MLB Player News

Valencia went 2-for-5 on Tuesday night against the the Rangers and smashed his sixth homer of the season.

Valencia stayed hot on Tuesday and now has six homers in his last five games. Since returning from the DL on May 7, Valencia is hitting .414 over eight games with an absurd 1.468 OPS.

Moustakas (thumb) is beginning a rehab assignment with Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Wednesday.

He is in the lineup for the Naturals on Wednesday, and remains on track to join the Royals this weekend if everything goes well during his rehab assignment. Cheslor Cuthbert will continue to see starts at the hot corner over the coming days, but his time as a regular appears to be winding down.

Moustakas (thumb) could rejoin the Royals on Saturday, MLB.com's Jeffrey Flanagan reports.

Moustakas was handed a 2-to-3 week return timetable when he landed on the disabled list earlier this month, and it looks like there is a good chance he will return around the lower end of that estimate. Moustakas could head out on a rehab assignment before being activated from the DL, but even if he does, it does not figure to be a long stint with one of the Royals' minor league affiliates.

Alvarez is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mariners.

The Orioles will go with a primarily right-handed lineup Tuesday as they'll be facing southpaw Wade Miley and the Mariners. As such, Paul Janish will take over at third base for Alvarez Tuesday. That said, Alvarez had maden four straight starts prior to Tuesday's day off, so he could very well draw back into the lineup at DH or third base for Wednesday's contest.

Muncy was recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday.

With Josh Phegley headed to the disabled list, the A's were in need of a good bat off the bench, and that's exactly what Muncy can offer. He's played well with the Sounds so far this season, posting an .858 OPS with six home runs and 15 RBI, and even swiped three bases to boot, so although he'll likely have a limited role as a reserve, he could force Oakland's hand if he can translate those numbers to the big leagues.

Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored in Monday's 15-6 win over the Reds.

Ramirez has delivered back-to-back two-hit games and looks to be entrenched as the Tribe's everyday left fielder until Michael Brantley (shoulder) returns from the DL. While he possesses less pop than desired from a corner spot, Ramirez could make for a decent source of runs and stolen bases while he sees a steady stream of at-bats.

Moustakas (thumb) took batting practice inside the batting cages Monday, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Moustakas isn't expected to be back until the end of the month, but he's progressing very well through his recovery process. He just resumed baseball activities Friday, so he's really moving quickly through his rehab. He may need to test his thumb in some rehab games before returning to the Royals, but any information on that should come relatively soon, especially if he continues through his recovery fairly quickly.

Escobar (hamstring) has started running and should be close to going out on a rehab assignment, LaVelle E. Neal of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Escobar went on the DL on May 7 and it sounds like he may only miss the minimum 15 days. Eduardo Nunez has taken over as the primary shortstop with Escobar hurt.

Longoria went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo homer in Sunday's 7-6 loss to the A's.

The veteran third baseman's modest hitting streak is now at four games, a stretch that has featured a double in each contest as well. The solo homer was Longoria's third of May and brings his RBI total for the month to nine, just one shy of equaling his April figure in that category.

Valencia went 3-for-5 with three home runs and five RBI, including a game-winning two-run shot in the top of the ninth inning, during Sunday's 7-6 victory over the Rays.

He now has five homers in his last three games after going the first six weeks of the season without leaving the yard once. Valencia will look to continue his hot streak when the A's head back to Oakland to begin a seven-game homestand Monday.