MLB Player News
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Matt Chapman 3B | SF
Athletics' Matt Chapman: Reaches double-digit homers Sunday
Chapman went 3-for-4 with a solo home run -- his 10th of the year -- and three runs in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Rangers.
The rookie continues to swing a hot bat as August comes to a close, as he now has eight multi-hit efforts this month. Chapman went 6-for-11 over the weekend series against the Rangers and sports a .301/.372/.566 line in August.
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Eduardo Escobar 3B | TOR
Twins' Eduardo Escobar: Takes back starting role with Sano out
Escobar will start at third base and bat eighth Sunday against the Blue Jays, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Escobar will stick in the lineup for a 13th straight game, with Miguel Sano's (shin) move to the disabled list affording the infielder regular at-bats. Since reclaiming a starting role, Escobar is batting .271 with two home runs, nine RBI and five runs, so he could carry value in deeper mixed leagues and AL-only formats until Sano returns from the DL.
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Gio Urshela 3B | MIN
Indians' Giovanny Urshela: Out of lineup Sunday
Urshela is not in the lineup for Sunday game against the Royals.
After starting five consecutive games last week, Urshela will head to the bench for the second straight game as the Indians close out their series against Erik Skoglund and the Royals. Urshela should continue to see a good amount of playing time while Jason Kipnis (hamstring) remains on the disabled list. Yandy Diaz will start at third base and bat seventh Sunday.
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Mike Moustakas 3B | CHW
Royals' Mike Moustakas: Returns to lineup Saturday
Moustakas (knee) is batting sixth and serving as the designated hitter Saturday against the Indians, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.
Moustakas is back in action after sitting out the last two games with a knee ailment. He'll look to continue his breakout campaign, as he's hitting .281/.317/.558 with 35 homers and 77 RBI in 116 games.
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Mike Moustakas 3B | CHW
Royals' Mike Moustakas: Remains out Friday
Moustakas (knee) is out of the lineup again Friday, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.
Moustakas will be out of the starting nine for the second consecutive contest while dealing with a knee injury. Although he isn't dealing with any inflammation or structural damage, the third baseman felt a "little pop" during Wednesday's game. Moustakas was able to make an appearance as a pinch hitter during Thursday's loss to Colorado, and he should be considered day-to-day moving forward.
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Yoan Moncada 3B | LAA
White Sox's Yoan Moncada: Placed on disabled list Friday
Moncada was placed on the 10-day disabled list prior to Friday's game against the Tigers, due to a bone contusion of his right shin.
Moncada was forced to exit Thursday's contest with shin splints -- an issue he's dealt with for quite some time now -- but was diagnosed with a bone contusion following an MRI on Friday. The 22-year-old will miss a little time on the DL, although there has yet to be a timetable offered for his return at this point. Once he's able to recover after a couple days of rest, we will know more about the severity of this setback and Chicago's plan moving forward.
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Jose Ramirez 3B | CLE
Indians' Jose Ramirez: Stops 0-for-17 slide Thursday
Ramirez broke an 0-for-17 slump by going 2-for-5 on Thursday, notching his MLB-leading 40th double of the season and scoring a run, in a win over the Red Sox.
After maintaining a batting average above .300 for 58 straight games dating back to June 17, Ramirez's mark dropped to .298 during his recent four-game slide. He's still slashing an impressive .299/.335/.518 on the year, but the 24-year-old owns a paltry .192/.250/.295 line over 20 games in August. Unfortunately, Ramirez's post All-Star numbers in 2017 align with his history of second-half struggles.
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Evan Longoria 3B | ARI
Rays' Evan Longoria: On base thrice Thursday
Longoria went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk in Thursday's 2-0 win over the Blue Jays.
Longoria provided one of only two multi-hit efforts on the afternoon for the Rays, and he extended his hitting streak to four games in the process. The veteran third baseman has seen a notable power downturn in August, however, as he's smacked only one home run, even while sporting a solid 31.4 percent hard contact rate. Despite Longoria putting the ball in the air at a season-best 41.4 percent clip in August, his HR/FB rate has dropped from last month's 13.8 percent to a season-low 3.4 percent.
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Yoan Moncada 3B | LAA
White Sox's Yoan Moncada: Headed for MRI
Moncada will undergo an MRI on Friday to determine the cause of the pain that forced him to leave Thursday's game, Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports.
It was assumed that the issue was just the shin splints that have been bothering Moncada for some time. However, Moncada said he felt more pain than soreness when he landed funny trying to round third base. Consider him day-to-day until the test results come in, but this injury sounds a little more scary now than it did when he initially left the game.
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Gio Urshela 3B | MIN
Indians' Giovanny Urshela: Drives in four Thursday
Urshela went 2-for-5 with a run and four RBI against the Red Sox on Thursday.
Urshela's success was set up by his teammates, as he drove in four runs without mustering a single extra-base hit. He began that production with an RBI fielder's choice in the second inning, then added two more runs on a single in the third and another one on a fifth-inning single. Don't expect the No. 9 hitter to replicate this effort any time soon, as he came in with just one RBI in August.