MLB Player News

Muncy (hamstring) ran the bases and took grounders at third base ahead of Tuesday's game against the Angels, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Muncy has been dealing with a hamstring strain since June 13 and was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday. The 32-year-old third baseman is eligible to return from the IL on Friday, and his participation in pregame activities is a good sign he could be good to go by then.

Baty is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Astros.

Eduardo Escobar will handle third base and bat ninth with left-hander Framber Valdez on the mound for Houston. The left-handed-hitting Baty holds an overall .241/.317/.355 slash line with four homers and 20 RBI through 50 major-league games this year.

Kieboom (oblique) was placed on the injured list Tuesday at Triple-A Rochester, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Kieboom is headed for an MRI after tweaking his left oblique in a recent game versus the Triple-A affiliate of the Yankees. The 25-year-old former top prospect has also missed time this season with shoulder and lat problems. He sat out all of 2022 due to Tommy John elbow surgery.

Rivera is not in the starting lineup Tuesday against the Brewers.

Evan Longoria will play third base and bat sixth versus the Brewers and right-hander Colin Rea. Rivera holds a .685 OPS in 81 plate appearances this year against righties, compared to an .833 OPS in his 54 plate appearances against lefties.

Senzel is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Rockies.

Will Benson, TJ Friedl and Jake Fraley will start across the outfield for the host Reds. This appears to be a normal day of rest for Senzel, who slugged a solo homer in Monday's win over Colorado.

Rivera started at third base and went 0-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in Monday's 9-1 win over the Brewers.

Rivera got the start against a right-hander, which had been a role handled by Josh Rojas before he was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Monday. The former has hit well since being recalled in late April and has been a regular in the rotation at third base along with Rojas and Evan Longoria. The Diamondbacks now have a pair of righty hitters at third, so it bears watching to see how the split plays out. Rivera doesn't have a history of success in the majors, and his .364 BABIP is a factor in an impressive .313/.341/.406 line over 38 games. After Monday's game, Rivera has just one hit over the previous 21 at-bats, suggesting a correction to the slash line is coming.

Davis (ankle) is not in the starting lineup Monday versus the Padres, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Davis will remain on the bench Monday as he continues to recover from a low-grade ankle sprain, but considering he's been available off the bench the last two games, he's seemingly on the cusp of returning to the lineup. David Villar will draw the start at third base and bat ninth in the series opener with San Diego.

Madrigal is not in the starting lineup Monday versus Pittsburgh.

Madrigal will take a seat after he went 0-for-2 with a strikeout and a stolen base in Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Orioles. Miles Mastrobuoni will draw the start at third base and bat ninth in the series opener with the Pirates.

Candelario (thumb) will start at third base and bat third in Monday's game against the Cardinals, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Candelario suffered a bone bruise Saturday and sat out Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Marlins, but he'll be back in action as Washington opens its series with St. Louis. The 29-year-old is hitting .217 with a home run, six doubles, seven runs, five RBI and a stolen base through his first 14 games of June.

Escobar went 1-for-3 with a walk, a triple, a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Sunday's loss to the Cardinals.

Getting the start at third base against left-hander Matthew Liberatore and batting eighth, Escobar collected his second three-bagger and second steal of 2023. The veteran infielder lost his starting spot at the hot corner to Brett Baty earlier in the year, but with the rookie now struggling -- Baty's slashing .219/.301/.260 over his current 22-game homer drought -- the door could be opening a crack for Escobar to reclaim a more significant role if he can put together a productive stretch at the plate.