MLB Player News

Duffy (heel) is scheduled to take grounders Saturday and run the bases Sunday and Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Duffy felt good after running the bases for the first time since undergoing heel surgery last September, so he'll continue to ramp up his activity before heading out on a rehab assignment. If Duffy is able to get through the weekend without a hitch, he could be headed out on a rehab assignment sometime next week, though the Rays haven't confirmed a possible return date and figure to continue to be cautious with the 26-year-old. When Duffy does return, he's expected to take over at shortstop for Tim Beckham.

Rendon went 3-for-4 with a homer, a walk and two RBI in Friday's 4-2 win over the Phillies.

Rendon smacked his fourth homer of the year to stake the Nats to a four-run lead in a winning effort. After his three-homer outburst earlier in the week, he's clubbed four homers over the last five games, and he appears on his way to another 20-homer campaign with his usual solid batting average.

Bregman is out of the lineup Friday against the Angels, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Bregman has now sat out two of the last five games after resting just once in the first 25 games. That said, he has been starting to find a groove lately -- although he is hitting just .265/.360/.316, he is working on a seven-game hitting streak and has drawn three walks over his last four games. His power has yet to show up, but slugging numbers tend to be the slowest to stabilize, and he's just one hot week away from getting back to the .478 slugging percentage he posted in 2016.

Longoria is playing third base and batting third Friday against the Blue Jays.

Longoria missed a couple games with a foot injury earlier in the week, so it's good to see the 31-year-old back on the field after serving as the Rays' designated hitter over the last two games (going 1-for-8 with a double and RBI). A healthy Longoria will look to turn around a slow start to the season that has him slashing .202/.282/.367 through 109 at-bats.

Longoria is 1-for-8 with a double and RBI in the two games since his return from a two-game absence due to a foot injury.

The one hit during the stretch was a well-hit shot to deep right center that opened the fifth inning Thursday, but Longoria has been putting good wood on the ball overall, as evidenced by the 55.6 percent hard-contact rate he's managed in those two contests. Small as that sample is, it could be an encouraging sign for a player who's seen precipitous drops across his slash line this season, as well as a 68-point reduction in BABIP to .234.

Machado went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer, his third blast of the Red Sox series, in Thursday's 8-3 win.

Machado's fourth-inning homer made him the first Orioles player with three bombs in a series at Fenway since B.J. Surhoff did it in 1998, Roch Kubatko of MASN reports. The third baseman wrapped up the controversial week in Boston with four hits, six RBI and four runs. Machado is clearly beginning to heat up after a slow start to the season.

Valencia went 4-for-5 with a home run, two runs, and three RBI in an 11-3 win over the Angels on Thursday.

Valencia had been mired in a season-long funk until April 25, when a two-hit effort against the Tigers kicked off what has been a 10-for-24 (.417) stretch over the subsequent six games. The veteran has smacked a double and all three of his homers during that span on the strength of an impressive 47.4 percent hard-contact rate. Valencia also has three multi-hit efforts in the last six games and has raised his average 76 points to .221.

Asche was pinch hit for in Wednesday's game after failing to hustle on a play, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Asche, who entered Wednesday's game batting .093, struck out but failed to run to first base after the catcher dropped the ball. It was obviously a message from manager Rick Renteria, but it sounds like the matter's been worked out internally. "We have certain things we want to follow through with and he understood," Renteria said. "And I'll leave it at that." Asche was in Thursday's lineup as the designated hitter and went 1-for-5 with a double and two RBI.

Escobar went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run during Thursday's loss to Oakland.

The homer was Escobar's third of the season and improved his slugging percentage to a rock-solid .524. Considering the 28-year-old infielder entered 2017 with a .381 mark over 1,620 career plate appearances, there is probably steep negative regression ahead. Additionally, Escobar is only playing sparingly with just 47 plate appearances this season. Still, there are cavernous settings where he can help, and he's worth considering in daily contests as a low-priced flier while producing at the dish.

Moncada is riding a nine-game hit streak at Triple-Charlotte, Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald reports.

Moncada is 12-for-34 (.353) with a .935 OPS, one home run, three RBI and two stolen bases over that stretch. He also had a homer in two of the four games before that run started. The 21-year-old said he's ready to join the White Sox, but the club probably will keep him down until sometime in June so it can gain another year of club control. He's one of the few prospects worth stashing in shallow fantasy baseball leagues.