MLB Player News

Moustakas isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

Moustakas has lost out on regular playing time recently and will be out of the lineup for a fourth consecutive game and the second straight contest against a right-handed pitcher. Eugenio Suarez will start at the hot corner and bat sixth, and he appears to have recaptured the top job at third base from Moustakas, at least for the time being.

Vargas started at shortstop and went 2-for-4 with a double in Tuesday's 6-1 loss to Atlanta.

Vargas got the start at short in place of Nick Ahmed, who has missed the last four games with a sore right shoulder, a bit of news that Arizona manager Torey Lovullo revealed Tuesday. In Ahmed's absence, Josh Rojas started three games prior to Vargas' start.

Machado went 3-for-5 with two solo home runs in a 6-5 loss to San Francisco on Tuesday.

Machado tagged San Francisco starter Kevin Gausman for solo homers in the first and third innings and tacked on a single in the fifth for his second three-hit game this month. The standout performance continues an excellent September for Machado, who's slashing .324/.370/.544 with six doubles and three home runs in 17 games.

Riley went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a strikeout in Atlanta's 6-1 victory over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

Riley opened the game's scoring with a 424-foot drive to left in the top of the first to achieve the first 30-home-run campaign of his young career. The solid game continues a torrid stretch that's seen the 24-year-old go 10-for-27 with four doubles and a home run over his last six games.

Kieboom's absence from the lineup for Tuesday's game against Miami is due to a jammed thumb, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Kieboom is evidently not sitting due to the slump which has seen him hit .061/.205/.061 over his last nine games but is instead dealing with a minor injury. He'll be available off the bench, so he's unlikely to miss much more time. Jordy Mercer starts at third base.

Kieboom is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Marlins, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Kieboom has just two hits in his last nine games. He'll get a rest Tuesday, with Jordy Mercer taking over at third base.

Newman will not start Tuesday's game against the Reds.

Newman remains a regular despite the fact that he's hitting just .224/.261/.331 on the season. It will take quite a run over the final two weeks if he's to avoid finishing with an OPS south of .600 for the second straight season. Cole Tucker takes over at shortstop.

Moustakas will sit Tuesday against the Pirates.

Moustakas has occupied the large side of a platoon at third base since returning from a heel injury in early August, but his off day here comes against righty Mitch Keller. His .208/.282/.372 season slash line arguably doesn't deserve even a platoon role, though Eugenio Suarez, who starts at the hot corner in his absence, is hitting just .179/.268/.390.

Riley went 3-for-5 with three doubles, three RBI and a run scored in Monday's win over Arizona.

Riley has hit safely in each of Atlanta's last six games and in nine of his last 10 contests, so there's no question he's been seeing the ball well of late. Despite his strong recent numbers, the talented third baseman is going through a power drought since he hasn't gone yard since Sep. 5, a span of 12 games.

Arenado went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, a walk and two runs scored in Monday's 5-2 win over the Brewers.

Arenado wasted no time getting to Freddy Peralta, as he jumped on a first-pitch fastball and sent it over the left-field wall to give the Cardinals an early 2-0 lead in the first. The two-run blast pushed Arenado past 100 RBI for the year, his sixth time eclipsing the century mark over the last seven seasons. The 30-year-old has left the yard seven times this month and is now slashing .257/.313/.503 with 33 homers, 101 RBI, 76 runs scored, two steals and 45:89 BB:K over 610 plate appearances.