MLB Player News
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Matt Chapman 3B | SF
Giants' Matt Chapman: Four-hit game Saturday
Chapman went 4-for-4 with a walk and four runs scored in Saturday's 14-4 win over the Rockies.
Chapman doubled, singled twice and also stole his fifth base of the season. The veteran third baseman had three hits and a steal in Friday's contest, as well, so perhaps he's finally starting to turn the corner. Chapman had been demoted to as low as seventh in the Giants' batting order earlier this month, but he's hit cleanup for the last two games.
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Austin Riley 3B | ATL
Braves' Austin Riley: Missing fifth straight
Riley (side) isn't in Atlanta's lineup for Saturday's game versus San Diego.
Riley said Saturday that he is feeling better, per Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, but he has yet to resume swinging a bat. The 27-year-old infielder also noted that the team has not talked with him about a potential move to the injured list; however, Riley wouldn't say that he would be back in time for the start of Atlanta's upcoming series with the Cubs on Tuesday. Zack Short, who will start at third base and bat seventh Saturday, has served as Atlanta's third baseman since Riley went down and should continue to do so until the slugger recovers.
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Joseph Ortiz 2B | MIL
Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Goes deep again
Ortiz went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer and a double in Friday's loss to Houston.
Ortiz knocked a double in the third inning before giving Milwaukee a short-lived lead with his three-run shot in the fourth. He was later caught stealing after a single during his otherwise terrific performance. He's gone 8-for-14 (.571) with two homers and three doubles over his last four games, and four of his five long balls this season have come in the last nine games. Ortiz owns an impressive .296/.397/.561 slash line with 14 extra-base hits, a 16:20 BB:K and 15 RBI through 116 plate appearances.
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Matt Chapman 3B | SF
Giants' Matt Chapman: Logs three hits, steal in win
Chapman went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a hit-by-pitch, an RBI, a stolen base and three runs scored in Friday's 10-5 win over the Rockies.
Chapman has gone 9-for-32 (.281) over his last eight games as he finally seems to be finding a rhythm at the plate. He got the Giants on the board with an RBI double in the first inning and continued to be involved in the team's subsequent rallies. The third baseman is slashing .218/.273/.362 with five home runs, 10 doubles, 20 RBI, 25 runs scored and four steals through 187 plate appearances this season. While his rate stats are well below his usual standards, the recent improvements are a reason for optimism, especially as he continues to hit in the heart of the order for a lineup devastated by injuries.
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Nolan Arenado 3B | ARI
Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Posts three hits Friday
Arenado went 3-for-5 with one RBI in Friday's 10-6 win over the Red Sox.
Arenado had gone 5-for-38 with no multi-hit efforts and a 1:10 BB:K over his previous nine contests. The third baseman hasn't stumbled as much as some of his teammates, but he's still in the midst of a down year, especially from a power standpoint. He's slashing .268/.323/.375 with three home runs, 22 RBI, 17 runs scored and nine doubles over 43 games on the year. Arenado hasn't hit fewer than 20 homers in a full-length campaign since 2014, and he's never slugged lower than .405 over a full year in his career, but he's got a lot of work to do to get back to those levels in 2024.
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Max Muncy 3B | LAD
Dodgers' Max Muncy: Placed on IL with oblique strain
The Dodgers placed Muncy on the 10-day injured list Friday due to a Grade 1 right oblique strain.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated that Muncy had sustained the strain during batting practice before Thursday's game, and the veteran third baseman will not swing a bat for a few days, per David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports. Before landing on the IL, Muncy was slashing .223/.323/.475 with nine home runs and 28 RBI over 167 plate appearances.
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Austin Riley 3B | ATL
Braves' Austin Riley: Out again Friday
Riley (side) is out of the lineup for Friday's game against San Diego, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Riley won't be starting for a fourth consecutive game as he deals with inflammation in his left side. Instead, Zack Short will draw another start at the hot corner and bat ninth. Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said that Riley is feeling better but isn't quite ready yet, per David O'Brien of The Athletic. He remains day-to-day.
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Trey Lipscomb 3B | WAS
Nationals' Trey Lipscomb: Sent to Triple-A
Lipscomb was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Friday.
Lipscomb will cede his big-league spot to Joey Gallo (shoulder), who was activated from the 10-day IL on Friday. Lipscomb has been the Nationals' everyday third baseman during the last few weeks and owns a .252/.331/.290 slash line with 10 stolen bases on the year. Nick Senzel and Ildemaro Vargas should see plenty of action at third base moving forward.
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Ke'Bryan Hayes 3B | CIN
Pirates' Ke'Bryan Hayes: Resuming activities Monday
Hayes (back) will resume baseball activities Monday, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
The plan is for Hayes to play catch and field grounders Monday before swinging a bat Tuesday. Hayes landed on the injured list last weekend with a back injury which had been nagging at him for a while, but it sounds like he's feeling better after a little rest. He could make it back before the end of the month if all goes well.