MLB Player News

Donaldson has been scratched from the Blue Jays' lineup Thursday with left knee soreness, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The last-minute change deprives the Jays of their No. 3 hitter. Kendrys Morales will give up his day off and instead hit third Thursday. As for Donaldson, the club should provide more details in the near future, but considering his lower-body issues this year, this deserves at least a close look.

Escobar is batting fifth and playing third base Thursday, Chad Graff of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Minnesota is looking to keep him in the lineup as often as possible, so it is deploying Miguel Sano at designated hitter. Escobar is riding an eight-game hit streak in which he's 16-for-32 with two home runs and six RBI, and his versatility to play several positions will work in his favor as long as he keeps this up to some degree. He's worth a pickup in many mixed fantasy leagues for the hope he sustains this, though he's much safer in the long term as a matchup play against left-handed pitching.

Chapman was placed on the 10-day disabled list Thursday with left knee cellulitis, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Chapman clubbed 16 home runs at Triple-A Nashville and earned a recent call-up, but he's dealt with knee issues the last few days and will spend some time on the sidelines. Matt Olson will return from Nashville and may assume a decent workload in at least the short term.

Segura (ankle) went 1-for-3 with a walk in his return from the disabled list Wednesday against Detroit.

After missing the last 18 games with an ankle injury, there seemed to be no lingering effects as the 27-year-old ran around the bases to score twice in the late innings. Segura, who is batting .341 on the year, will move back into his everyday role at shortstop, where he will look to continue his hot season at the plate.

Bregman has seen the highest percentage of sliders of any player this season, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

All young hitters go through a period of adjustment, as opponents develop a book on them. Bregman is trying to be more patient and drive balls to the right-center field gap. Returns on his adjustments have been on display during the current series in Oakland. The 23-year-old third baseman is 5-for-9 with four doubles and three walks, improving his seasonal line to .256/.338/.415 over 267 plate appearances.

Segura (ankle) was activated from the disabled list ahead of Wednesday's game against the Tigers, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports. He is starting at shortstop and leading off.

As expected, Segura is back with the team after appearing in a pair of rehab games earlier in the week. The 27-year-old, who compiled a .341/.391/.462 triple slash with seven stolen bases in 43 games before landing on the DL, will face Justin Verlander in his return to the lineup. Tyler Smith was sent back to Triple-A in a corresponding roster move.

Ramirez was named AL Player of the Week on Monday after going 16-for-31 (.516) with three home runs, seven RBI and a stolen base for the week of June 18.

The 24-year-old has raised his average from .265 to .320 over the team's last 22 contests. Among AL third basemen, Ramirez headed into Tuesday's games ranked first in hits (81), doubles (23), runs (44), average (.318), slugging percentage (.561) and steals (seven). He's now on pace to blast 25 home runs and 50-plus doubles while scoring over 100 runs this year.

Chapman (knee) is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Astros, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Chapman will remain on the bench for a third straight contest as he continues to recover from a knee infection. It appears the top prospect is improving thanks to a steady dose of antibiotics, so he'll hopefully be able to return to the lineup in the coming days. While Chapman remains day-to-day, Ryon Healy will draw another start in his place at the hot corner.

Senzel was promoted to Double-A Pensacola on Wednesday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The first-round draft pick (2016) continued to mash in his first taste of the High-A level this season, batting .302 while lashing out 32 extra-base hits and driving home 31 runs. Senzel will now get the opportunity to strut his stuff at the next level, where he'll continue his development as one of the organization's top prospects. His progression likely has him on track for a MLB debut sometime later in the 2018 season.

Reynolds was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old infielder had been recalled on June 16 but only logged four plate appearances in that span. With Zack Wheeler (biceps) landing on the disabled list, the Mets opted to add more bullpen depth rather than keep another bench bat around, so Reynolds will head back to the minors to make room on the active roster for reliever Erik Goeddel. Reynolds will likely continue to shuttle between the two levels as needed for the reminder of the season.