MLB Player News

Suarez is not starting Saturday against the Pirates.

Suarez will sit for the first time this season. He's gotten off to a bit of a slow start at the plate, as he's just 5-for-22, though he does have a home run and five walks. Kyle Farmer will start at third base in his absence.

Escobar is likely to remain the everyday third baseman with Jake Lamb (quadriceps) expected to miss up to six weeks, Richard Morin and Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Escobar's frigid start (.121/.147/.152) and manager Torey Lovullo's desire to get first baseman Christian Walker into the lineup were the motivating factors leading to Lamb occasionally moving across the diamond from first to third. With Lamb out of action, Escobar has breathing space to break out of his slump while getting regular at-bats. Ildemaro Vargas was called up after Lamb was placed on the 10-day injured list and will be the primary backup.

Arenado went 1-for-3 with a walk, two RBI and a run scored Friday against the Dodgers.

Arenado knocked home a run in the third inning on a sacrifice fly and plated another in the seventh on a single to left field. The 27-year-old slugger remains without a home run on the season, though he'll have the luxury of hitting at Coors Field for the next five contests.

Moncada went 2-for-4 with a double and four RBI in Friday's win over the Mariners.

Moncada plated a pair of runs in the first inning on a double to center and drove home two more in the seventh on a single to give his team a 9-8 lead. Following an impressive performance in the series opener, the 23-year-old third baseman is now 11-for-24 with two homers, 10 RBI and nine runs scored through six contests in 2019.

Muncy went 3-for-4 with a home run, a triple, three RBI and a walk to help the Dodgers to a 10-6 victory over the Rockies on Friday.

Muncy had a monster day at the dish against Colorado, as he fell a double short of the cycle. It was a welcome showing for the 28-year-old, who was off to a slow start to the season coming off last year's breakout 35-homer campaign. With this performance, he bumped his slugging percentage up to a healthy .542 through 24 at-bats.

Machado went 1-for-2 with three walks and a run in San Diego's 5-3 win over the Cardinals on Friday.

Machado reached base in his first four appearances before grounding out in his last at-bat to snap a streak of seven straight trips to the plate where he got on base. He's the first Padres to achieve that feat since Jose Pirela in 2017, per Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union Tribune. Machado only has one home run through his first eight games, but he's now got a .394 on-base percentage, and the patient approach is a good sign he's seeing the ball well as he looks to consistently find his power stroke.

Chapman (wrist) is back in the lineup Friday against the Astros.

Chapman was on the bench for Thursday's game against Boston due to a sore wrist, but he was able to appear as a late-game defensive replacement. He'll bat second and play third base Friday.

Vargas was recalled from Triple-A Reno on Friday.

The 27-year-old was sent to the minors on Monday but is able to make a quick return with Jake Lamb (quadriceps) headed to the injured list. Vargas went 1-for-6 with a double and a run scored and should serve as a reserve infielder.

Ramirez (foot) is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Blue Jays, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Ramirez made a precautionary exit from Thursday's game with a left foot bruise and will take a day to rest up Friday. The 26-year-old should be considered day-to-day as Max Moroff receives the starting nod at third base in his absence. According to Tom Withers of the Associated Press, Ramirez underwent precautionary X-rays, which came back negative.

Newman made his first start of the season at shortstop Thursday, going 0-for-3 with an RBI groundout.

Fellow shortstop Erik Gonzalez has started four of the team's first five games, keeping Newman mostly tied to the bench. Gonzalez's play has been up and down, however, and Newman could work his way into the mix. The 2015 first-round pick has also practiced with the outfielders, a move that could increase his versatility.