MLB Player News

Rendon is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Mets, Jamal Collier of MLB.com reports.

It sounds like the Nationals may have been held up getting back to Washington after their series in Houston wrapped up Thursday night. A number of veterans are sitting, Rendon included, but Rendon should be available off the bench and back in the lineup for Saturday's game. He is batting just .224/.317/.373 so far in August after a .392/.500/.689 month of July.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Asuaje went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Cardinals.

It was the 25-year-old's third multi-hit game over his last five contests, bringing his batting average up to .293 on the year. Asuaje has served as the Friars' primary second baseman and two-hole hitter, but his lack of power (.387 slugging percentage) and speed limits his value to very deep and NL-only formats.

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.

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.

Moncada left Thursday's game against Minnesota with shin splints in his left leg, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Moncada has been dealing with shin splints for some time and expects the issue to linger all season. The White Sox may choose to give him some extra rest days down the stretch as a result. For now, though, consider him day-to-day.

Moustakas felt a "little pop" in his knee Wednesday, but he doesn't have structural damage or inflammation and is expected to play Friday, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

This is a more concrete reason for him taking a seat Thursday, but it doesn't appear to be anything serious. Moustakas will give way to Cheslor Cuthbert on Thursday, but should be back in the lineup Friday unless complications arise.