MLB Player News

Newman (finger) drew starts in center field and left field during rehab games Tuesday and Wednesday at Triple-A Indianapolis. He went a collective 3-for-7 at the plate between the two games.

Prior to kicking off the rehab assignment, Newman hadn't seen any action in the outfield during his professional career. According to Adam Berry of MLB.com, Newman is scheduled to play his natural position (shortstop) in rehab games Friday and Saturday, so his usage in the outfield may have just been an experiment to gauge his viability as a super-utility player. With four outfielders (Corey Dickerson, Lonnie Chisenhall, Starling Marte and Jose Osuna) already on the 10-day injured list and another banged up (Bryan Reynolds), the Pirates could certainly benefit from adding more depth to that group.

Muncy is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

With the Cubs deploying lefty starting pitchers for each of the last three days, Muncy has been on the bench for every game of the series. Muncy's usage suggests that manager Dave Roberts views him as a pure strong-side platoon player, at least while the team is at full strength. David Freese will garner the start at first base in Muncy's stead.

Vargas will start at second base and bat out of the two hole in Thursday's game against the Pirates.

The Diamondbacks are holding out several regulars for the day game after the night game, opening the door for Vargas to pick up his fourth start of the season. The 27-year-old has displayed some solid contact skills and speed during his time in the minors but has yet to make much of an impression in a limited sample of action at the big-league level (66 wRC+ over 62 plate appearances).

Escobar went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, a triple, an RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 11-2 win over the Pirates.

As cold as Escobar was to start the season, he's gone in the other direction recently. This was the third straight three-hit game for the infielder, who has nine hits in his last 13 at-bats. That stretch includes two doubles, a triple and a home run.

Arenado went 2-for-4 with a run scored and three RBI in Wednesday's 9-5 win over the Nationals.

Arenado didn't have an extra-base hit as he brought home runs Wednesday with a pair of singles and a sacrifice fly. The 28-year-old is slashing .278/.327/.464 with four home runs and 17 RBI in 97 at-bats.

Muncy sits for the second straight game Wednesday against the Cubs.

The Dodgers face their second straight lefty in Cole Hamels. Muncy has started against just two of the seven lefties who have started against the Dodgers this season, with David Freese starting at first base during each absence.

Walding was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.

Walding spent four days on the Phillies' 25-man roster and struck out in both of his plate appearances. He's now 1-for-19 with 14 strikeouts in his big-league career. Sean Rodriguez's contract was selected in a corresponding move.

Rendon (elbow) is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Rockies.

Rendon is out of the lineup for a fourth consecutive game as he continues to nurse an elbow injury he sustained after getting hit by a pitch over the weekend. The third baseman hit in the cage Tuesday and was apparently available to pinch hit if needed, though he ultimately went unused. Rendon is available off the bench again Wednesday, per Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post, and will look to rejoin the lineup for Friday's series opener against the Padres after an off-day Thursday. Jake Noll is starting at third base and hitting seventh in his place.

Moustakas (finger) is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Cardinals.

Moustakas will sit for a third straight game as he continues to nurse a fractured right ring finger. The veteran infielder was able to take batting practice with the team Tuesday, suggesting he could be trending toward a return after the team's off-day Thursday. Hernan Perez is starting at the keystone once again in his stead.

Longoria went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 7-6 win over Toronto.

It was Longoria's third home run of the season, all three of which have come on the road. Oracle Park is notoriously a pitcher's venue, and it may be affecting the veteran more than any Giants hitter. Longoria is slashing a meager .158/.179/.237 at home compared to a healthy .271/.314/.521 on the road. Deep-mixed and NL-only owners may not have the luxury of picking and choosing when to start the third baseman, but those using Longoria in DFS and as a mixed-league streamer may want to deploy him mostly on road trips.