MLB Player News

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.

Muncy went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks, a solo home run and two RBI in the Dodgers' 7-2 victory over the Braves on Sunday.

Muncy continued his recent barrage of long balls with a fifth-inning solo blast off Sean Newcomb, giving him three homers in his last three games and five in his last eight. The recent surge has pushed his slash line up to .259/.374/.569 through 116 at-bats, so the Dodgers pretty much have to keep his bat in the lineup for however long he continues to rake like this.

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.

Senzel went 4-for-6 Saturday for Triple-A Louisville, scoring twice, knocking in a run, and stealing a base, MiLB.com reports.

After a slow start and a lengthy injury absence, Senzel has rallied to post a .276/.361/.441 line at Louisville, albeit with only three homers in 127 at-bats so far. Senzel hasn't yet hit for much power as a professional, though his 10 homers in 57 games at Double-A Pensacola last summer teased at that ability.

Valencia is out of the lineup Sunday against the Blue Jays, Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Valencia will head to the bench for the first time in seven games as manager Buck Showalter clears a spot at the hot corner for leadoff man Jace Peterson in the series finale. Though Valencia has historically done his best work as a short-side platoon bat, he has been a surprisingly strong performer against right-handers this season, hitting .313/.348/.516 across 69 plate appearances. Despite dropping out of the lineup Sunday, Valencia still appears locked in for something close to a full-time role with the Orioles while he continues to impress at the plate.

Peterson will serve as the Orioles' leadoff man and play third base Sunday against the Blue Jays, Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun reports.

With the Orioles' primary table setter this season, Trey Mancini, owning just a .307 on-base percentage on the campaign, it appears that manager Buck Showalter is ready to consider other options atop the order. After reaching base three times out of the leadoff spot Saturday, Peterson will receive another opportunity to prove that he's worthy of the assignment. Peterson has posted a double-digit walk rate in each of the past three seasons, but his poor contact skills and lack of pop have limited him to a career .643 OPS.

The Blue Jays didn't activate Donaldson (calf) from the 10-day disabled list ahead of Sunday's series finale against the Orioles, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

There had been optimism that Donaldson would return from the DL at some point over the weekend, but the third baseman apparently hasn't quite made a full recovery from the left calf injury that he sustained May 28. While Toronto hasn't indicated that Donaldson has endured a setback, he may need to complete a few more on-field workouts before the team is comfortable signing off on his activation.

Moncada has gone hitless with five strikeouts in eight at-bats in the first two games of the series against his former team, the Red Sox.

Moncada's slump extends beyond the present series, so it's not just a matter of the opponent's familiarity with him. The second baseman has one hit in his last 19 at-bats, during which he's fanned 10 times (52.6 K%).