MLB Player News

Bregman went 1-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 8-3 win over the Braves.

Bregman remains in the lower portion of Houston's lineup despite having hit safely in 10 straight games and 16 of the last 17. It's been a relatively soft hitting streak which explains why he's stuck in the eight-hole. Bregman's had multiple hits only once during that 17-game stretch and knocked in four runs. The 2015 second-overall draft pick is hitting .266 and slugging .339 with no home runs and eight RBI overall through 31 games.

Moustakas went 2-for-6 with his eighth homer and two RBI in Tuesday's win over the Rays.

He'd been patently awful over his last nine games, going 6-for-37 (.162) with no homers and nine strikeouts. Moustakas tends to be a streaky hitter, so this could be the start of a powerful stretch from him. The 28-year-old's counting stats have been rather disappointing, but it won't take that much of a rally for him to pull them back in line with expectations.

Moncada is going to be with Triple-A Charlotte for a while, according to general manager Rick Hahn, CSN Chicago's Dan Hayes reports.

While Moncada has cut down on his strikeouts of late (seven in his last 39 at-bats), the White Sox apparently want to see "all the proof" that the top prospect in baseball is ready to return to the big leagues after he struggled mightily in a brief sampling last September. Those who were banking on a promotion shortly after May 13, when the White Sox would gain an extra year of control, will apparently have to wait until perhaps June or July. Of course, this tactic should make it more likely that Moncada hits the ground running when he does arrive. He has 30/30 potential down the road, and could still be a major asset down the stretch in single-season leagues. His owners just need to be patient.

Asche is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Twins.

Asche is not in the lineup against southpaw Hector Santiago after picking up consecutive starts before the off day. Matt Davidson will serve as the designated hitter in his place. The 26-year-old is off to a slow start this season, slashing just .107/.180/.179 through 56 at-bats.

Plouffe went 2-for-4 with a double and solo home run in Monday's 3-2 extra-inning win over the Angels.

The veteran slugger's bat may finally be awakening, with Monday's outing marking his second straight two-hit effort. Despite just a .250 average over the last five games, Plouffe is boasting an impressive 41.2 percent hard contact rate over that span. However, the fact that he's still striking out at a 29.5 percent clip is helping keep his OBP at an unsightly .277.

Duffy (heel) is expected to start his minor-league rehab assignment with High-A Charlotte on Tuesday, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After an encouraging day of workouts Monday that saw him push his running to 90 percent, it appears Duffy is finally nearing a return to big-league action. While manager Kevin Cash refused to specify how long the rehab assignment might be, Duffy said he hopes to be back with the Rays in around two weeks. The 26-year-old is expected to take over for Tim Beckham as the primary shortstop upon his activation.

Donaldson (calf), who was previously expected to return during the nine-game homestand that begins Monday, still does not have an exact timetable to come off the disabled list, Jeff Odom of MLB.com reports.

The Jays are currently having Donaldson rehab on an anti-gravity treadmill; he's used up to 60 percent of his body weight thus far. Before he's cleared to return, Donaldson will need to run with 100 percent of his body weight, then move on to running the bases at game speed. In addition to progressing through his running program, Donaldson will most likely embark on a short rehab assignment to get his timing back at the plate.

Moustakas is not in the lineup Monday against the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Moustakas will head to the bench as Cheslor Cuthbert gets the start at third base in his stead. Although he hasn't connected on a long ball yet in April, Moustakas is leading the Royals with seven homers this year, putting him in position to make a run at surpassing his career high of 22 homers, set back in 2015.

Valencia (hamstring) hit a game-tying two-run single in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Rangers.

Despite being scratched from the starting lineup with hamstring tightness, Valencia was able to come through in a pinch-hit capacity. His seventh-inning single plated Guillermo Heredia and Jarrod Dyson, knotting the score at 3-3. What has been a miserable season at the plate is starting to progressively turn around for Valencia, who's now hit safely in six straight while raising his average 46 points to .227 and knocking in eight runs over that span.

Plouffe went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and a stolen base in Sunday's 8-6 win over the Tigers.

Plouffe's two hits broke a 3-for-30 stretch and helped him raise his slash line to .204/.269/.337 on the season. His stolen base was his first of the year. Plouffe has decent pop, but his inconsistent playing time and career-high 29.6 percent strikeout rate make him unreliable in all other areas. Ryon Healy, who can also play third base, is younger with more upside and could start seeing more starts at the hot corner.