MLB Player News

Newman went 5-for-5 with a home run, triple, two doubles and three RBI for Triple-A Indianapolis in its 12-5 rout of Lehigh Valley on Tuesday.

Newman was one of two Indianapolis players to hit for the cycle Tuesday, as catcher Jacob Stallings also achieved the feat. Lauded primarily for his plus hit tool when he was selected out of Arizona in the first round of the 2015 first-year player draft, Newman has shown slightly more gap power in his fourth season in the professional ranks. He's up to 29 doubles on the campaign, good for second place in the International League.

Hayes went 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI for Double-A Altoona in its 5-1 win over Trenton on Tuesday.

Hayes opened his Double-A tenure with a 1-for-20 showing at the plate, but the third baseman has settled in nicely at Altoona ever since. In his subsequent 90 appearances for the affiliate, Hayes has slashed .302/.383/.482 with seven home runs and nine stolen bases, earning a spot in the All-Star Futures Game along the way. After the graduation to the big leagues (and trade) of Austin Meadows, Hayes now looks like the top hitting prospect in Pittsburgh's system.

Kieboom is hitting .263/.324/.378 with three home runs and one steal in 170 plate appearances with Double-A Harrisburg.

At 20 years old, he is the second-youngest hitter in the Eastern League (behind Bo Bichette), so he shouldn't be dinged for forcing a promotion from High-A and struggling (relative to his standards) over his first 39 games at Double-A. His approach has suffered after the promotion, with his walk rate dipping (from 12.6 percent to 7.6 percent), strikeout rate increasing (from 17.5 percent to 24.1 percent), and pull rate spiking (from 42.9 percent to 53.9 percent). His track record suggests he will make the necessary adjustments.

Riley is hitting .216 with zero home runs over his last 10 games for Triple-A Gwinnett.

Every hitter goes through slumps, and with Riley (21) being the youngest hitter in the International League, it's hardly cause for concern. That said, his inability to really get going at the dish probably eliminates any opportunity he had of forcing a late-season promotion to the majors. While Riley still profiles as the Braves' third baseman of the future, Johan Camargo has been worth almost two wins (1.8 fWAR) this season, so Riley will have to earn his chance in 2019.

Moustakas went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in Tuesday's loss to the Padres.

Moustakas hit a two-run homer -- his 22nd of the year -- in the first inning and then recorded a sacrifice fly in the third. Moustakas has homered in back-to-back games and logged his first multiple-RBI game since joining the Brewers on July 28. The 29-year-old is hitting .249/.307/.466 with 68 RBI and 48 runs this season.

Asuaje is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Brewers.

Even with a right-hander (Chase Anderson) toeing the rubber for the opposition, Asuaje will stick on the bench for a fifth straight game. Cory Spangenberg will start in his place Tuesday, hitting eighth.

Escobar went 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles, a walk and a run Monday in the Diamondbacks' 3-2 win over the Phillies in 14 innings.

Escobar has remained a doubles machine since joining the Diamondbacks ahead of the trade deadline, collecting four two-baggers in his eight starts with his new team. He leads the majors with 41 doubles and is on pace to record 58, which would rank as the second-best single-season mark of this century.

Walding was named the International League Player of the Month on Monday.

Walding earned the honor by hitting .326 with 10 homers and 21 RBI. He's yet to translate any of that success to the major-league level, where he's gone 0-for-14 with 10 strikeouts. The sample size is small, but so far he looks like a Quad-A player, though there remains a chance he could provide value as a bench bat.

Anderson went 3-for-5 in Sunday's loss to the Phillies.

It's his fourth multi-hit performance in his last seven contests, and Anderson has a solid .286/.403/.375 slash line since the All-Star break, albeit with only one homer, three RBI and eight runs in 15 games. His lack of power and the unappealing lineup around him put a firm limit on the 25-year-old's fantasy ceiling, but he still has value in deeper formats, particularly those that use OBP.

Longoria went 3-for-4 with a double, a solo home run, two runs and two RBI in the Giants' 3-2 win over the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

The veteran has been swinging a hot bat, as he's now hit safely in nine of 10 games since resuming his spot in the lineup following a stint on the disabled list. Four of his last five have also been multi-hit efforts, a span that's seen him launch his 11th and 12th homers of the season. He's not the 30-homer threat that would regularly crank out .800 OPS seasons during his best days in Tampa Bay, but as he's demonstrated in recent days, Longoria still has some pop in his bat. He also seems to have a secure role hitting third in San Francisco's lineup, which should bode well for his fantasy prospects as long as it continues to be the case.