MLB Player News

The Giants are going with Matt Duffy and Andrew Susac in Friday night's lineup for their game against the Angels. 

Duffy has been alternating starts at second base with Joe Panik and has been tabbed for this one. Susac is getting the start at catcher, meaning Buster Posey will play first base.

Brandon Belt is not starting as Nori Aoki is in the lineup and playing in left field. 

What was anticipated has become reality as Nationals second baseman Anthony Rendon is set to start Friday for Double-A Harrisburg. He is playing second and batting second.

Rendon, who is rehabbing from knee surgery and has also experienced tightness in his side, will be getting accustomed to that position. It has been determined that he will make the switch from third base upon his return to Washington.

Nationals' infielder Anthony Rendon, who is currently rehabbing from a knee surgery suffered in spring training, may not return to third base when he makes it back to Washington's lineup. Yunel Escobar is expected to stay at the hot corner, while Rendon moves over to second base, reports CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman.

Escobar has committed just one error in 19 games at third this season, and has said he is more comfortable at third than second. Meanwhile, Rendon has played over 100 games at second in his career, and the move from third should take some pressure off of his knee.

Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon took grounders and ran Thursday, which should result in a return to the lineup Friday for Double-A Harrisburg if he feels well enough, according to the Washington Post.

Rendon has missed some action at that level with tightness to his side. He had been recovering from a knee injury that forced him into the minor league rehab assignment. He has yet to play a big league game this season.

Matt Williams has stated that Rendon will likely need five or six more rehab games before returning to the Nationals.

Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu is out of the starting lineup Wednesday against the Diamondbacks with Daniel Descalso drawing the start, according the Denver Post.

It is just LeMahieu's second night off of the early season after playing eight straight contests. He is hitting .406 with 13 RBI in 69 at-bats. Descalso is hitting .136 in 22 at-bats this year.

The Rockies are currently the underdogs (+105) against Arizona.

Giants second baseman Joe Panik and shortstop Brandon Crawford are back in the starting lineup Wednesday against the Dodgers, the team announced.

Panik has altered starts with Matt Duffy for the last four games, with Wednesday being Panik's second start in four games. Panik is hitting .296 in 71 at-bats this season. Crawford got just his second day off the season Tuesday with Joaquin Arias getting the start.

Crawford is hitting .215 in 65 at-bats this season.

Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon hit some before Wednesday's game with Double-A Harrisburg but said he didn't feel good enough to play, MASN Sports reports.

Rendon is rehabbing from a knee injury but is also dealing with tightness in his side. It'll be his third straight game missed with Double-A Harrisburg.

Phillies third baseman Cody Asche was chasing down fly balls in left field during batting practice prior to Tuesday's game against the Cardinals.

“I wanted him to do it,” manager Ryne Sandberg told CSNPhilly.com. “It could be helpful down the road adding versatility.”

Asche was introduced to playing in the outfield in February before he stopped workouts to focus on getting ready to be the team's starting third baseman. However, now that his workouts in the outfield has resumed, it could be to clear a path for Philadelphia to promote third-base prospect Maikel Franco, who is off to a good start with Triple-A Lehigh Valley (.333/.371/.512/.883).

“We’re covering all bases, preparing for situations that could arise,” he said.

Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon reported some tightness in his side -- not related to his injured knee -- on Tuesday, manager Matt Williams told reporters, per MASN Sports. Rendon was held out of the starting lineup for Double-A Harrisburg and will receive treatment for the day in hopes of resuming his rehab assignment on Wednesday.

Pirates first baseman Pedro Alvarez is not listed in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game. It's just the second time this year that Alvarez has missed a start at first. 

Corey Hart replaces Alvarez at first. It's his second start there this season and second in the last seven games. He'll bat cleanup. 

The Pirates are +107 money line underdogs at the Cubs.