MLB Player News

Marte is hitting fifth Friday against the Padres, Jody Jackson of FOX Sports Arizona reports.

Marte has been a staple in the two hole for much of the season, but he'll get moved down in the order after collecting just one hit in the past three games. It's unclear if this is a long-term switch or not, but if it is, this could hurt his run-scoring abilities and take away a few at-bats moving forward.

Marte went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in the Diamondbacks' 3-1 triumph over the Giants on Thursday.

Marte was riding a 10-game hitting streak coming into the Diamondbacks' homestand, but had gone 0-for-12 in the series before connecting on his first home run of the season in the seventh inning. After the brief drought at the plate, Marte's season batting line sits at an unremarkable .237/.266/.382 through 79 plate appearances, which may prompt manager Torey Lovullo to consider bumping the second baseman down from the No. 2 spot in the lineup.

Ngoepe was sent down to Triple-A Buffalo on Friday.

Ngoepe appeared in 12 games for Toronto over the first few weeks of the season but wasn't able to make an impact at the plate, going just 1-for-18 (.056 average) with one walk and 12 strikeouts. The infielder will head back to the minor leagues to get everyday at-bats while Lourdes Gurriel takes his place on the Blue Jays' active roster.

Barreto is 0-for-6 with three walks and five strikeouts in his two games since returning to Triple-A Nashville from a stint with the Athletics.

The 22-year-old recently spent time with the big-league club while Chad Pinder was sidelined with a knee injury, yet ended up logging just one at-bat during his nine days with the Athletics. He's had trouble making contact since returning to the Sounds, but he'll look to work his way back to the form that led to a solid .290/.339/.456 line, 15 home runs and 54 RBI over 111 games with Nashville in 2017.

Albies went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and three runs in Atlanta's 12-4 victory over the Mets on Thursday.

The talented 21-year-old stayed hot in logging yet another multi-hit outing, with the three runs scored bringing his total up to a National League-leading 19 on the young season. He's now slashing .316/.349/.646 with five home runs and while the early season sample size of 79 at-bats is still small, he has an .852 OPS over 292 at-bats dating back to last season. He certainly looks like the real deal, so keep rolling him out there with confidence.

Altuve went 3-for-4 with a walk, double, run scored and four RBI Thursday against the Mariners.

To no one's surprise, Altuve has been getting on base at an excellent rate to begin the season, as he's now hitting .342/.398/.392 in 79 at-bats. However, in that same span, he has failed to hit a home run and has only one stolen base on one attempt. To live up to his lofty draft price, those stats will have to increase but his pedigree and track record suggest his lack of production in those areas won't last long.

Estrada (hip) was activated from the disabled list at High-A Tampa on Wednesday, Dan Martin of the New York Post reports.

The 22-year-old had been out since suffering a gunshot wound in February. The injury did little to hamper him in his season debut, as he went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a pair of runs scored. It's interesting that he was activated by High-A Tampa since he was expected to open the season at Triple-A, though Estrada could get to that level soon if he continues to hit like this.

Merrifield went 1-for-3 with a home run, two RBI, two runs and a pair of walks in Wednesday's loss to the Blue Jays.

Not much went right for the Royals on Wednesday, but Merrifield was a bit of a bright spot in reaching base three times and leaving the yard for the first time this year. Following a season in which he hit .288 with 19 home runs and 34 steals, owners certainly were hoping for more than what they've gotten so far out of the 29-year-old. He's struck out at least once in seven straight contests now -- and 10 of the last 11 -- so if he's able to put the ball in play more often or work more walks like he was able to Wednesday, the results may start to turn.

Frazier went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI in Wednesday's 10-2 win over the Rockies.

He hit leadoff and got the start in right field, breaking out of a 3-for-23 slump over his prior 12 games. Frazier should be in line for at least semi-regular playing time while Josh Harrison (hand) is on the mend, but heating up at the plate would certainly help his outlook for at-bats.

Torres (back) will man the hot corner and bat second for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday.

Torres took a seat during Tuesday's contest after exiting Monday's game with back stiffness but appears to be ready for action following a little time off. Through 11 games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Torres is hitting .366 with a .923 OPS and 10 RBI.