MLB Player News

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.

Candelario will be added as the 26th man for Tuesday's doubleheader with the Rockies, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports.

MLB rules allow teams to add a player to their 25-man rosters for doubleheaders, so the Cubs will call up Candelario. The young third baseman will provide depth on Tuesday, but is likely ticketed for a return to Triple-A Iowa after the two games.

Newman, 23, is hitting .260/.327/.350 with one home run and seven RBI through 24 games for Double-A Altoona.

Newman certainly showed he could handle the bat in 2016, hitting .366 at High-A before ending the season at Double-A. He has returned to the same level with mixed results. While he has an advanced approach at the dish, he managed just five home runs and 10 steals last year. As a result, he may not prove much of a fantasy asset.

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.

Valencia is day-to-day with right hamstring tightness, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Valencia was a late scratch from Sunday's home contest against the Rangers with an undisclosed issue, which has now been addressed as what sounds like a minor concern. The utility man hasn't exactly been an asset at the dish thus far in 2017 with his new team (.219, 11 RBI, 10 runs in 96 at-bats), so his absence shouldn't make many fantasy waves. Taylor Motter took Valencia's place at first base Sunday.