MLB Player News

Plouffe is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Royals, Tom Schreier of Cold Omaha reports.

Plouffe will take a seat Wednesday as the Twins go with Eduardo Nunez at third base and Brian Dozier at second. Nunez will serve as the leadoff man against Kansas City's Dillon Gee.

Escobar went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to the Royals.

Escobar has delivered two strong games in a row since his return from the DL. He's notched five hits in eight at-bats while making back-to-back starts at shortstop.

Ramirez walked twice, stole a base and scored a pair of runs in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the White Sox.

One of Ramirez's two walks came after a 10-pitch at-bat, which seemed to tire out White Sox ace Chris Sale and ultimately led to his demise. Ramirez has earned steady at-bats of late while primarily filling in for Michael Brantley in the corner outfield, but his ability to play multiple spots across the field should continue to garner him around two or three starts per week even once Brantley is healthy.

Alvarez hit his third home run, a solo shot, and walked in a 1-for-5 game Tuesday against the Astros.

Alvarez is a pure power hitter and the power just hasn't been there this season. He was mired in a 4-for-26 slump in the nine games since his last home run May 8, and he's hitting just .191/.300/.351. As much as he needed Tuesday's home run, he also struck out three more times and now has 24 strikeouts in just 94 at-bats this year.

Moustakas is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Twins, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star reports.

As expected, Moustakas is out of the lineup while he rehabs from a knee contusion, and there's a chance he will be out for a few more games as he will try to get back at full strength. Cheslor Cuthbert will start at third base in his place.

Davis became the first Texas League hitter since 2012 to win back-to-back Player of the Week awards after hitting .406 with four doubles, four home runs and nine RBI in seven games for Double-A Corpus Christi last week.

"It's awesome to get acknowledged for the hard work I've put in, especially after the tough start I had," Davis said. "I feel like I'm hitting my stride now, and it feels good to be squaring up balls and finding holes." Through 37 games for the Hooks, the 23-year-old third baseman is hitting .271/.338/.500 with seven home runs and 24 RBI over 144 at-bats.

Ramirez hit his third home run, a solo shot, in a 1-for-4 game in Monday's win over the White Sox in Game 2 of their doubleheader.

Ramirez was 0-for-11 before busting out of his slump in a big way in Monday's double-header. He also homered in the opener, giving him two home runs on the day, his first homers since he hit his first of the season on April 14. Ramirez still has just 11 home runs in 217 MLB games, but he has struck out just 13 times all season, the catalyst behind his .293/.343/.439 batting line.

Valencia went 1-for-5 with a two-run double during Monday's 5-0 victory in Seattle.

Valencia was quiet for most of the game, but finally made his mark with the bases loaded in the eighth inning. While he's just 3-for-20 with three RBI over the last five games, the third baseman still owns an impressive .529 slugging percentage this season and continues to hit in the heart of the A's order. It wouldn't be surprising to see him heat up again in the aftermath of this late-game success.

Moustakas is day-to-day with a knee contusion, Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star reports.

Mosutakas was just activated from the DL after suffering from a thumb injury, and could now miss a couple games with a knee contusion. While the knee contusion is likely much less serious, the banged-up third baseman will try to get fully healthy so he can return to the everyday lineup.

Moustakas is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Twins, Joel Goldberg of Fox Sports Kansas City reports.

Moustakas will get the day off after going 0-for-7 in his first two starts back following his stint on the 15-day DL with a thumb injury. Whit Merrifield will get the start in his place but Moustakas should be back in the lineup next game barring further injury.