MLB Player News

Triolo will start at third base and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Triolo's time as Pittsburgh's everyday third baseman looked to be coming to an end when Ke'Bryan Hayes returned from the injured list Thursday, but the rookie's stint atop the depth chart was re-extended when Hayes went back on the IL just one day later after his lower-back discomfort flared back up. The Pirates could look to take things slower with Hayes this time around in light of the setback, so Triolo could be able to maintain a regular role coming out of the All-Star break. Since joining the Pirates on June 28, Triolo has hit .306 with no home runs or stolen bases and has scored six runs over 10 games.

Rivera will start at third base and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Pirates, Jody Jackson of Bally Sports Arizona reports.

For the second straight day and the fourth time in six contests, Rivera will man third base. Meanwhile, Evan Longoria has been on the bench on all four occasions that Rivera has started, which likely signals that the former has been moved into more of a part-time role. Despite the uptick in playing time, Rivera doesn't profile as an especially enticing fantasy option, as he's batting an excellent .296 but otherwise lacks category juice. He's delivered just one home run and one stolen base across 168 plate appearances on the season.

Longoria is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates, Jody Jackson of Bally Sports Arizona reports.

Longoria will head to the bench for the third time in Arizona's past four games, as Emmanuel Rivera appears to be manager Torey Lovullo's preferred option at the hot corner. The pair will likely continue splitting playing time at the position going forward, though Rivera has a slight leg up for now.

Vargas is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Vargas started in all of the Nationals' last three games and produced exactly one base hit in each of those contests to bring his hitting streak up to six games. The Nationals faced left-handed starting pitchers in each of those last three contests, but Vargas will find himself on the bench Sunday versus Rangers right-hander Dane Dunning. Vargas looks as though he'll be limited to a short-side platoon role for the foreseeable future.

De La Cruz went 2-for-5 with two runs, an RBI and three stolen bases Saturday in an 8-5 win against Milwaukee.

De La Cruz seems to find a way to dazzle on a daily basis, and Saturday was no exception. The phenom provided a highlight-reel sequence in the seventh inning when he plated the go-ahead run with a two-out single, stole second, stole third and proceeded to steal home by catching the Brewers napping. De La Cruz has notched at least one theft in four straight games, going 12-for-22 (.545 average) at the plate with a home run, four RBI, five runs and seven steals during that stretch. He's already up to 16 stolen bases on the campaign despite having played in just 29 games.

Baty (hamstring) went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Padres.

Baty missed a couple of games while dealing with hamstring soreness. The third baseman has gone 18-for-61 (.295) over his last 18 games, setting him up nicely if he can sustain the momentum into the second half. He's slashing .248/.316/.359 with five home runs, 21 RBI, 27 runs scored and two stolen bases over 64 contests this season.

Muncy went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk and two total RBI in Saturday's 10-5 win over the Angels.

Muncy has homered three times over his last six games, accounting for half of his hits in that span. Prior to this surge, he'd gone 14 contests without a long ball, though there was a two-week absence with a hamstring injury in that span. Muncy is slashing .198/.331/.476 with 21 homers, 53 RBI, 47 runs scored and a stolen base over 72 games this season.

Baty (hamstring) is starting at third base and batting eighth Saturday against the Padres, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

A sore hamstring kept Baty out of the Mets' last two games, but he'll be back in action for Saturday's contest. The 23-year-old third baseman is 4-for-13 with two runs scored since the beginning of July.

Longoria isn't in the Diamondbacks' lineup Saturday against the Pirates.

Longoria is hitless in nine plate appearances since the beginning of July, so he'll get a day off Saturday to regroup. Emmanuel Rivera will fill start at third base in Longoria's place and bat sixth.

Candelario (knee) is starting as Washington's designated hitter Saturday against the Rangers, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Knee soreness forced Candelario to sit out Friday's game, but the issue seems to have subsided ahead of Saturday's contest. Candelario is 5-for-21 with two homers and five runs scored since the beginning of July, and he remains a candidate to be traded before the Aug. 1 deadline.