MLB Player News

Plouffe (knee) is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Mariners.

The third baseman exited Friday's contest with what was ultimately diagnosed as a sprained MCL. He'll sit out for Saturday's game, and his status heading into Sunday's matchup is uncertain. Eduardo Nunez will slide over to third base Saturday.

Drew is out of the lineup for Saturday's tilt with the Cardinals, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports.

Drew is simply getting a rest day, and will be replaced in the lineup by Stephen Drew. The timing of the day off is fortunate for Drew, who is 0-for-10 in his career against Adam Wainwright. Expect him to return to the lineup Sunday.

LeMahieu is not in the lineup Saturday against the Giants, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

It looks like nothing more than a scheduled day off for LeMahieu, the regular starter at second base this season. He'll be relieved Saturday by Cristhian Adames, who's making his first start since Wednesday.

Asche (oblique) went 1-for-5 with a run scored in his first rehab game at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday.

Asche is now 6-for-39 with two home runs, 13 strikeouts and three walks across three minor league levels on his rehab assignment. He could rejoin the Phillies this weekend or at the latest by the middle of next week when his rehab assignment has to end.

Machado was 4-for-5 with a pair of runs scored and one RBI as the Orioles defeated Cleveland on Friday night.

Just about a week ago, Machado was finishing off a mini-slump which had seen him go 2-for-24, but his bat won't stay silent for long. He's heating back up and is now hitting .323 on the season and has collected 29 RBIs.

Arenado went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI Friday against the Giants.

The third baseman has hit safely in five of the last 10 games, but he's gone a mere 7-for-36 (.194) over that span, so Colorado clearly needs more production out of him. A silver lining is the fact that Arenado has driven runs in the last two games, and he's one of the NL leaders in that department with 36.

Plouffe left Friday's game with a mild sprain of the MCL in his right knee, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

He was quietly lifted from the game in the fourth inning -- it was not obvious when he suffered the injury -- leading to speculation Plouffe may have been dealt from Minnesota. It turns out it was a knee injury that knocked Plouffe out, specifically a sprained MCL, but the "mild" classification lends some hope to Plouffe's chances of avoiding an extended absence.

Donaldson went off Friday night, going 4-for-5 with a pair of home runs and five RBI as the Jays defeated Boston.

Last year's AL MVP is heating up and the Blue Jays' offense is collecting dividends. Donaldson put two in the seats, the second of which broke a 5-5 tie in the eighth inning, giving him 13 long ones and 29 RBI on the year. Toronto's lineup has been inconsistent over the first couple of months, but there is no question they can pile up runs in a hurry when they get hot.

Newman suffered a fractured left orbital bone Thursday while playing for High-A Bradenton, Pirates Prospects reports.

He'll travel to Pittsburgh for further evaluation, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the No. 1 draft choice miss at least a month. Newman is hitting .346/.414/.444 in 38 games this season.

Asche (oblique) said he is nearly ready to come off the disabled list, Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. "I am close for sure," Asche said. "There are a couple of little things I need to shore up in the box, kind of leading to some not-so-favorable results."

Asche went 0-for-4 with a walk Thursday with Double-A Reading. He is just 2-for-16 in four games with Reading after a five game stint with High-A Clearwater where he was 3-for-18. He is expected to have his rehab transferred to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday and could rejoin the Phillies this weekend or early next week.