MLB Player News
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Austin Riley 3B | ATL
Braves' Austin Riley: Still not starting
Riley (side) is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Pirates, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Riley will miss an 11th consecutive start Friday with a left intercostal strain. Despite the lengthy absence, it seems Riley is close to returning after swinging a bat Tuesday. Zack Short will start at third and bat ninth Friday.
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Jeimer Candelario 3B | CIN
Reds' Jeimer Candelario: Moves to upper half of order
Candelario batted third and went 1-for-4 for with a walk, a triple, an RBI and a caught stealing in Thursday's 6-4 extra-inning loss to the Padres.
Candelario tripled a run home in the first inning then was thrown out at home on a double-steal attempt to end the frame. He was later removed for a pinch runner in the 10th inning after he had walked. A recent hot stretch prompted a move up the batting order; Candelario has batted third or fourth in four straight contests. Over his last 12 contests, he's slashing .261/.320/.457 with four doubles, a triple, a homer, four runs and seven RBI.
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Matt Chapman 3B | SF
Giants' Matt Chapman: Homers in third straight game
Chapman went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in Thursday's 7-6 win over the Pirates.
Chapman's swing is rounding into form -- he's got a homer in three straight games, and he's hitting .405 (17-for-42) with six walks during an 11-game on-base streak. The third baseman's blast Thursday sparked the Giants' eighth-inning rally. He's up to a .249/.313/.440 slash line with eight homers, 27 RBI, five stolen bases and 33 runs scored through 50 contests overall.
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Nick Madrigal 3B | CHC
Cubs' Nick Madrigal: Moving back to bench role
Madrigal is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against Atlanta.
Madrigal had started at second base or third base in seven of the past eight games, but his opportunities to pick up playing time in the infield are likely to be more limited moving forward after shortstop Dansby Swanson and second baseman Nico Hoerner both recently returned from injuries. The 27-year-old hasn't done much with the opportunities he's received with the Cubs this season, slashing .213/.276/.250 with no home runs and one stolen base across 87 plate appearances.
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Zack Short 3B | ATL
Braves' Zack Short: Retreats to bench Thursday
Short is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.
Austin Riley (side) remains out of the lineup for a 10th consecutive game, but after starting each of the previous nine games in Riley's stead, Short will give way to Luke Williams at third base Thursday. Atlanta is still seemingly viewing Riley as day-to-day, so Short's run of regular playing time at the hot corner could come to an end as soon as this weekend in Pittsburgh.
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Austin Riley 3B | ATL
Braves' Austin Riley: Missing another start
Riley (side) is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.
He'll remain on the bench for a 10th consecutive game while he continues to heal up from a left intercostal strain. Atlanta had initially viewed Riley as day-to-day when he departed an April 12 game against the Mets with the injury, but the club likely would have placed him on the 10-day injured list had they known the issue would have kept him out for more than a week. Riley was able to exhibit a sign of progress by taking swings on the field Tuesday, but it's not clear if he'll be on track to rejoin the starting nine during this weekend's three-game series in Pittsburgh.
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Ryan McMahon 3B | COL
Rockies' Ryan McMahon: Homers in third straight
McMahon went 2-for-6 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's win over Oakland.
McMahon went hitless in his first four at-bats before adding a single in the ninth and a two-run homer in the top of the 12th, which would end up being the game winner. It marked the third baseman's third consecutive game with a home run, and he's now up to five long balls in May to go along with 11 RBI and 12 runs scored. McMahon has also hit safely in 10 straight games.
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Matt Chapman 3B | SF
Giants' Matt Chapman: Swats another homer
Chapman went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and an additional run during Wednesday's 9-5 extra-inning win over the Pirates.
The 31-year-old tagged Jared Jones for a two-run home run in the sixth inning, Chapman's second straight game with a long ball. He's been red hot in his last five games, going 11-for-18 (.611) with seven extra-base hits, 10 runs, five RBI and two stolen bases.
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Noelvi Marte 3B | CIN
Reds' Noelvi Marte: Ramping up in Dominican Republic
Marte (suspension) recently reported to the Reds' facility in the Dominican Republic to continue participating in exhibition games before the start of the Dominican Summer League, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Marte is continuing to serve the 80-game suspension he was handed down in March for violating MLB's joint drug prevention and treatment program, but he's been able to stay in playing shape of late by appearing in extended spring training games in Arizona and now in the Dominican Republic. According to team president Nick Krall, the Reds plan to have Marte participate in games in the Dominican Republic for about a week to 10 days before he returns to the United States to begin an official rehab assignment in the minors. Marte, who hit .316 with three home runs and six stolen bases in 35 games for the Reds in 2023 following his late-season promotion to the big leagues, is eligible to make his 2024 debut for the big club June 27 in St. Louis.
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Zack Short 3B | ATL
Braves' Zack Short: Filling in for injured Riley
Short will start at third base and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Cubs.
Short will draw a ninth consecutive start at the hot corner while Austin Riley (side) remains day-to-day. The 28-year-old has delivered a solid .345 on-base percentage over his prior eight starts, but he's provided little fantasy value with a .208 average, zero home runs or stolen bases and two RBI and runs during that stretch. He'll fall back into a light role once Riley is cleared to return to the lineup.