MLB Player News

Riley had his contract selected from Triple-A Gwinnett prior to Wednesday's game against the Cardinals. According to David O'Brien of The Athletic, Riley is starting in left field and hitting sixth.

Ender Inciarte was sent to the injured list while Jesse Biddle was designated for assignment in a pair of corresponding moves, clearing the way for Riley to join the Braves ahead of his big-league debut. The well-regarded prospect hit .299/.377/.681 with 15 homers and 39 RBI in 37 games for Gwinnett before earning a promotion; if he carries his success to the majors, it's possible Riley sticks in a full-time role the rest of the season at the expense of Inciarte.

Machado went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run in a loss against the Dodgers on Tuesday.

Of Machado's nine homers this year, four have come against the Dodgers -- including two off future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw. After struggling at the start of his first season with the Padres, Machado has picked it up by getting at least one hit in 16 of his last 18 games, batting 21-for-72 (.292) over that stretch.

The Braves will promote Riley from Triple-A Gwinnett ahead of Wednesday's game against the Cardinals, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Riley will get the long-awaited call to the big leagues in response to center fielder Ender Inciarte exiting Tuesday's loss with a back injury, but a promotion for the 22-year-old would have certainly been justified from a performance standpoint. After slugging a grand slam in his final game for Gwinnett on Tuesday, Riley leaves Triple-A with a .299/377/.681 slash line and 15 long balls in just 37 games. Though Riley played exclusively at third base prior to this season, he's dabbled at first base and left field recently, with the Braves likely to use him at the latter position while Inciarte is sidelined. If Riley continues to mash in his initial opportunities with the Braves, it's possible he sticks in a full-time role for the rest of the season while Inciarte transitions to a fourth-outfielder role once healthy.

Arenado went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk Tuesday against the Red Sox.

Arenado took Chris Sale deep in the seventh inning for his 11th homer of the season. He already has five home runs in May, only one of which has come at home. After failing to go yard in his first 15 games of the season, Arenado has rebounded and is hitting .317/.365/.604 across 181 plate appearances.

Longoria is not starting Tuesday against the Blue Jays, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Longoria has gone 8-for-24 with three homers in his last six games. Pablo Sandoval gets the start at third base.

McMahon is not starting Tuesday against lefty Chris Sale and the Red Sox, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Sale is the sixth in a run of eight straight southpaws to start against Colorado. McMahon has sat against four of the six so far. Pat Valaika gets the nod at second base Tuesday.

Escobar went 3-for-5 with a home run, a triple, three RBI and two runs scored in Monday's 9-3 win over the Pirates.

Finishing a double shy of the cycle, Escobar had a monster day at the plate Monday. After hitting .330 in April, the 30-year-old infielder was just 9-for-42 in May prior to this breakout. Hopefully he can build off this momentum and get hot once again.

Newman will make his first major-league start at third base Monday against the Diamondbacks.

Newman has made eight starts at shortstop and four at the keystone this season, but he'll move to the hot corner Monday, with Jung Ho Kang (side) heading to the shelf and Colin Moran struggling to find his swing. Newman is batting .344 with three extra-base hits and five RBI through 14 games in 2019.

Riley was named the International League's Player of the Week on Monday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. Over Triple-A Gwinnett's seven games, Riley collected four home runs and eight RBI.

Riley's 1.184 OPS for the week was only marginally better than his 1.047 mark for 2019, illustrating his utter dominance in his return to Triple-A this season. In addition to his ridiculous power production, Riley has trimmed his strikeout rate from 29.3 percent in 2018 to 19.7 percent this season. Riley seems to have little left to prove offensively in the minors, so at this point, an eventual call to the big leagues might come down to his ability to capably handle left field. A corner infielder for much of his career, Riley has made four of his last five starts in the outfield as the Braves presumably assess his viability as a utility bat.

Suarez went 2-for-5 with a stolen base and two runs Sunday in the Reds' 6-5 loss to the Giants.

After Suarez concluded the Reds' homestand May 6 with his third home run in as many days, it was fair to be skeptical about him continuing his power surge during the team's six-game road swing in the Bay Area. The unfavorable hitting environments in Oakland and San Francisco did little to slow down the hot bat of Suarez, who went 10-for-26 with six extra-base hits (including two home runs) and chipped in a steal between the two series. Fantasy managers should have no second thoughts about keeping Suarez active this week with six home games on tap.