MLB Player News

Candelario batted fourth in all three games of Detroit's weekend series against Cleveland, with Victor Martinez behind him in the lineup.

Manager Ron Gardenhire previously indicated that he didn't have plans to move Martinez down from the cleanup spot, but it looks like Candelario is forcing the issue a bit, as the 24-year-old has an .857 OPS and 10 home runs this season. Martinez, meanwhile, has a .656 OPS with just four home runs. It remains to be seen whether this order sticks, as Candelario has batted in each of the top five lineup spots this season and could continue to move around as Gardenhire tries to find the right combinations. However, the young third baseman has clearly established himself as someone who deserves to be in the middle of the Tigers' order with a chance to drive in runs.

Machado's absence from Monday's lineup is due to illness, Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The illness explains why Machado will miss his first game of the season. The severity and the potential length of his absence are not yet clear.

Valencia (illness) is back in the lineup Monday against the Red Sox.

Valencia had sat out Sunday with an illness, but the issue was apparently a minor one as he won't be missing any more time. The veteran third baseman is hitting a solid .286/.348/.484 through 40 games this season.

Machado is not in the lineup Monday against the Red Sox, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Machado will get just his first day off of the season. He's had a phenomenal year at the plate so far, hitting .312/.380/.591 with 18 homers through 64 games. All three slash stats would be career highs, and he's on pace for a career-best 46 homers as well. He's also posting career bests in walk rate (10.4 percent) and strikeout rate (14.3 percent). Jace Peterson will start at shortstop in his place.

Lewis left Sunday's game at Low-A Cedar Rapids in the first inning after taking an awkward step while running to first base, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

The move was called precautionary and he'll be examined on Monday. Lewis, the 2017 No. 1 overall draft pick, is hitting .288 with five home runs and a .757 OPS.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Sunday that Donaldson (calf) has been taking batting practice and fielding grounders, but relayed the third baseman won't be activated from the 10-day disabled list until he completes a series of baserunning tests, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports.

Since Donaldson hasn't been shut down from baseball activities and is simply waiting for the soreness in his left calf to subside enough for him to run comfortably, the Blue Jays are continuing to view him as day-to-day. Toronto likely won't have a firm target date for Donaldson's return from the DL until he's able to do the baserunning drills, but once that happens, his activation could quickly follow. Donaldson has been sidelined for around two weeks with the injury, so he won't necessarily require a minor-league rehab assignment before being activated.

Devers, who batted fifth in the order and recorded his first RBI in 14 games Sunday, was removed for a pinch hitter with the bases loaded in the eighth inning of a 5-2 loss to the White Sox.

Devers is fighting a slump, the first taste of adversity in his young career, but has strung together five straight games with a hit. However, it's not a good sign when a five-hole hitter is being pulled from a key moment in a game for a pinch hitter. One can cite that the left-handed hitting Devers wasn't in an ideal spot against White Sox left-hander Jace Fry, but it was a small sign of the team's wavering confidence in the 21-year-old third baseman, whose batting average sits at .232 entering Monday's game in Baltimore.

Chapman went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs in Oakland's 3-2 victory over Kansas City on Sunday.

Chapman's been swinging a hot bat, as he now has seven hits in his last 13 at-bats, with four runs and a pair of RBI to go along with this eighth-inning blast off Royals reliever Jason Adam. The long ball gives him 10 for the season, and Chapman is now slashing a respectable .245/.339/.435 through 237 at-bats.

Devers went 1-for-2 with one walk and an RBI during Sunday's loss to the White Sox.

Devers drove in a run during the second inning on a single to right center, tying the game at one, although Chicago would ultimately pull away for the 5-2 victory. Despite a dismal .232 batting average, the 21-year-old is starting to put it together at the dish, collecting a base knock in each of his last five games. Devers has slugged nine home runs and driven in 29 across 58 games in just his second season of big-league action.

Valencia was held out of the lineup Sunday against the Blue Jays due to an illness, Steve Melewski of MASN Sports reports.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said prior to the start of the contest that Valencia could be sent back to the team hotel to recuperate from the illness, so it's uncertain if he'll be available off the bench Sunday to pinch hit. Unless his condition takes a turn for the worse overnight, Valencia is expected to rejoin the Baltimore lineup Monday against the Red Sox and should be on tap for a full slate of starts during the upcoming week. Valencia has hit .348 over his last 26 games, making him one of the more productive batters in a porous Orioles attack.