MLB Player News

Moustakas is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Phillies, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The infielder has started almost exclusively against right-handed pitching since returning from the injured list, and that trend continues Saturday with southpaw Matt Moore on the hill for Philadelphia. Eugenio Suarez is playing third base and batting sixth.

Riley went 1-for-4 with a strikeout in Friday's 4-2 win over the Nationals.

Atlanta struggled to generate much offense early in Friday's contest, but Riley took part in a late-game run in which the team hit four solo homers in the last five innings. The third baseman's homer was his 24th of the year and gave Atlanta the lead in the top of the seventh. Riley has recorded hits in 10 of his first 11 appearances in August, and he's slashed .326/.333/.522 with two homers, nine RBI, eight runs and 14 strikeouts during that time.

Suarez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 6-1 win over Philadelphia.

Suarez got into the lineup at shortstop against right-hander Zack Wheeler as Kyle Farmer received a day off. For the third straight game, Suarez posted an extra-base hit (one homer, two doubles). The infielder has a poor .175/.259/.379 slash line, but he's generated solid counting stats with 23 long balls, 65 RBI and 53 runs scored through 463 plate appearances. Expect Suarez to drop back into a short-side platoon role with Mike Moustakas at third base most often.

Farmer is out of the lineup Friday against the Phillies.

Farmer will take a seat Friday after starting the past 23 games and posting a .986 OPS with four homers, six doubles, two triples, 14 RBI and 15 runs during that stretch. Eugenio Suarez will start at shortstop while Mike Moustakas covers third base.

Peterson went 5-for-5 with a home run, a double, four RBI, three runs and a walk in Thursday's victory over the Cubs.

Peterson started Thursday for just the third time since coming off the COVID-19 injured list Aug. 2, and he made the most of the opportunity, reaching in all six plate appearances and raising his OPS a whopping 70 points to .821. Peterson has posted a stellar .980 OPS in 31 games since June 23, but with the Brewers relatively healthy, expect him to continue filling a part-time role.

Baty went 4-for-5 with a double, two home runs and four RBI for Double-A Binghamton on Thursday.

The 21-year-old took a couple weeks to find his footing following his promotion to Double-A, but through 10 games in August, Baty is slashing .378/.455/.676 with a 6:8 BB:K. The Mets' No. 3 fantasy prospect has seen some action in left field with the Rumble Ponies, in part because of the presence of fellow third baseman and No. 2 organizational prospect Mark Vientos (undisclosed) on the Binghamton roster, but if he can keep his strikeouts in check and get to his power more often in games, Baty's bat will play anywhere.

Farmer went 1-for-5 with a two-run homer run in Thursday's win over Atlanta.

One day after batting leadoff, Farmer was moved to the No. 3 spot in the order and slugged his 11th home run of the season in the sixth inning against Josh Tomlin. Farmer has cooled considerably since his red-hot July and is just 5-for-27 (.185) over his last six games, but his two most recent assignments in the batting order suggest the Reds still have plenty of confidence in his bat.

Moustakas will sit against lefty Kyle Muller in Atlanta on Thursday.

Moustakas and Eugenio Suarez are expected to platoon at third base down the stretch, a plan the Reds have largely stuck to since Moustakas returned from a heel injury in early August. He's started against all but one righty over that stretch but hasn't started against a single southpaw. Suarez will handle the hot corner in his absence.

Maton was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday.

Maton's .261/.323/.391 slash line in 128 plate appearances this season is perfectly adequate for a utility infielder, but he's a young player with options, so he's nonetheless found himself bouncing between the majors and minors for much of the year. He'll make way Thursday as the Phillies add an additional reliever, David Paulino, to the roster, but he could return the next time the Phillies decide they need another bat.

Castro isn't starting Thursday's game against the Cardinals, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Castro has gone hitless with four strikeouts in eight at-bats across his last three games. Wilmer Difo will start at second base and bat fifth.