MLB Player News

Valencia went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run and a walk in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Athletics.

Valencia's 410-foot shot to center in the seventh erased a 3-2 deficit and gave the Mariners a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The 33-year-old hadn't gone deep since Aug. 28, and the three RBI he tallied with Tuesday's round tripper brought his monthly total to a meager four. The lack of run production is part of what has been a miserable September for Valencia, one that's seen him hit just .167 over 32 plate appearances.

Donaldson went 3-for-5 with a pair of solo homers against the Red Sox on Tuesday.

Both came off star left-hander Chris Sale, and they pushed Donaldson's homer total to 33 in just 110 games this season. If not for the time he missed to injury earlier this year, Donaldson would surely have cleared 40 long balls by now, and while his batting average is down from the last two seasons, he's drawing walks at a higher pace while unleashing his power stroke with regularity. At 31 years old, he should have a number of seasons left as one of the game's top third basemen.

Moustakas is expected sit Thursday's game against the Tigers, Josh Vernier of 610 Sports reports.

With the Royals out of the playoff picture, manager Ned Yost will afford a few of his starters a day off as the season winds down. It will be Moustakas' final day off of 2017, as he's expected to start all three games against the Diamondbacks over the weekend. The 29-year-old has enjoyed a breakout season in which he's hit .271/.312/.526 with 38 homers in 143 games.

Candelario (knee) is back in the lineup Tuesday against the Royals.

This was expected, but Candelario is indeed set to return after missing Sunday's game with a knee contusion. He will bat cleanup against lefty Jason Vargas; Candelario is 7-for-18 with four doubles against left-handed pitching at the big-league level so far this season.

Moncada (shin) is in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Angels.

Moncada was held out of Monday's game in order to rest and recover, and it appears the day off had the desired effect. Moncada will play second and hit second for the White Sox on Tuesday night.

Duffy (heel) logged three innings at shortstop and took three at-bats for the Rays' instructional league squad Monday, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Duffy (heel) will end up missing the entire 2017 season after enduring multiple setbacks from offseason surgery to address a left heel injury, but the infielder appears determined to get some work to ease any concerns the Rays may have about his health heading into next spring. It's expected that Duffy will work deeper in his subsequent appearances in instructional league games, with the end goal of eventually playing a full nine-inning contest. Assuming Duffy's heel presents no further complications heading into next spring, he should be given every opportunity to vie for a starting job a shortstop, even if the Rays retain the arbitration-eligible Adeiny Hechavarria.

Donaldson went 3-for-3 with a solo home run, three RBI and a walk in Monday's game against Boston.

Donaldson continued his late-season surge by tacking on his eighth home run and 17th RBI of the month. The long ball also marked his MLB-leading 14th first-inning homer of the year. Dating back to Aug. 1, only Giancarlo Stanton (24) and J.D. Martinez (22) have more blasts than Donaldson (20).

Segura (finger) is unlikely to play in the Mariners' upcoming series against the Athletics, Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Segura sprained his finger over the weekend, and while the issue isn't thought to be overly serious, he'll apparently need a couple days off to allow it to heal. He's hoping to play in Seattle's upcoming series against the Angels, but that will depend on how his finger responds to treatment in the coming days. In the meantime, Taylor Motter should continue to start at shortstop for the Mariners.

Segura (finger) is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Athletics.

Segura will stick on the bench for a second straight contest as he continues to deal with a sprained finger. His status for the rest of Seattle's series against Oakland remains up in the air. In the meantime, Taylor Motter will continue to see starts at shortstop.

Moncada, who is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Angels, is dealing with a minor shin injury, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.

The issue doesn't appear to be anything overly serious; MRI results came back clean and the hope is that Moncada will return to the starting lineup for Tuesday's contest. The 22-year-old has been hot at the plate since returning from the disabled list at the beginning of September, slashing .303/.369/.539 with five homers in 18 games. Yolmer Sanchez will start at the keystone in his stead Monday.