MLB Player News

Machado went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two RBI and two runs scored Sunday against the Padres.

Machado took Joey Lucchesi deep in the second inning to homer in his second consecutive game. He now has 37 long balls on the season, tying his career-best mark that was set in 2016. It's been another strong all-around season for Machado, as he's also chipped in 14 stolen bases and could bat better than .300 for the first time in his career.

Muncy went 2-for-2 with four RBI and a run scored Sunday against the Padres.

Muncy entered the game in the fourth inning as a pinch hitter and went on to deliver a pair of two-RBI singles after remaining in the game as a defensive replacement. While his production has slowed a bit in the final month of the season, Muncy has still managed three home runs while driving in 12 across 46 at-bats. His value could be in for a hit in the upcoming week, however, as the Dodgers are scheduled to face three southpaws, against whom Muncy frequently sits.

Astudillo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.

Astudillo gets a breather for the series finale after going 6-for-12 with two doubles and four RBI in his last three starts. Chris Gimenez starts behind the plate and will bat eighth for the Twins.

Muncy is on the bench Sunday against left-hander Joey Lucchesi and the Padres, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Muncy has started against every righty while sitting against every lefty since Aug. 12. David Freese will get the call at first base Sunday. The Dodgers tentatively line up to face three lefties in their final six games, so expect Muncy to head to the bench on those three occasions.

Newman is not starting Sunday against the Brewers.

Newman sits after starting three straight and six of the last seven. Jordy Mercer will take over at shortstop.

Devers went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Saturday's 5-4 extra-innings loss to the Indians.

Devers has started three straight games at third base with Eduardo Nunez (hamstring) on the shelf, and he's given us the whole Devers package. He homered in each of the last two games and hit safely in all three starts but also impacted games with his fielding. Devers committed a costly error Friday, his league-leading 23rd among third basemen. He avoided being credited with a 24th on Saturday when a batted ball in the 11th inning was ruled an infield single. That runner came around to score the game-winning run. Manager Alex Cora told Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com that Devers has improved his plate approach by chasing fewer pitches and being less anxious in the batter's box. However, the manager will have a hard choice to make in the postseason: Devers is the better option offensively but Nunez is safer defensively. Devers would be tested in the field against righty-heavy lineups like the Yankees and Astros.

Machado went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer against the Padres on Saturday.

Machado took Jacob Nix deep in the third inning for his 36th home run of the season. The shot helped him reach 100 RBI for the first time in his career, and he is now just one home run shy of tying his career-best mark.

Candelario (back) will lead off and play third base Saturday against the Royals, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Candelario had been held out since exiting Tuesday's contest with back spasms, but he'll return to action with Jakob Junis slated to toe the rubber for Kansas City. The 24-year-old is slashing .228/.317/.407 in 136 appearances in 2018.

Davis moved into the starting lineup at third base Friday as a replacement for shortstop Carlos Correa (back). He had one single in four trips to the plate.

Correa will miss the entire three-game set against the Angels this weekend, so there will be opportunities available for bench players depending on the matchups. Against left-hander Andrew Heaney on Friday, the right-handed-hitting Davis started at third while Alex Bregman moved to shortstop. With right-hander Jaime Barria on the rubber Saturday, look for the switch-hitting Marwin Gonzalez at short with two among the group of Josh Reddick, Tony Kemp and Kyle Tucker the available lefties to join George Springer in the outfield.

Donaldson went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's loss to the Red Sox.

Donaldson went deep off Chris Sale in the fourth inning for his seventh home run of the year. In eight games now for his new ball club Donaldson is hitting .217 with two solo home runs and three runs scored in 23 at-bats. Overall the 32-year-old is hitting .231/.333/.431 with 11 doubles, 18 RBI and 25 runs in 44 games this year.