MLB Player News

Valencia went 1-for-3 with a triple, a walk and a run in Friday's 2-1 extra-inning loss to the White Sox.

The veteran isn't quite producing as in seasons past, but he's seen notable improvement in May after hitting just .181 in April. Valencia has two doubles, Friday's triple, three home runs and 11 RBI overall during the current month, leading to a .303/.370/.500 line.

Manager Kevin Cash said Duffy (heel) is expected to go back on his rehab assignment by "mid-week," Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

This is good news after Duffy was pulled back from his regular assignment with general soreness, but there's still no clear timetable as to a possible return date. Cash said the soreness was a consequence of the infielder trying to get up to speed out of the batter's box, likely a symptom of his post-surgery rehabilitation. Regardless, look for Duffy to restart a minor-league rehab assignment sometime within the week.

Donaldson (calf) may get into a rehab assignment early next week, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports.

There was some speculation that Donaldson could return to the lineup over the weekend, but it seems like the Blue Jays are backing away from the aggressive timetable. He seems to be primed for a couple rehab games before getting back into action.

Machado (finger) is back in the lineup Friday against the Blue Jays.

Machado considered himself healthy enough to appear in Thursday's contest despite the fact that manager Buck Showalter held him out, so it comes as no surprise that the star third baseman is back in action. He'll assume his normal role in the three-hole sandwiched between Adam Jones and Chris Davis.

Moustakas is not in the lineup Friday against the Twins, Joel Goldberg of Fox Sports Kansas City reports.

After starting the past nine games for Kansas City, Moustakas will get the night off with southpaw Hector Santiago taking the hill for Minnesota. Cheslor Cuthbert will pick up a start at the hot corner in his stead.

Duffy (heel) took ground balls and participated in batting practice Friday, Marc Topkin of Tampa Bay Times reports.

Duffy was going to be re-evaluated Friday, and although the results of the examination aren't known as of now, this is a promising step for the embattled infielder. There's still no firm date for Duffy to resume his rehab assignment, but that should come forth as he continues to ramp up activities.

Plouffe went 3-for-4 with an RBI double, another two-bagger and two runs in Thursday's 8-3 win over the Red Sox.

The veteran third baseman notched his first multi-hit outing since May 9 and has now hit safely in each of his last nine starts. After generating an anemic .207/.275/.366 line in April, Plouffe has slashed .333/.388/.556 over 49 plate appearances in May, while also posting a .397 wOBA and 37.8 percent hard contact rate over that span.

Segura went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and two walks in Thursday's 5-4 win over the White Sox.

The stellar leadoff man shows no sign of slowing down, with Thursday's effort extending his hitting streak to a career-high 17 games. Segura's homer, a 393-foot shot to left in the fifth that plated Jarrod Dyson and Carlos Ruiz, was his first since May 3, and he's now slashing .394/.456/.549 over 79 plate appearances during the current month.

Machado (finger) thinks he'll be in the lineup Friday after missing Thursday's contest, Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com reports.

According to Machado, he could've played through the finger ailment Thursday but was "benched" by manager Buck Showalter. All signs are pointing toward the stud third baseman returning to play Friday, but nothing is set in stone until the lineup is officially released.

Urshela is hitting .292 with six extra-base hits (two home runs) over 17 games this month with Triple-A Columbus.

The infielder has yet to return to MLB since hitting .225 in 81 games for the Indians in 2015. Indians management doesn't seem too interested in Urshela, passing him up in favor of other options (like Yandy Diaz and Erik Gonzalez) when the big-league squad has been in need of depth this year. A main reason the 25-year-old gets overlooked is because he fails to offer the positional flexibility that the other guys do. The way things are trending now, Urshela may be in for another full season at Triple-A.