MLB Player News

Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a double and a three-run homer Thursday in a win over the Yankees.

That's hits in 10 straight games to open the year for Donaldson, and he's homered in half those contests. Last year's insane campaign was no fluke -- he looks perfectly capable of cloning that performance.

Alvarez is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rangers, according to Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports.

Alvarez will be held out Thursday with the Orioles facing left-hander Cole Hamels. He also sat out the only other time the Orioles have faced a left-hander this year, and owns just a .597 career OPS against southpaws, so don't be surprised is his at-bats against lefties are sparse.

Suarez will start at shortstop for the first time this season in Thursday's game against the Cubs.

Suarez has been primarily playing third base for the Reds, but with Zack Cozart out for the second straight game, the Reds have shifted him to shortstop and Jordan Pacheco will get the start at third base. Suarez is one of the hottest players in the league right now, hitting .400/.471/.800 with four home runs, nine runs, and nine RBI through eight games.

LeMahieu is hitting leadoff Thursday against the Giants.

Charlie Blackmon is out with a toe injury, so LeMahieu moves atop the order. A Rockies stack against righty Matt Cain makes a lot of sense in daily leagues Thursday, although it might be wiser to target the middle of the order, where lefties like Carlos Gonzalez and Gerardo Parra reside.

Peterson is getting his first start of the year in left field and hitting eighth Thursday against the Nationals.

Typically the Braves' second baseman, Peterson got some time in left field during spring training and did some early work there prior to Thursday's game. With Hector Olivera out indefinitely following a domestic dispute, Peterson could see a handful of starts in left field going forward, allowing him to pick up outfield eligibility in certain formats.

Arenado went 4-for-5 with two homers, a double and seven RBI in Wednesday's 10-6 win over the Giants.

The star third baseman was off to a bit of a slow start, hitting just .222 coming in, but clearly a big bust-out was on the horizon. After last season's 42-homer outburst, it seems likely Arenado will be among the majors' top few power hitters again this year.

Bichette, 23, is 6-for-15 (.400) with two home runs and six RBI over the first four games of the year for Double-A Trenton.

Bichette already has nearly as many home runs in 2016 as he had all of last season (3). He struggled mightily in 2015 as he was shuttled between High-A and Double-A, slashing just .226/.274/.311 in a combined 112 games. A bounce back season could certainly put him back on the path to the big leagues, though, particularly with the impending retirement of Alex Rodriguez and the questionable play of Chase Headley.

Asche (oblique) will likely resume baseball activities in early May, Meghan Montemurro of The News Journal reports.

Asche was reevaluated in Philadelphia on Wednesday and the team's current plan of action is to have the young outfielder resume hitting in the first week of May. According to Montemurro, the team will adjust its timetable for Asche depending on how his body responds after he returns to baseball activities. Given that Asche has been on the shelf since early March due to his oblique injury, he may require a longer than normal rehab stint before being activated from the disabled list.

Rivera will bat eighth and play shortstop Wednesday against the Cardinals.

Rivera has looked good in each of his two starts-playing second and third base-grabbing at least one hit in each. He's 3-for-7 with two doubles this season and gets his first chance to start at his natural position, shortstop, in favor of Jonathan Villar on Wednesday.

Ramirez is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Rays.

Ramirez, who has been playing more in the outfield of late, will sit in favor of Collin Cowgill. Ramirez is off to a strong start at the plate, hitting .313 in four games this season. With Michael Brantley on the road to returning, Ramirez could be squeezed even more for playing time.