MLB Player News

Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas remains out of the starting lineup for Wednesday's matchup with the Tigers. Moustakas will miss his second straight game due to a pulled hamstring.

Cheslor Cuthbert will handle the hot corner on Wednesday with Moustakas on the shelf. 

Manager Ned Yost said Moustakas is able to pinch hit, but likely won't start Thursday's game, according to MLB.com.

A hamstring pull has Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas sidelined, but Ned Yost is hopeful he can return to action as early as Wednesday, per the Kansas City Star.

Moustakas has been on a roll lately with four multi-hit efforts in his last six games. His slash line on the year of .283/.349/.448 represents career-bests across the board.

Athletics rookie right-hander Aaron Brooks has been called up and will start Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks. Brooks has made four appearances (three starts) since coming over from the Royals in a deal right before the July 31 trade deadline.

His last start came back on August 12, when he was rocked for eight runs over 1 2/3 innings. He pitched in relief two days later and was then sent down to Triple-A. 

To clear room on the roster, infielder Max Muncy was optioned to Triple-A Nashville.

Giants third baseman Matt Duffy has lost no time to a right ankle sprain that plagued him during the game Wednesday. He is in the lineup Thursday against the Cubs.

The team can ill-afford to lose Duffy, who has been among their most productive hitters. He just had an eight-game hitting streak snapped in which he batted .333 (11-for-33).

Giants third baseman Matt Duffy is day to day after spraining his right ankle during Wednesday's 4-2 win against the Cubs, according to MLB.com.

Duffy hurt himself during a first-inning pickoff attempt at first base. Surprisingly, Duffy remained in the game and even had a stolen base. Manager Bruce Bochy was already down a pair of position players to injury, so if Duffy left the game, catcher Buster Posey might have played third base.

Duffy underwent X-rays after the game, which showed no fracture. He is considered day to day.

He is batting .317 with one triple, one home run, seven doubles, 13 RBI, 14 runs, six walks, 15 strikeouts and three stolen bases in 24 August games.

Twins shortstop Eduardo Escobar provided some surprising pop Wednesday, blasting two home runs in his team's victory over the Rays.

Escobar, who entered the game with five homers on the season, hit his first in the sixth inning, a 418-foot shot to right. He followed that up with another home run to right in the eighth to provide a key insurance run. 

Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Braves. Arenado hasn't had a day off since early July, so he is long due for a rest day.

Arenado is batting .268 with a home run and eight RBI over his last 10 games. Daniel Descalso will replace Arenado at the hot corner on Wednesday.

Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas went 3 for 5 with three extra-base hits in Sunday's win over Boston. 

Moustakas homered for the second time in three games and added two doubles. He drove in a season-high four runs on the game. 

Moustakas' eight total bases were the most since he also had eight in a four-hit game on May 15. 

Anthony Rendon is starting to heat up after missing most of the year with a variety of injuries, homering for the second straight night and driving in three runs in the Nationals' 9-5 victory over the Brewers on Sunday. 

Rendon tagged a two-out, three-run homer in the fifth inning of Brewers starter Matt Garza for his third home run of the season. He's now driven in 12 RBIs this season in just 43 games. 

Athletics third baseman Danny Valencia is back in the lineup and hitting cleanup Sunday despite a nagging hamstring injury, per MLB.com. 

Valencia said that while he was not 100 percent, he felt good enough to play in the series finale. 

"He's got some tendinitis. It's something we're just going to have to deal with," Athletics manager Bob Melvin said.