MLB Player News

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.

Valencia has been scratched from Friday's lineup with a neck issue, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Matt Olson is now slated to start in right field against Taijuan Walker and the Mariners. The extent of the neck injury is uncertain and thus Valencia's status for the final two days of the regular season is up in the air.

Bregman is out of the lineup Friday against the Angels, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

It was feared that Bregman's season was over as a result of a hamstring injury but he made a surprise return to the lineup Wednesday, finishing 1-for-4 with an RBI in a loss to Seattle. He will turn third base over to Yulieski Gurriel on Friday but Bregman figures to start at least one of the Astros' final two games of the regular season.