MLB Player News

Bae is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox.

After recording a pair of hits, stealing two bases and scoring twice in the Pirates' Opening Day loss to the Reds last Thursday, Bae went 0-for-7 with four strikeouts over the final two games of the series. He'll be on the bench for the first time this season Monday, and while Bae isn't locked in as a regular at any one position, his ability to fill in as a middle infielder or outfielder should allow him to hold down a quasi-everyday role so long as he's reasonably productive at the dish.

Garcia is starting at second base and batting leadoff for the Nationals on Monday versus the Rays.

Garcia has been at the top of the batting order for both of his team's games against right-handers, while Lane Thomas has been there twice versus lefties. The 22-year-old has just one hit in his first three contests, but there's some upside in his bat and being perched at the top of the lineup helps his outlook, even as it's not a strong Washington offense.

Triple-A Sacramento placed Diaz (hamstring) on its 7-day injured list Friday.

Diaz will be sidelined to begin the minor-league season due to the hamstring injury he picked up in a March 13 Cactus League game. The 26-year-old infielder possesses a spot on the Giants' 40-man roster and could be an option for the big club at some point later in the 2023 campaign.

Villar is starting at third base and batting sixth for the Giants in Monday's game versus the White Sox, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Villar was surprisingly held out of the lineup on Opening Day, but he's since started three straight at the hot corner so he does look to be the preferred option at the position. The 26-year-old is 2-for-10 with one run scored in his first three contests this season.

Donovan went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Sunday's 9-4 win over the Blue Jays.

Donovan started the game with a bang, depositing Chris Bassitt's first pitch of the game over the wall in right-center field. In the fourth inning, Donovan added a second RBI on a sacrifice fly. He's gone 5-for-14 with two homers, four RBI and five runs scored through three games so far. It appears the versatile 26-year-old will get a chance to be the primary second baseman to begin the year, and he's also hitting leadoff against right-handed pitchers.

Gorman went 2-for-4 with two homers, four RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 9-4 win over the Blue Jays.

Gorman plated two runs in Saturday's win over Toronto and homered in the first and third innings during Sunday's matchup to help propel the Cardinals to their second consecutive victory. The 22-year-old has recorded hits in his first three games of the season, going 4-for-9 with two home runs, six RBI, two runs, four walks and two strikeouts.

Hoerner went 2-for-5 with a double, a run scored and a stolen base in Sunday's 9-5 loss to the Brewers.

Hoerner was just 1-for-8 through two games but got going Sunday, recording his first double and first stolen base of the young season. The infielder stole 20 bases last year and also hit 10 home runs. If he continues to develop more power and stays active on the bases, Hoerner could be in line for a strong fantasy campaign in 2023.

Vargas is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Manager Dave Roberts is opening up a spot in the outfield for Trayce Thompson for the second day in a row after Thompson slugged three home runs and drove in eight in Saturday's 10-1 win, resulting in Vargas being the odd man out of the lineup. Mookie Betts will move to the keystone to facilitate room for Thompson, while Vargas heads to the bench after going 2-for-5 with a double, seven walks and three runs through the Dodgers' first three contests.

Bae went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts Saturday against the Reds.

Bae's line was ugly, but Saturday's lineup made it clear that the Pirates are prioritizing playing him every day early on this season. With lefty Nick Lodolo on the mound for the Reds, Jack Suwinski sat while Bae shifted from second base -- where he started the first game of the campaign -- to center field. Though Bae is getting extra run for the time being, he'll need to perform without the handedness advantage to maintain playing time over Suwinski in the long term.

Gorman went 1-for-2 with two walks and two RBI in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Blue Jays.

Gorman delivered a two-run single in the third to stretch the Cardinals' lead to 3-0. He's started both games so far at designated hitter, but he hit fifth Saturday after batting seventh in the season opener. Gorman has gone 2-for-5 with four walks and two strikeouts through two games, an encouraging sign that he might improve slightly on his 9.0 percent walk rate and 32.9 percent strikeout rate from a season ago.