MLB Player News

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Muncy left Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks with a lower-body injury and will be re-evaluated before Sunday's series finale, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Muncy was hit by a pitch in the groin area, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that he "had an interaction with a baseball that he needed to catch his breath a little." There's a good chance Muncy will miss Sunday's game, and the evaluation will give clarity on whether he's dealing with a short- or long-term injury..

Newman went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's victory over Pittsburgh.

Known mostly as contact-oriented, singles hitter, Newman provided a rare glimpse at his power in the first inning with his homer off lefty Rich Hill to give Cincinnati the lead. Newman served as the DH and No. 5 hitter Saturday after opening the season on the bench against right-hander Mitch Keller.

Madrigal is starting at third base and batting eighth in Saturday's game against the Brewers.

Madrigal didn't play in Thursday's opener, but he'll take over at the hot corner for Patrick Wisdom on Saturday. It appears that Madrigal, Wisdom and Edwin Rios could all share time at third base this season, which could cap the fantasy value of all three players for the time being.

Wisdom is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Brewers.

Wisdom started at third base and batted eighth on Opening Day, but he'll take a seat for the second game of the year, with Nick Madrigal taking over at the hot corner. Breaking camp, it appeared that Wisdom, Madrigal and Edwin Rios could split time at third base, and that is already the case in the early going. Manager David Ross is likely to play matchups, though one of the three could get hot and seize a larger role.

Senzel (toe) is expected to play a utility role when he returns from the injured list, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Senzel is likely to play both third base and the corner outfield spots when he begins a rehab assignment, and those are very likely the positions he'll play with the Reds, as well. The second pick of the 2016 MLB Draft has struggled to stay on the field thus far, and his career .240/.303/.360 slash shows that he hasn't been particularly effective when he has.

Muncy went 0-for-5 with five strikeouts in Thursday's 8-2 victory versus the Diamondbacks.

Muncy made some plate adjustments this spring in the hopes of improving upon his .196/.329/.384 slash line from last season, and his Cactus League results were solid as he slashed .304/.418/.587 with three homers. The third baseman wasn't able to carry forward the positive spring, however, as he became just the second major-leaguer in history to strike out five times on Opening Day, per Eric Stephen of SBNation.com. Muncy should have a long leash as a middle-of-the order bat for Los Angeles and will be given plenty of opportunities to bounce back from his season-opening platinum sombrero, but the performance is a reminder to fantasy managers that Muncy has hit below .200 in two of his past three campaigns.

Longoria isn't in the lineup Friday against the Dodgers.

Longoria will take a seat Friday after starting the season with an 0-for-3 performance Thursday. Josh Rojas will take over at the hot corner and bat in the leadoff spot.

McMahon went 1-for-5 with a double and a stolen base Thursday against the Padres.

McMahon, a left-handed bat, was in the starting lineup and hit sixth even with southpaw Blake Snell on the mound, though it remains to be seen if he'll get regular at-bats without the handedness advantage beyond Opening Day. His production came entirely against righty Domingo Tapia in the sixth inning Thursday, when he hit a double with no outs but was ultimately stranded at third. When Colorado faces right-handed starters, McMahon is expected to hit third in the order.

Arenado went 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI in Thursday's 10-9 loss to the Blue Jays.

Arenado was one of five Cardinals to post multiple hits in the back-and-forth game. The third baseman battled a minor hand injury after he was hit by a pitch at the World Baseball Classic, but he appears to be in great form to open the season. Arenado is expected to bat cleanup throughout the year as he looks to follow up a strong 2022 that saw him slash .293/.358/.533 with 30 home runs and 103 RBI over 148 contests.

Hayes is batting sixth in the Pirates' season opener Thursday at Cincinnati.

It's not an ideal lineup spot for what Hayes brings to the table in fantasy, though he could move up quickly if he shows improved power and OBP skills out of the gate. The 26-year-old third baseman posted a highly underwhelming .244/.314/.345 slash line with seven home runs (and 20 stolen bases) over 136 games for Pittsburgh in 2022.