MLB Player News

Suarez hit his first homer of the spring in Monday's exhibition game against the Braves, Ben Weinrib of MLB.com reports. Suarez had been having a slow spring, hitting just .217/.294/.283 prior to the game.

Reds manager David Bell suggested that Suarez purposefully was seeing more pitches in earlier spring training at-bats in order to be more ready for the regular season. "He had a plan all along," Bell said. "He was trying to see more pitches early on and go deeper in the count and let the ball get a little deeper. It really paid off for him because his timing here over the last probably 10 days has been really good. It's nice to have some results too, so that's nice to see."

Senzel (ankle) is slated for an MRI on Tuesday after his X-rays returned negative, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

While this is positive news for the Reds, they aren't quite out of the woods yet. The extent of Senzel's injury won't be determined until his MRI results are looked at by the team doctor.

Senzel exited a minor-league game Monday with an apparent ankle injury, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

The extent of Senzel's injury remains unknown at this time, although the Reds are running tests to determine the severity.

Rendon went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run, a walk and two runs scored Monday against the Yankees.

Rendon launched a two-run blast in the first inning to left field, his fifth long ball of spring. After a slow start to camp, the 28-year-old third baseman finished 12-for-44 with six extra-base hits, 10 RBI and eight runs scored over 16 contests.

Ramirez (knee) fielded groundballs Monday, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

According to Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal, manager Terry Francona said Ramirez is feeling better after fouling a ball off his knee during Sunday's game against the White Sox. The skipper also noted that the third baseman's presence on the field Monday bodes well for his status for Thursday's season-opener against the Twins, though he wouldn't commit to anything. Ramirez should be considered day-to-day.

Astudillo will break camp with the Twins, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Astudillo secured a spot on the team's Opening Day roster thanks to a strong spring; the 27-year-old hit .306/.314/.469 with a pair of homers in 16 games while displaying his versatility by playing around the diamond. He should fill a utility role during his time with the big club. In 29 games with the Twins last season, Astudillo hit .355/.371/.516 with three homers and 21 RBI.

Ramirez (knee) is not in the lineup for Monday's exhibition game against the Rangers.

Ramirez fouled a ball off his knee Sunday against the White Sox, and while X-rays revealed no signs of a fracture, he isn't quite ready to rejoin the lineup. It remains to be seen whether the issue will affect his status for Opening Day. Max Moroff is starting at the hot corner Monday.

Muncy went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and an RBI in the Dodgers' 8-4 Cactus League defeat to the Angels on Sunday.

Muncy was hitting just .178 with 16 strikeouts against four walks during spring training coming into this contest, but he was able to bust out of the slump with two extra-base knocks. The 28-year-old was an unexpected revelation for the Dodgers last season when he cranked 35 homers and posted a .973 OPS, so hopefully this performance was a sign he's putting his spring struggles behind him ahead of the regular season.

Vargas was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Sunday.

Vargas was sent down despite a strong spring in which he hit .367/.397/.500. He'll have a chance to get called up when injuries hit the Diamondbacks' infield.

Ramirez's X-ray on his knee revealed no signs of a fracture, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Ramirez fouled a ball off his knee Sunday against the White Sox and had to be carted off the field. He appears to have escaped serious injury, though his return timetable remains unclear. If he misses time to start the year, Max Moroff, Brad Miller and Eric Stamets would all be likely to start somewhere in the infield, with Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor each heading to the injured list with calf strains.