MLB Player News

Madrigal will start at second base and bat ninth in Monday's game against the Astros.

Since Nico Hoerner landed on the injured list Friday with the left hamstring strain that had kept him out of the lineup since last Tuesday, Madrigal has settled in as the primary option at the keystone. He'll stick in the lineup for the fifth time in six games despite going 4-for-19 at the plate since Hoerner hit the shelf.

De La Cruz is hitting .347 with a .467 OBP and five home runs in 12 games this month at Triple-A Louisville.

The most impressive aspect of De La Cruz's recent run of success is his improved contact rate and swing decisions. He has 10 walks and 10 strikeouts in his last 49 at-bats and is 2-for-6 on stolen-base attempts over that span. Matt McLain earned a promotion Monday to play shortstop for the Reds, but if De La Cruz's newfound plate skills hold, he should get a promotion of his own this summer.

Moustakas will start at first base and bat cleanup in Monday's game against the Reds.

With C.J. Cron (back) headed to the 10-day injured list, Moustakas could see a good number of starts at first base versus right-handed pitching in the coming weeks. The 34-year-old has managed a .688 OPS with one home run in his first 24 games this season.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Monday that Kieboom hasn't played in any of Triple-A Rochester's last four games due to right lat soreness, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Martinez revealed that Kieboom was sent in for an MRI, but the organization has yet to receive the results of his medical tests. Rochester has yet to place Kieboom on the 7-day injured list, so he's presumably being viewed as day-to-day.

Baty is out of the lineup for Monday's game versus the Nationals.

Baty has now been on the bench three of the last four times the Mets have faced a left-hander, with his absence from the lineup Monday coming with southpaw Patrick Corbin taking the hill for Washington. Eduardo Escobar will play the hot corner Monday in Baty's stead.

Arenado went 2-for-5 with a home run, four RBI and a stolen base in Sunday's win over Boston.

Arenado brought in two runs with a sixth-inning single before belting a two-run shot to add some insurance runs in the eighth. He went 7-for-14 with three home runs in the three-game sweep over the Red Sox. The veteran slugger raised his season OPS from .620 to .708 during that stretch.

Arenado went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Red Sox.

Arenado has homered in consecutive games for the first time this season, and he's now 7-for-17 (.412) over his last four contests. The third baseman's power may be coming around after a fairly quiet start to the year. He's slashing .252/.299/.387 with five homers, 22 RBI, 19 runs scored, a stolen base, four doubles and a triple through 38 games.

Anderson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.

Anderson started the past nine games and will take a seat Sunday after he posted a .684 OPS during that stretch. Owen Miller will man the hot corner and bat fifth in the series finale versus Kansas City.

McMahon went 2-for-3 with two doubles, one RBI, a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 7-4 loss to the Phillies.

McMahon was productive out of the No. 6 spot in the order. He's starting to get things turned around -- he's gone 6-for-16 (.375) with three RBI, four runs scored and two steals over his last four contests. The infielder is still slashing a modest .223/.292/.410 with four home runs, 17 RBI, 18 runs scored, three steals, 12 doubles and a triple through 39 games. His longest hitting streak so far this season is five games, a mark he could match Sunday.

Sosa will sit Saturday against the Rockies.

In the absence of Rhys Hoskins (knee) and Darick Hall (thumb), the Phillies have settled on a corner-infield configuration of Sosa at third base and Alec Bohm at first in most games. That was the setup for the last eight games, but it will be Kody Clemens at first and Bohm at third this time around.