MLB Player News

Senzel (illness) will be in the Reds' lineup Monday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Senzel has been out for nearly three weeks while battling COVID-19. He went hitless in four rehab games but is nonetheless considered ready to go. The Reds will be happy to have him back, but if he's to continue earning regular starts, he'll have to hit much better than the .192/.222/.308 line he managed in 17 games prior to his absence .

Newman (groin/hamstring) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Monday, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Newman has been sidelined since late April due to a groin injury, and he recently suffered a hamstring-related setback during a rehab assignment at Triple-A Indianapolis. The 28-year-old's setback is apparently relatively significant, as he'll now be unavailable until at least late June. A better idea of his return timetable should come into focus once he's cleared for another rehab stint. Rodolfo Castro has been serving as the Pirates' primary shortstop in Newman's absence.

Wisdom went 2-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and two runs scored in Sunday's win over the Diamondbacks.

Wisdom hit a game-tying home run against Arizona reliever Ian Kennedy in the eighth inning. It was his third home run in as many days and fourth over the last seven games, giving him a total of nine long balls for the season. Wisdom may not hit for a great average anytime soon, as he's batting just .219 after hitting .231 last year, but the power looks real. The third baseman popped 28 home runs in just 106 games last season and could be on pace to reach 30 homers for the first time in his career this year.

Machado went 4-for-4 with three doubles, a triple, three runs scored, two RBI, and a walk in a 10-1 win Sunday over the Giants.

Machado reached safely in all five plate appearances and amassed a season-high nine total bases. It was the third time this season that he recorded at least four hits and the second time he reached safely five times. The third baseman is having an MVP-caliber season and leads the National League in batting average, OBP, SLG, OPS, hits and total bases while playing his typical above-average defense and being successful in all seven stolen base attempts.

Escobar is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies.

Escobar is getting a breather after he started in both ends of Saturday's doubleheader in Colorado while going 1-for-6 with two walks and a run. Luis Guillorme will spell Escobar at third base.

The Cubs designated Vargas for assignment Sunday.

Vargas was deemed expendable with the Cubs needing a spot on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster for catcher P.J. Higgins, who was called up from Triple-A Iowa to provide a healthy option behind the plate while backstop Willson Contreras (hamstring) is day-to-day. During his nearly two-week stay with Chicago, Vargas appeared in 10 games and hit .130/.231/.348 over 26 plate appearances.

Moustakas is out of the lineup for Sunday's game in Toronto.

Toronto is bringing lefty Yusei Kikuchi to the hill for the series finale, so the lefty-hitting Moustakas will retreat to the bench as the Reds stock up on extra right-handed bats. Tyler Stephenson will get a day off behind the plate to fill in as the designated hitter in place of Moustakas, who went 8-for-36 with two home runs, four walks, eight runs and four RBI while starting in each of the Reds' last 10 games.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Newman (groin) suffered a hamstring-related setback during the infielder's rehab assignment at Triple-A Indianapolis, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Newman most recently played for Indianapolis on Friday, when he presumably experienced hamstring pain that Cherington notes is unrelated to the strained left groin that first sent him to the injured list in late April. Cherington added that the hamstring issue is on the minor side for Newman, but the 28-year-old looks like he'll be held out of action for at least a few days before restarting his rehab assignment. Fantasy managers should probably plan on him missing at least another week.

Machado went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in a 2-1 victory against San Francisco on Saturday.

Machado plated the Padres' first run with a 425-foot shot to center field in the third inning. The long ball was his first since May 5 and his eighth overall this season. During his current five-game hitting streak, Machado is batting .348 (8-for-23) with three runs, two RBI and a stolen base.

Wisdom went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's loss to the Diamondbacks.

Wisdom also struck out twice in the contest, displaying his all-or-nothing approach this season. He has eight home runs through 36 games but is also batting just .208 and is striking out 41.2 percent of the time. Fantasy managers should enjoy the long balls, but Wisdom won't provide much else on a consistent basis unless he can cut down on the whiffs.