MLB Player News

Moncada told Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski that his biggest takeaway from his time in the majors was the need to anticipate different pitches, Jen McCaffrey of MassLive.com reports. "You can tell people that, but until they experience it," Dombrowski said. "When he's hitting at the minor league level and it's a 2-0 count and there's nobody on base and they're losing by a run he's probably seeing a fastball the majority of the time and here he might see a changeup or breaking ball."

Dombrowski said he doesn't regret bringing Boston's top prospect up to the majors for September, feeling a minor league player will never learn what its like at the major league level until they're here. With rare exception, every minor-leaguer will struggle when promoted to MLB. Moncada, who is currently playing third base in the Arizona Fall League, went 3-for-5 with a double and solo homer in his first game for the Surprise Saguaros. He'll continue to get action at third base in the AFL and is most likely to start the 2017 season in the minors.

Donaldson went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs in Sunday's series-clinching win over the Rangers.

Donaldson's second run in Game 3 of the ALDS was the walkoff winner as he barely beat the throw home after a botched double play in the bottom of the 10th inning. Through four postseason games, the third baseman is 9-for-18 (.500) with five doubles, three RBI and five runs. Donaldson, who's averaged a homer per 15 at-bats over the past two season, has yet to go deep in the 2016 playoffs.

LeMahieu is out of the lineup Sunday against the Brewers.

The Rockies will hold LeMahieu out during the season finale in order to protect his .348 average on the season, which will allow him to claim the NL batting title by a narrow margin over injured Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy (glute). Pat Valaika will man second base with LeMahieu sitting out.

Alvarez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Yankees, MLB.com reports.

Alvarez will be on the bench for the fifth game in a row. The Orioles will look to make outfield defense a greater priority by moving Mark Trumbo to DH to clear room for the speedier Michael Bourn in right field. A .208 average and three homers over 59 plate appearances since the start of September haven't helped Alvarez's argument for a regular lineup spot.

Valencia is out of the lineup Sunday against the Mariners.

Valencia, who's been dealing with a neck issue, was a late addition to the lineup Saturday. He proceeded to go 0-for-4 and strike out twice. He'll return to the bench Sunday while Matt Olson starts in right field.

Rendon is not in the lineup for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Marlins, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Rendon had previously started 12 straight games but will get the day off Sunday as the Nationals prepare for their opening playoff game against the Dodgers on Friday. Stephen Drew will replace him at third base for the finale, batting fifth for the Nationals.

Valencia (neck) is back in the lineup Saturday against the Mariners, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Valencia was scratched from Friday's lineup with what the team called a "neck issue," but it doesn't look to be anything serious. Valencia will get the start in right field and bat sixth in the order against Mariners right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma.

LeMahieu is out of the lineup Saturday against the Brewers, MLB.com's Thomas Harding reports.

He has just two at-bats in the last three games, as the Rockies are intent on getting LeMahieu the NL batting title. His batting average sits at .348 while Daniel Murphy's is at .347, and considering Murphy won't return until the postseason, it's plausible that LeMahieu won't receive another plate appearance this year in order to make sure he gets the batting crown. Daniel Descalso will start at the keystone and hit second.

Rendon went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Friday's 7-4 loss to the Marlins.

The slugging third baseman took Andrew Cashner deep in the fourth with a 410-foot shot, putting the first run of the game up for the Nationals. Rendon has now hit safely in six of his last seven games and has a pair of homers and seven RBI over that span. He's also just one homer shy of equaling the career-high 21 he smacked in 2014, while his 85 RBI already represent a personal best.

Bregman will not play this weekend, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The 22-year-old returned to the lineup Wednesday, but with Houston officially eliminated from postseason contention on Thursday, he will be shut back down. Bregman struggled initially upon arrival to the major leagues but quickly adjusted and finished with an impressive .791 OPS in 217 plate appearances. He appears primed to open 2017 in an everyday role.