MLB Player News

Suarez went 2-for-3 with an RBI double and a solo homer in Cincinnati's 4-3 loss Tuesday against the Brewers.

Suarez came into the game just 1-for-10 on the young season, but drove in two of the Reds' three runs with a double in the fourth inning and a solo homer in the eighth.

Muncy is starting at first base and hitting seventh against the Giants on Tuesday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Muncy sat out Monday, but he's back in action for this tilt against the Giants and Madison Bumgarner. He had an .890 OPS over 102 at-bats against left-handed pitching in his breakout season last year, and he'll look to get his bat rolling in this contest as he's just 2-for-16 to start 2019.

Madrigal is opening the year at High-A Winston-Salem, Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com reports.

There was some thought that Madrigal, who has one of the best hit tools in the minors, may be kept on a fast track with an assignment to Double-A after he played in 26 games at High-A last year. However, the White Sox will opt to take a more conservative approach with his initial assignment, letting him dictate when he's ready for Double-A with his play on the field. He could stand to pull the ball more (33.3 Pull% at High-A last year) and cut down on his groundball rate (57.3 GB%).

McMahon is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rays.

With a tough southpaw on the bump in reigning American League Cy Young winner Blake Snell, the lefty-hitting McMahon will retreat to the bench, opening spots on the right side of the infield for Mark Reynolds and Garrett Hampson and designated-hitter duties for Pat Valaika. Valaika will more than likely be the odd man out when the Rockies play in National League parks, while one of Reynolds or Hampson will likely give way to McMahon against right-handed pitching. McMahon should have a fairly clear path to a strong-side platoon role for at least the next month while top first baseman Daniel Murphy (finger) is on the 10-day injured list.

Kieboom will open the season at Triple-A Fresno, Byron Kerr of MASN Sports reports.

A shortstop by trade, Kieboom is expected to see time at both middle-infield spots in his first taste of Triple-A. Though he only managed five home runs in 273 plate appearances at Double-A Harrisburg a season ago, Kieboom still projects as an impact bat who's capable of providing at least respectable power production to go along with a decent average in peak years. If he's able to hold his own at the plate in Fresno, he should debut with the Nationals at some point in 2019.

Chapman went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a win over the Red Sox on Monday.

Chapman followed up his third multi-hit effort of the season Sunday with a 408-foot solo shot in the eighth Monday to extend the Athletics' lead to 5-0 at the time. The 25-year-old is off to just as good a start at the plate as in the field, as he's hit safely in each of the Athletics' first seven games.

Escobar went 1-for-5 with an RBI in Monday's 10-3 win over the Padres.

Escobar singled home a run in the second inning, snapping a run of 13 at-bats without a hit. Arizona's starting third baseman is off to a slow start, hitting .150 (3-for-20) over five games. In news that tangentially relates to Escobar, manager Torey Lovullo had first baseman Jake Lamb work out at third base Monday, preparing him to occasionally play there. The manager is looking for a way to get both Lamb and Christian Walker in the lineup together; when Lamb plays third, Escobar loses at-bats.

Arenado went 3-for-4 with an RBI double in a 7-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Monday.

Arenado drove home the Rockies' lone run with a sixth-inning double. The superstar third baseman is 7-for-22 to start the year but has just two RBI and two extra-base hits. Then again, he hasn't had the opportunity to hit at Coors Field yet, where his power will surely flourish as usual.

LeMahieu will slot in as the everyday third baseman following Miguel Andujar's shoulder injury, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

LeMahieu has already seen a few starts at third base this season, so this shouldn't be anything new for the veteran infielder. With Andujar in jeopardy of missing substantial time while on the mend from a torn labrum, LeMahieu could find himself exclusively at the hot corner for the better part of the 2019 campaign, although Tyler Wade is also a candidate to see starts at third.

Moncada batted leadoff and went 1-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI in Monday's 5-3 loss to Cleveland.

Leury Garcia, who had hit leadoff the first three games, was given the day off. Moncada has hit safely in all four games with extra-base hits in the last three. The White Sox gave him a good shot at leadoff in 2018, and Moncada may still end up there, but he was pretty comfortable at the second spot during spring training (1.110 OPS) and has continued that into the regular season (1.150).