MLB Player News

Arcia went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's win over the Cardinals.

He took Steven Matz deep in the second inning, giving Arcia his first homer of the season. The veteran shortstop has made Atlanta look good for naming him the starter over prospects Vaughn Grissom and Braden Shewmake, playing impressive defense while batting .316 (6-for-19) with five runs scored through the first five games of the year.

Cruz went 0-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Red Sox.

His modest four-game hit streak to begin the season came to an end, but Cruz made up for it with his first steal of 2023. The 24-year-old comes into the season with sky-high expectations after slugging 17 homers and stealing 10 bases in 87 big-league games last year, and while he's batting only .263 (5-for-19) with one home run and one stolen base through five games, his 3:4 BB:K is highly encouraging. If Cruz's plate discipline takes a big step forward, a massive fantasy campaign is likely to follow.

Perdomo went 1-for-1 with a walk, was hit by a pitch, stole a base, knocked in three runs and scored three runs in Tuesday's 8-6 win over San Diego.

Arizona's offense came to life over the final four innings, including a four-run eighth in which Perdomo figured prominently. His drag bunt produced the game-tying run -- his team-leading fourth RBI -- and he reached base when first baseman Matt Carpenter mishandled the ball. Perdomo then stole second base and eventually scored on a Jose Herrera single. The Diamondbacks were aggressive on the basepaths, taking extra bases and stealing five bags (attempting six), and produced eight runs on nine hits (two for extra bases) and seven walks. After an offensively sluggish five games, Tuesday's explosion may be a preview of what's to come in Arizona this summer. Perdomo is currently sharing the shortstop position with Nick Ahmed.

Turner went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Yankees.

After singling to left field in the seventh inning, Turner swiped his first bag of the year in close fashion -- the throw from Kyle Higashioka beat him, but his slide jostled the ball out of Anthony Volpe's glove. Turner has had a blistering start to the season at the plate, batting .391 (9-for-23) through five games with a double and two triples, and after stealing 27 bases on 30 attempts in 2022, MLB's rule changes to boost the running game could allow the 29-year-old shortstop to challenge his career high of 46 steals, set back in 2017 with the Nationals.

Barrero (hamstring) will start at shortstop and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

Barrero exited Monday's 7-6 win over Chicago with right hamstring tightness and then sat out Tuesday's 12-5 loss, but he'll be back in the lineup for the series finale. Kevin Newman heads to the bench to open up a spot at shortstop for Barrero.

Vargas (groin) won't be available to play for the Dodgers until Friday at the earliest, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.

Vargas is dealing with groin tightness and is out of the lineup for Tuesday's bout against the Rockies. The Dodgers are off Wednesday before starting a series against the Diamondbacks on Thursday, but the 34-year-old infielder will miss at least the first game of that series. Chris Taylor will handle shortstop duties while Vargas is out.

Rojas is out of the Dodgers' starting lineup Tuesday due to a mild left groin injury, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Rojas said he tweaked something in his groin while attempting to start a double play Sunday, but he believes he could return to action as early as Thursday following the Dodgers' off day Wednesday. Chris Taylor is playing shortstop and Mookie Betts is handling second base Tuesday night against the Rockies.

Reds manager David Bell said Barrero (hamstring) is available off the bench Tuesday, Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Barrero is not in the starting lineup after tweaking his right hamstring Monday, but it's only a minor issue. Kevin Newman will cover shortstop against the Cubs.

The Marlins placed Wendle on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a right intercostal strain, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reports.

Wendle was scratched from the Marlins' lineup Monday because of the injury and can now probably be ruled out through at least mid-April. Jon Berti figures to handle the bulk of starts at shortstop in the meantime and offers excellent speed to go along with his increase in playing time. Wendle was 0-for-8 with one walk and two strikeouts through four games played this year.

Berti is starting at shortstop and batting ninth Tuesday against the Twins.

Berti is getting his second straight start at the position while Joey Wendle battles an intercostal strain that resulted in him being placed on the 10-day injured list. With his great speed, Berti should see a significant boost in fantasy value now that he appears set to play regularly in the middle infield. He racked up a major-league-best 41 steals in 102 games last season.