MLB Player News

Anderson went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double and three RBI in Sunday's 6-0 win over the Cubs.

The young third baseman hit cleanup for the Marlins with Justin Bour getting the day off, and he's earned the assignment -- Anderson has gone 6-for-18 with five RBI in the first four games of 2018. The double was his first extra-base hit, though, and despite his hot start, he'll need to show more power to get on the radar in shallower fantasy formats.

Rendon went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Reds.

His first-inning shot was his first of the season, and Rendon got the ball rolling on what ended up being a four-homer day for the Nats. The third baseman is just 3-for-13 to begin the year, but Sunday's blast could signal the beginning of one of his patented hot streaks.

Suarez went 2-for-5 with a home run, two RBI, and two runs scored against the Nationals on Saturday.

Suarez's homer was a two-run shot in the ninth inning off Enny Romero, though all it did was cut the deficit from eight to six. The 26-year-old has hit second in both of the Reds' first two games and should benefit from hitting in front of Joey Votto in hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park.

McMahon is out of Friday's lineup against the Diamondbacks.

The Rockies have started the season against back-to-back lefties, so McMahon has yet to start a game this season. Ian Desmond will once again slot in at first base and hit sixth against lefty Robbie Ray. McMahon appeared as a pinch hitter Thursday and went 0-for-1 with a strikeout. Look for him to be in the lineup Saturday against righty Zack Greinke.

Rendon is batting second and playing third base Friday against the Reds.

Rendon batted second on nine occasions for the Nationals last season, but former manager Dusty Baker's old-school lineups saw Rendon bat sixth more often than any other spot (73 times). New manager Dave Martinez appears to be favoring on-base percentage at the top, with Adam Eaton leading off and Rendon batting second. The 27-year-old had the best offensive season of his career in 2017, hitting .301/.403/.533 with 25 homers in 147 games. If Friday's lineup is a preview of things to come and Rendon sticks in the second spot, expect a shift from RBI to runs, which won't effect his overall fantasy value much. The more significant effect will be an increase in his total number of plate appearances, which should slightly boost all of his counting stats.

Anderson went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and two RBI in Thursday's 8-4 loss to the Cubs.

Not much went right for the Marlins on Opening Day, but Anderson's performance was a rare bright spot. There are questions about the 24-year-old's ultimate fantasy upside given that his stroke seems more geared to line drives than homers, which likely restricts his utility to deep mixed and NL-only formats, but the rebuilding franchise will give Anderson every chance to prove himself in 2018.

Asuaje batted fifth and started at second base Thursday, going 1-for-3 with a walk in an Opening Day loss to the Brewers.

Asuaje was in a heated battle with Cory Spangenberg for the starting job at the keystone this spring, and his presence in the Padres' first official lineup confirms that he is the victor. The 26-year-old slashed .270/.334/.362 in 343 plate appearances last season, so he likely won't be anything more than an empty batting average from a fantasy standpoint.

Arenado went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Diamondbacks.

Arenado hit 16 homers in just 150 at-bats against lefties last season and continued his onslaught against southpaws in his 2018 debut, homering off Patrick Corbin. The 26-year-old is averaging 40 homers and 131 RBI over the past three seasons and there's little reason to believe he won't approach those marks yet again.

LeMahieu went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Diamondbacks.

This was nice to see from LeMahieu, who has reached double-digit homers just once in his career, finishing with eight a season ago. Hopefully he adds to his total sooner than he did in 2017 -- LeMahieu didn't hit his second until May 21 last year. He's in his final season before free agency.

Anderson will start at third base and bat fifth in Thursday's season opener against the Cubs, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

It became apparent Anderson would break camp as the Marlins' primary third baseman once Martin Prado (knee) incurred a setback in mid-March that ultimately resulted in the veteran opening the season on the disabled list. Prado is tentatively in line to rejoin the Marlins around mid-April, but his ability to play the corner outfield could allow Anderson to hang on to an everyday role if the 24-year-old's performance warrants it. Anderson doesn't offer much power from the corner infield, but he displayed a solid hit tool throughout his minor-league career and during his brief time with the Marlins last season, which could allow him to maintain a serviceable batting average.