30) with a homer and a steal this spring. His main competition, Cory Spangenberg, is performing equally well, and manager Andy Green hasn't shed light on who might have a leg up in the race up. If Asuaje were to win the job, he wouldn't be more than an empty batting average after hitting just four homers with no steals in 307 at-bats last season in the majors.

Senzel will make his third start of the spring at shortstop Saturday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

The Reds are exposing Senzel to shortstop because they are more than happy with Eugenio Suarez at third base. There's a good chance Senzel reaches the majors this season and having a position other than third base to play will enable him to get consistent at-bats.

Longoria indicated Saturday he is battling left ankle joint soreness and is still considered day-to-day, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Longoria was scratched from Friday's Cactus League game with what was originally reported as a sore heel. Regardless, the injury doesn't appear severe as the 32-year-old said, "It's nothing to be nervous about...When I feel ready I'll play."

Donaldson (shoulder) exited Saturday's game against the Nationals due to dehydration, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports.

Donaldson has been battling a shoulder issue throughout camp, but the early exit was apparently unrelated to his shoulder. It's an unusual situation and a potential yellow flag for the veteran third baseman, but it's entirely possible that this was a one-off case of dehydration and that the team didn't feel the need to push things in a Grapefruit League contest.

Donaldson (shoulder) was removed from Saturday's contest against the Nationals after drawing a walk in the bottom of the first inning, Mike Wilner of BlueJaysTalk reports.

Donaldson has been battling a minor right shoulder issue throughout the course of spring camp and it appeared to have cropped up again during Saturday's game. In the top of the first frame, Donaldson fielded a ground ball at third base but was unable to get enough on the throw to nail Victor Robles at first, which shouldn't be scrutinized but isn't a great sign for the 32-year-old.

Longoria was scratched from Friday's Cactus League game with a sore heel, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Longoria should be considered day-to-day and could be back in the lineup later this weekend, though the team may choose to give him a couple days off to rest. The third baseman is coming off a 2017 campaign where he slashed .261/.313/.424 with 20 home runs and 86 RBI with Tampa Bay. He was replaced by Pablo Sandoval in Friday's lineup.

Muncy will miss time while recovering from a mild oblique strain, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Muncy is in camp as a non-roster invitee and will begin the 2018 season at the minor-league level after spending all of last season with Triple-A Oklahoma City. At this point there isn't a clear timetable for his return, but this injury shouldn't keep him sidelined for too long.

Moustakas agreed to a one-year, $6.5 million deal with the Royals on Thursday, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports.

The surprisingly discounted deal reportedly contains a mutual $15 million option for 2019 while also being fairly incentive-laden in 2018. Moustakas' return to Kansas City is a near worst-case scenario for fantasy purposes, as the rebuilding Royals currently project to roll out one of the worst Opening Day lineups in the league. The 29-year-old should slot in as the team's everyday third baseman and will hit in the heart of the order, but fantasy owners should temper their expectations when it comes to Moustakas repeating his 38-homer campaign from 2017.

Rendon has primarily hit cleanup for the Nationals through five spring starts. He hit second in the one game where he was not hitting fourth.

He primarily hit sixth (296 plate appearances) for the Nationals last season, while also getting starts hitting fifth (131 plate appearances), third (65 plate appearances), fourth (59 plate appearances), second (43 plate appearances) and seventh (10 plate appearances). It was a bit of a running joke that former manager Dusty Baker batted Rendon outside the top four in the Nationals' lineup, and it seems he is being groomed for a more prominent spot in 2018. Even with his less-than-optimal placement last year, he still managed 81 runs and 100 RBI. If he is hitting cleanup and can stay relatively healthy, he should improve on both those marks this season.