MLB Player News
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Austin Riley 3B | ATL
Braves' Austin Riley: Continues domination of Nola
Riley went 2-for-5 with a pair of home runs and three RBI in Thursday's 8-5 win against Philadelphia.
Riley took Phillies starter Aaron Nola deep twice in the contest, crushing a 459-foot, two-run shot in the first inning and a 458-foot solo homer in the fifth. The third baseman has feasted on Nola's pitching when they've matched up, as Riley is batting .426 with five homers in 48 career at-bats against the hurler. On the season, Riley is up to nine long balls, putting him slightly below pace for a third straight 30-homer campaign.
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Nick Madrigal 3B | LAA
Cubs' Nick Madrigal: Optioned to Triple-A
Madrigal was optioned Thursday to Triple-A Iowa, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
This is the corresponding roster move for Kyle Hendricks (shoulder), who is off the IL and making his 2023 debut Thursday night against the Mets. Madrigal wasn't seeing much playing time in recent weeks and heads to the minors having registered an ugly .247/.286/.301 batting line through 34 games (98 plate appearances) this season with the Cubs.
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Manny Machado 3B | SD
Padres' Manny Machado: Not expected back Friday
Padres manager Bob Melvin said he doesn't expect Machado (hand) to be ready for activation from the 10-day injured list when first eligible Friday, Byron Kerr of MLB.com reports.
Machado has been doing a range of baseball activities to test the small fracture in his left hand, but there are still some important boxes for him to check -- most notably live batting practice. The star third baseman could perhaps return at some point during the Padres' three-game weekend series against the Yankees, though it's hard to put a guarantee on the timetable. He suffered the injury to his glove hand when he was hit by a pitch May 15 versus the Royals.
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Kevin Newman 3B | LAA
Reds' Kevin Newman: Drives in three, steals base in win
Newman went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, a stolen base and three RBI in Wednesday's 10-3 win over the Cardinals.
While starting his second game in a row, Newman once again delivered a two-hit performance to lift his season-long average up to .257. He'll be back on the bench for Thursday's series finale with St. Louis, and despite his hot start to the week, Newman's playing-time outlook only projects to get worse as the season rolls along. The Reds have already summoned one of their top infield prospects in Matt McLain to the big leagues, and Elly De La Cruz and Christian Encarnacion-Strand may not be far away from receiving promotions from Triple-A Louisville.
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Nolan Arenado 3B | ARI
Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Sitting out Thursday
Arenado is absent from the lineup Thursday against the Reds, 101 ESPN St. Louis reports.
It's a routine day off for the star third baseman, who has gone 0-for-10 since his 12-game hit streak was snapped earlier this week. Brendan Donovan will handle third base while Arenado gets some rest.
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Emmanuel Rivera 3B | BAL
Diamondbacks' Emmanuel Rivera: Drives in three
Rivera started at third base and went 1-for-4 with a walk, three RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to Philadelphia.
Rivera produced a first-inning run with a groundout then singled home a pair in the Diamondbacks' four-run third inning. He and Evan Longoria, who served as the DH on Wednesday, have been sharing third base duty against lefties while Josh Rojas is the primary starter against righties. That means Rivera's playing time (and Longoria's) is spotty and infrequent.
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Manny Machado 3B | SD
Padres' Manny Machado: Takes grounders Wednesday
Machado (hand) played catch and took grounders Wednesday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Machado was able to receive the ball without issue despite the small fracture in his left (glove) hand. He's yet to take batting practice, which is going to be the biggest test, but Machado did take swings off a tee Tuesday. The star third baseman is making swift progress and might even be able to pull off a late-weekend return from the injured list. He's first eligible for activation Friday.
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Evan Longoria 3B | ARI
Diamondbacks' Evan Longoria: Homers Wednesday
Longoria went 1-for-2 with a two-run homer in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Phillies.
Longoria extended Arizona's lead to 5-0 with a two-run, 422-foot shot off Ranger Suarez in the third inning. He now has three home runs in his last seven games, bringing his total to six this season. However, the 37-year-old veteran still offers marginal fantasy utility at this point while filling the short side of a platoon. He's now slashing .221/.269/.477 with 13 runs scored and 10 RBI through 93 plate appearances.
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Jean Segura 3B | CLE
Marlins' Jean Segura: Sitting out Wednesday
Segura is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game in Colorado, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.
After putting together a modest five-game hitting streak, Segura has gone hitless over his last three contests. Jon Berti will replace Segura at third base and serve as the Marlins' leadoff hitter.
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Brian Anderson RF | ATL
Brewers' Brian Anderson: Hits another long ball
Anderson went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-0 victory over the Astros.
After failing to reach in his first two at-bats, Anderson hit a solo home run in the seventh off Brandon Bielak to extend Milwaukee's lead to 4-0. It was the veteran's eighth home run of the year, and his third over his past eight appearances. During that stretch, Anderson has totaled four extra-base hits, seven RBI and four runs scored.