MLB Player News

Berti is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Pirates.

Since Matt Shaw was demoted to Triple-A Iowa on April 15, Berti has stepped in as the Cubs' primary third baseman, drawing starts at the position in eight of the past 11 games. After going 7-for-15 with a pair of doubles and a walk over his last four starts, Berti should still be secure atop the depth chart, but he'll give way to Nicky Lopez at the hot corner for a day game after a night game.

Muncy went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a triple and a second run scored in Wednesday's 12-7 win over the Marlins.

Muncy opened the scoring with a two-out, 433-foot blast off Cal Quantrill in the second inning, his first homer in 29 games this year. Muncy would add a second hit with a leadoff triple in the seventh. It's been a rough start to the year for the veteran third baseman, though he's shown signs of life recently, going 5-for-15 in his last four contests. Overall, Muncy's slashing .194/.309/.301 with five RBI and seven runs scored through 110 plate appearances this season.

Arenado is not in the lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader in Cincinnati.

After going 0-for-5 in the first game of the twin bill, Arenado will receive some rest for the nightcap. Nolan Gorman is at third base and batting sixth in the second game for the Cardinals.

Bohm is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals.

It's the first day off since April 6 and just the second day off this season for Bohm. Edmundo Sosa will play third base and bat eighth for the Phillies on Wednesday.

The Reds placed Candelario on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a lumbar spine strain.

Candelario informed the Reds earlier this week that he was dealing with a lower-back issue, and the 31-year-old corner infielder was diagnosed with a strain after being sent in for further evaluation. Even before the injury surfaced, Candelario had played himself out of an everyday role, slashing just .113/.198/.213 over 91 plate appearances. Cincinnati recalled infielder Tyler Callihan to replace Candelario on the 26-man active roster.

Riley went 2-for-5 with two RBI in Tuesday's win over the Rockies.

With Tuesday's performance, Riley has now registered at least one hit in nine of his last 10 games. During that period, the star third baseman has three multi-RBI efforts and is batting .318 (14-for-44) with one home run, one double and eight RBI. Despite not providing much pop during the stretch, Riley entered Tuesday with an elite 52.6 percent hard-hit rate on the season.

Manager Terry Francona said Tuesday that Candelario alerted the Reds about a lower back issue, and the team is having it looked at, Charlie Goldsmith of the Dayton Daily News reports.

Francona had already said earlier in the day that Candelario's role was going to be reduced, but the back issue could help explain the veteran infielder's early-season struggles at the plate. Through 91 plate appearances, Candelario is slashing .113/.198/.213 with four extra-base hits, 10 RBI and a 9:29 BB:K. Consider the 31-year-old day-to-day for now.

DeJong isn't expected to return from the 10-day injured list for at least two months after undergoing surgery Monday to repair his nose and sinuses, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. He also had a titanium orbital plate inserted as part of the procedure.

DeJong was injured when he was struck on the left side of his face by a 92.7 mile-per-hour fastball in an April 15 game against the Pirates. In addition to breaking his nose, DeJong sustained a huge gash to his cheek and dealt with considerable bleeding in his left eye, resulting in him being rushed to the hospital before he was released the next day. Because he was still dealing with significant swelling near his eye more than week after the incident, DeJong waited until Monday to have his surgery, which was more extensive than anticipated. The Nationals haven't offered up a clear timeline for DeJong to return to action, but the 31-year-old infielder said he expects to resume working out in about a month with the hope of being ready to play in games at some point shortly before the All-Star break. A more precise target date for his return could be established once he's further removed from the surgery.

Vientos went 2-for-4 with two walks, a three-run home run and three additional runs scored in Monday's 19-5 rout of the Nationals.

Hitting ahead of Brandon Nimmo -- who tied a Mets record with nine RBI on the day -- paid dividends for Vientos, but the third baseman also capped the team's offensive eruption in the ninth inning with his third homer of the season. Vientos has hit safely in six straight games and 12 of his last 13, slashing .320/.364/.600 over that stretch with all three of his long balls, 11 runs and 13 RBI.

Cincinnati manager Terry Francona spoke to Candelario on Monday about a reduced role due to an early-season slump, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "We tried to explain to him, too, that you can't chase hits. That's a hard way to play," Francona said.

This move was a long time coming and forecasted over the last week. Candelario, who is batting .113 with a .411 OPS over 22 games, managed to avoid being benched earlier while the Reds navigated injuries. Now that the roster is in better shape -- Spencer Steer is back playing the field following a bout of shoulder inflammation, Noelvi Marte is ripping it up since his promotion, and Gavin Lux no longer needs to cover left field since Austin Hays was activated off the injured list -- Candelario will have to take advantage opportunities when presented to him to climb back into a rotation at first base, third base or DH.