MLB Player News

Valencia, who went 3-for-5 with a triple, two-run home run and two runs in the first game of a doubleheader Sunday, is projected to platoon with newly acquired, left-handed-hitting Yonder Alonso at first base moving forward, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Although Valencia has steadily improved against right-handed pitching as his career has unfolded, Alonso brings a solid .286 average and .948 OPS -- along with 18 home runs and 40 RBI -- against that handedness this season. Valencia's overall playing time thus projects to take a hit, although the designated hitter spot serves as a way to get both players in the lineup simultaneously on occasion.

Moncada finished up the four-game set against the Red Sox, going 5-for-17 with three walks, but continues to have issues with offspeed offerings, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Moncada showed some improvement over the weekend, but is an unimpressive 9-for-52 (.173) overall with 21 strikeouts, a 33-percent strikeout rate. '"The swings-and-misses on both sides of the plate have been in breaking-ball counts," manager Rick Renteria said. '"Exponentially, he will grow to understand those. My hope is by the time we finish September, you will see an approach to those pitches because he's seeing them more." Moncada acknowledged the difference between Triple-A pitchers and hurlers in the majors, who have an approach for each at-bat.

Candelario will be recalled from Triple-A Toledo prior to Monday's game in Pittsburgh, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Jose Iglesias is headed to the bereavement list, so Candelario's callup will serve as the corresponding move to shore up the team's 25-man roster. Candelario hasn't yet suited up for the Tigers after coming over via trade from the Cubs at the end of July, and he hasn't exactly raked in a limited sample with Triple-A Toledo (.227 with seven strikeouts in 22 at-bats), so even if he cracks the Tigers' lineup, it'd probably be wise to look elsewhere for fantasy help in shallow fantasy leagues.

Valencia is not in the lineup for Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader against the Royals, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Valencia will head to the bench as the Mariners take on Jake Junis and the Royals in the second leg of the doubleheader. Danny Espinosa will take over at first base, batting ninth.

The Orioles have discussed bringing Alvarez up from Triple-A Norfolk, although no reports suggest a move is imminent, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Manager Buck Showalter recently said his club has been keeping tabs on Alvarez's minor-league success. Through 113 games with the Tides, the seven-year MLB veteran has 25 home runs, 79 RBI and 52 runs. Alvarez has even cut down on his strikeout rate, managing a career-low 22.8 percent through 487 plate appearances. He'll almost certainly be a September callup, but there isn't much room for him in the current O's lineup.

Urshela is out of the lineup Sunday against the Yankees.

With Jason Kipnis (hamstring) returning from the disabled list to start at the keystone in the series finale, Jose Ramirez will shift back over to third base, leaving no room in the starting nine for Urshela. Since Kipnis is expected to play regularly, Urshela will likely see his at-bats take a drastic downturn as long as he remains with the big club. With a .244/.320/.289 showing at the plate since the All-Star break, Urshela hadn't provided much value to AL-only or deep-league owners while he enjoyed a steady role.

Davis is expected to be sent down to the minors once George Springer (quadriceps) comes off the disabled list, the Houston Chronicle reports.

Springer ran the bases Saturday without incident and is going through the final stages of tests before the Astros address a potential return date. Manager A.J. Hinch would not say if Springer would be ready for the series against the White Sox that kicks off Tuesday, but it sounds like he's pretty close. In the meantime, Davis provides a power bat that can hit left-handers.

Chapman went 2-for-4 with a double, a three-run homer and two runs in Friday's 8-6 loss to the Angels.

The rookie has started August off on an absolute tear, going 6-for-14 with two doubles, a home run and five RBI over his first four games. He's been knocking the cover off the ball overall in the second half, as evidenced by the .410 wOBA, .397 ISO and 39.3 percent hard-contact rate he's tallied over 82 plate appearances he's logged during that span.

Segura went 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs in Friday's 5-2 win over the Royals.

Segura ceded the leadoff spot to Ben Gamel yet enjoyed a productive night, notching his first pair of hits in August. The 27-year-old shortstop has come back down to earth somewhat since seeing his average go as high as .355 on July 8, but he still wrapped up July with a seven-game hitting streak and a .300/.339/.400 line.

Davis will start at third base and bat eighth Saturday against the Blue Jays.

The 24-year-old is getting his first look with the major-league team after slashing .282/.345/.527 with 26 homers in 103 games between Double- and Triple-A to open the season. Alex Bregman has been needed more at shortstop with Carlos Correa (thumb) on the DL, but Marwin Gonzalez has been seeing starts at short as well, so Davis may not play every day right off the bat. Regardless, Davis' right-handed power makes an intriguing pickup in a lot of formats, as he should be a nice fit in Houston where the Crawford Boxes shorten the left-field dimensions.