MLB Player News

Duffy (Achilles) will resume his rehab assignment Thursday with High-A Charlotte, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Duffy hasn't played a big league game since June 19 but appears to be close to finally making his return. The 25-year-old will likely play a few more rehab games at various levels before making his Rays debut. Duffy has been highly effective against southpaws this season, hitting .290 with two home runs and five RBI in 69 at-bats and could see time at all four infield positions once he is healthy.

Alvarez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers.

Alvarez will take the night off while Mark Trumbo takes over the DH role and Steve Pearce slides into right field. The 29-year-old has been hot as of late, going 8-for-19 with three home runs, four RBI and four runs scored over the last five games.

Devers, 19, is batting .273/.333/.438 with nine home runs, 50 RBI and 11 steals through 98 games for High-A Salem.

Considering Devers hit below the Mendoza Line for the first two months of the season, his .273 average is a testament to just how hot he has been recently. The stolen bases are also a surprising development and would only add to his value in long-term keeper leagues. Devers had eight career steals coming into this season.

Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a pair of solo homers off Rangers starter Yu Darvish in Tuesday's win.

Alvarez has found his power stroke after an excruciatingly slow start, with 12 of his 15 homers coming since the start of June. The recent surge has propelled the former Pirate's slugging percentage up to career high .500, thanks almost entirely to his success against right-handers like Darvish.

Donaldson (hamstring) is in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Astros, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports.

Donaldson was scratched from Monday's lineup due to a hamstring issue, which reportedly had been lingering since Saturday, but manager John Gibbons implied that his scratch was precautionary and Donaldson ended up making a pinch-hit appearance during Monday's game. Donaldson will slot back in Tuesday against right-hander Lance McCullers, looking to build on his solid (but not really Donaldson-like) .259/.348/.448 second-half slash line.

Donaldson (hamstring), who was a late scratch from Monday's lineup, is not expected to require a stint on the DL, the Toronto Sun reports.

The reigning AL MVP tweaked his hamstring when legging out an infield single in Saturday's 9-1 win over Baltimore. He was the designated hitter Sunday and even came in to play third base late in the game. Obviously, something didn't feel right before Monday's contest, and manager John Gibbons wasn't in the mood to push the issue. "Can't risk it turning into anything long term," Gibbons said. "That would be a disaster." An injury to Donaldson this late in the fantasy season could indeed spell disaster for fantasy owners looking to win a championship. It might not be a bad idea to find an insurance policy just in case this thing spirals.

Duffy (Achilles) will play some shortstop for the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Duffy struggled this season with the Giants, as he managed just a .253/.313/.358 batting line in 70 games. That makes him far from a viable fantasy option at third base, but he becomes much more interesting if he qualifies at shortstop, where the MLB average line is just .265/.320/.412. Duffy hit a sharp .295/.334/.428 in 149 games in 2015, so it will be worth watching if he can rediscover that form as a Ray once he's ready to return from the DL.

Donaldson was scratched from Monday's lineup, Barry Davis of Sportsnet reports.

Donaldson will be replaced by Darwin Barney, who will bat eighth and play third base. More information regarding the reason Donaldson was scratched should be released shortly.

Duffy (Achilles) was traded to the Rays on Monday as part of the package for Matt Moore, Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reports.

Lucius Fox and Michael Santos are headed to the Rays along with Duffy, who has endured a disappointing season to this point. He's slashed .253/.313/.358, down from .295/.334/.428 last year in what was seen by many as a breakout campaign. The 25-year-old is currently on the DL, but he played in two rehab games last weekend and may be ready to step into a regular role at first base soon with Steve Pearce having been traded to Baltimore.

Donaldson who left Saturday's game in the eighth inning with a sore hamstring, started at DH and went 0-for-4 with a walk Sunday against the Orioles.

Donaldson also entered the game as the third baseman in the eighth inning, so it doesn't appear as if the hamstring issue is too worrisome. The reigning AL MVP has slowed a bit since the All-Star break, going just 15-for-57 (.263) with nine strikeouts.