MLB Player News

Duffy (hamstring) will be shut down from baseball activities for two weeks, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

It turns out Duffy is dealing with a back injury on top of the hamstring issue that has bothered him throughout spring. He'll open the season on the injured list, and this latest setback confirms his stay on the shelf will extend beyond the minimum 10 days. Look for Yandy Diaz, Daniel Robertson and Joey Wendle to cover the hot corner in his absence.

Peterson was reassigned to minor-league camp Sunday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

This explains why Peterson was scratched from Sunday's spring game against the Pirates. The infielder hit .297/.435/.378 with a homer and a pair of stolen bases in 20 spring appearances. He'll operate as organizational infield depth.

Peterson was scratched from Sunday's lineup against the Pirates, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

The reason for Peterson's removal from the lineup remains unclear at the moment. Zach Vincej will replace him at the keystone, hitting eighth.

Moncada went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and two runs scored Saturday against the Dodgers.

Moncada is putting the finishing touches on an encouraging spring. He's slashing .356/.482/.689 with eight extra-base hits over 56 plate appearances. Hidden among those batted-ball stats is an improved strikeout rate. Moncada fanned on 25 percent of his plate appearances, a drop from 33.4 percent in 2018 when he led the AL in strikeouts.

Duffy suffered a setback with his hamstring Saturday and is expected to open the season on the injured list, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After Duffy was able to complete a running program earlier in the week without incident, he received the green light to re-enter the Grapefruit League lineup Thursday against the Braves. Duffy then picked up nine at-bats at the minor-league level Friday and was slated to play again Saturday versus the Tigers, but those plans were thwarted when his left hamstring soreness resurfaced prior to the contest. Expect the Rays to act conservatively with Duffy now that he's endured multiple setbacks with the hamstring since camp opened. With Duffy headed for the IL, the Rays will likely keep an extra outfielder in Guillermo Heredia on the Opening Day roster. A committee of Daniel Robertson, Yandy Diaz and Joey Wendle should pick up the starts at third base while Duffy is sidelined.

Burger (Achilles) took groundballs at third base Thursday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Burger was cleared for the activity this week and went immediately to the field to work on his defense. He had been hitting since November. The 2017 first-round draft pick missed all of 2018 after tearing his left Achilles during training camp last year. His return to game action should happen later this summer.

Duffy (hamstring) struck out in all three at-bats in his return to Grapefruit League action against the Braves on Thursday and got in nine at-bats in multiple minor-league games Friday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Duffy finally seems to be on the right track for Opening Day. With the infielder having missed considerable time this spring, his frenetic schedule the last two days was intended to help him accelerate the process of getting his timing down at the plate. The 28-year-old was limited to hitting and running the bases Friday, playing no defense, but he emerged from the long day with a positive outlook. "Feel good," Duffy said. "Tomorrow will be another big test with how it bounces back after back-to-back days on being on it, I felt good today."

Candelario went 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBI in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

Candelario hit a two-run bomb in the first inning, then followed that up with a solo shot two innings later. The power outburst boosted the 25-year-old's OPS to .954 this spring. Candelario should get plenty of playing time for the rebuilding Tigers, and fantasy owners would certainly like to see him build on the 19 home runs he hit in 2018.

Duffy (hamstring) will play for the first time since Feb. 28 in Thursday's spring game against the Braves, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Duffy has been bothered by a sore hamstring all spring and has been limited only to the lone game on the final day of February, but after taking three weeks to recover he is ready to get back on the field. It remains to be seen if he has enough time to get in shape for Opening Day, but if he avoids any setbacks there is still a chance he could be ready for the start of the regular season. Duffy will play third base and hit leadoff in Thursday's contest.

Candelario is slashing .220/.319/.463 through 41 Grapefruit League at-bats with a home run and six RBI.

The numbers aren't that far off from Candelario's .224/.317/.393 line in 2018. The Tigers are certainly hoping the 25-year-old takes another step forward offensively in 2019, but until he shows some sustained success, fantasy owners should probably expect an underwhelming batting average with a little bit of power.