MLB Player News

Senzel will begin the 2018 season at Triple-A Louisville, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic Cincinnati reports.

During the 2017 season, Senzel played 62 games at High-A Daytona and 57 games at Double-A Pensacola. Between the two he combined to hit .321/.391/.514 with 14 home runs and 65 RBI. After dazzling with Pensacola and hitting .340 with a .973 OPS, it doesn't come as much of a surprise that the 22-year-old sensation will open the year at Triple-A Louisville. Although he's primarily played the hot corner to this point, Senzel will start at second base with Louisville.

Senzel was reassigned to minor-league camp Monday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Senzel appeared in 15 games this spring, over which he went 8-for-28 (.286) with two doubles. Senzel worked his way up to Double-A Pensacola last season, where he hit an impressive .340/.413/.560 over 57 games. Although it remains to be seen if he'll return to Pensacola for the start of the upcoming season, the 22-year-old seems bound to make his debut at Triple-A Louisville in the near future.

Asuaje is in the lead over Cory Spangenberg in the battle to become the Padres' starting second baseman, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Neither player has a particularly impressive career resume, with Asuaje hitting .266/.328/.356 over parts of two seasons and Spangenberg hitting .266/.324/.401 over parts of four. Asuaje has hit .378/.396/.711 this spring and is considered a better defender than Spangenberg, which could give him the edge.

McMahon is "looking very doubtful" for the Opening Day roster, according to Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post.

At the outset of camp, McMahon was considered the favorite for the starting job at first base, but his chances of starting the season with the big-league club took a hit with the return of Carlos Gonzalez to Colorado. While nothing is set in stone, Saunders suggests Gonzalez likely forces Ian Desmond to first base. McMahon has made a strong case that he's ready, slashing .333./.367/.509 through 22 spring games, and he's still very much on the mixed-league radar, as the 22-year-old would presumably be the first man up in the event on an injury anywhere on the diamond.

The Diamondbacks optioned Vargas to Triple-A Reno on Friday, Owen Perkins of MLB.com reports.

Vargas and Jack Reinheimer were both bidding for utility roles with the big club, but neither was viewed as a likely candidate to make the Opening Day roster so long as Chris Owings and Daniel Descalso maintained health in spring training. As a result, Vargas will report to Reno for the second straight season and should handle a full-time role in the Pacific Coast League until the Diamondbacks have a need for another infielder.

Vargas was sent to Triple-A Reno on Friday.

Vargas reached the majors for the first time in 2017, grabbing four hits in 13 at-bats. He'll return to Reno, where he posted a .312/.355/.462 line in 113 games last year. With another strong performance at Triple-A, Vargas could return to the majors in a bench role at some point in 2018.

Suarez agreed to a seven-year extension with the Reds on Friday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic Cincinnati reports.

The deal keeps Suarez under contract through the 2024 season and includes a club option for 2025. The extension, combined with the Reds' experimentation with top prospect Nick Senzel at shortstop, demonstrates the team's commitment to Suarez as the third baseman of the future. In a breakout season last year, the 26-year-old hit .260/.367/.461 with 26 home runs.

Newman was sent down to minor-league camp Thursday, David Adler of MLB.com reports.

Newman went 5-for-19 with two RBI and three stolen bases in 12 spring training games. He's expected to begin the season with Triple-A Indianapolis.

Longoria (ankle) is in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic Bay Area reports.

Longoria had been battling ankle soreness since Saturday. Barring any setbacks, he should have enough time to be fully up to speed by Opening Day.

The Braves reassigned Riley to their minor-league camp Tuesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The third baseman only recorded five hits in his 24 at-bats during the Grapefruit League, but made his hits count with a pair of home runs. The 20-year-old's bat has always been ahead of his glove, but the strides he made defensively last season leave the Braves optimistic that he'll be able to stick at the hot corner long term. It's possible that Riley could head back to Double-A Mississippi to begin the upcoming campaign after logging only 203 plate appearances there in 2017, but a second-half promotion to Triple-A Gwinnett or even the big club isn't out of the question if he continues to hit for average and power while playing a capable third base.