MLB Player News

Valencia went 4-for-6 with a homer, two RBI and two runs against the Phillies on Wednesday.

Valencia's had a rough start to the campaign, but his occasional outbursts -- he had another four-hit game last week against the Angels -- will keep him employed in deeper fantasy formats. The journeyman is on his seventh MLB franchise in eight seasons, but he's a solid bat who's historically hit both lefties and righties, so he should continue coming around steadily.

Plouffe is out of Wednesday's lineup against the Angels.

He is 6-for-11 over his last three games, but will nonetheless take a seat against righty Jesse Chavez. Ryon Healy will start at third base while Jed Lowrie gets the nod at DH.

Duffy (heel) played four innings in his first rehab game with High-A Charlotte on Tuesday, singling and striking out over three at-bats, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The major takeaway was Duffy's ability to finally get some game action in, which reportedly went off without a hitch Tuesday. He's expected to see action in multiple games at the minor-league level before being deemed ready for a move up to the Rays.

Newman left Wednesday's game for Double-A Altoona after getting hit in the head with a 94 mph fastball, Baseball America's Kyle Glaser reports.

He went down on one knee after getting hit by the pitch, but was able to walk off the field under his own power. It is not surprising that he was lifted, given the nature of the injury. He will likely go through concussion tests, and should be considered day-to-day for now. It had not been an impressive start to the campaign for Newman, who was slashing .267/.330/.371 with one home run in 116 plate appearances entering play Wednesday.

Segura went 3-for-6 with three runs in Tuesday's 10-9 win over the Phillies.

The Mariners' leadoff man continued his excellent season at the plate, notching his sixth consecutive multi-hit effort and scoring both the game-tying and game-winning runs on doubles by Ben Gamel and Taylor Motter in the seventh and ninth innings, respectively. Segura is hitting .485 over his first 33 at-bats (seven games) in May, and .403 (25-for-62) with four doubles, two home runs, 10 RBI and 15 runs since returning from the disabled list on April 25.

After being called up as the 26th man for Tuesday's doubleheader, Candelario is expected to remain on the MLB roster, Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago reports.

With pitcher Dylan Floro getting optioned to Triple-A on Tuesday, Candelario will stick around for more than just a day. The Cubs' No. 4 prospect, Candelario was slashing .340/.443/.649 at Triple-A, so his bat appears to be MLB-ready. He'll provide depth behind Kris Bryant for the time being.

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.

Candelario will start at third base and bat cleanup in Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Rockies, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Candelario will step into a prominent spot in his third career major-league start, batting fourth against lefty Kyle Freeland. As the designated 26th man for Tuesday's twin bill, Candelario will have to head back down to the minors following the nightcap. However, Candelario is batting .340/.443/.649 in 115 plate appearances at Triple-A Iowa this season and it may not be long before he forces his way up for good.

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.