MLB Player News

Senzel went 2-for-5 with two doubles, three runs and a stolen base in Tuesday's spring training game against the White Sox. He's hitting .314/.306/.457 in 35 at-bats so far this spring.

That OBP is not a typo - he has zero walks so far (against eight strikeouts) and a sacrifice fly, which counts against his OBP but not his batting average. Scott Schebler is having a great spring, but as we've seen with the decision to make Luis Castillo the Opening Day starter, Reds manager David Bell isn't necessarily using spring training results to determine roles on the team. The decision whether to keep Senzel on the Opening Day roster could come down to the wire.

McMahon went 2-for-3 with a home run, double and two RBI on Monday against the Reds.

McMahon appeared to be blocked from an everyday role entering spring training, but he has done everything he can to force his way into the lineup with his Cactus League performance. After Monday's performance, he is hitting .444 with 11 extra-base hits, six strikeouts and four walks across 45 at-bats.

Kieboom went 2-for-4 with two singles and two strikeouts in Monday's action against the Mets.

Kieboom continues to make the most of his opportunity in spring training, as he is now 11-for-35 with six extra-base hits. He has also shown decent control of the strike zone, walking five times and striking out seven. He peaked at Double-A Harrisburg in 2018, so the chances of Kieboom breaking camp with the club are minuscule, but he has done nothing to hurt his future chances with his strong performance.

Suarez went 0-for-4 against the Rockies on Monday to lower his spring training line to .188/.297/.219.

Much like teammate Joey Votto, Suarez is off to a slow start but there's no fundamental reason to be too concerned. His role is secure and he'll be batting in the middle of an order that is expected to be one of the better lineups in the National League. His ADP over the first weekend of the NFBC Main Event was 59.00.

Muncy (forearm) is back in the lineup Monday against the Rangers, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Muncy had been out since Thursday with forearm soreness, but the issue was evidently not serious enough to threaten his readiness for Opening Day. He'll bat third and play first base against Texas.

Segura has primarily hit second for the Phillies this spring, sandwiched between fellow new arrivals Andrew McCutchen and Bryce Harper.

The trio of newcomers has resided as manager Gabe Kapler's preferred top of the lineup when all three have been available this spring, with Rhys Hoskins cleaning up behind them. Segura should benefit from a major upgrade in home park in addition to an improved lineup this season and should score a lot of runs with Harper and Hoskins hitting behind him.

The Phillies optioned Walding to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday.

Given that two of his main competitors for reserve gigs with the big club (Scott Kingery and Sean Rodriguez) offer far more defensive versatility, it's not surprising that Walding, a corner infielder, was ultimately cut. Walding will likely play on an everyday basis at Lehigh Valley but should rank near the top of the list for a callup if either Rhys Hoskins or Maikel Franco misses time with an injury at any point.

The Pirates reassigned Hayes to minor-league camp Monday, Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

The 22-year-old impressed onlookers this spring, hitting .346 with seven extra-base hits (including two homers) in 26 Grapefruit League at-bats. Hayes slashed .293/.375/.444 with seven homers and 47 RBI in 437 at-bats for Double-A Altoona in 2018. He's expected to serve as the everyday third baseman for Triple-A Indianapolis and could make his MLB debut later this summer. Fantasy owners will want to key in on his ability to hit for power, as he's totaled only 15 home runs in four minor-league campaigns.

General manager Neal Huntington said Monday that Newman will open the season as a reserve middle infielder after Erik Gonzalez was named the team's starting shortstop, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

According to Adam Berry of MLB.com, Huntington cited Gonzalez's superior defense as the main reason the 27-year-old won out over Newman in the job battle. It's also possible that Pittsburgh chooses Pablo Reyes as a super-utility man, relegating Newman to Triple-A Indianapolis to begin the campaign. A 2015 first-round pick, Newman reached the big leagues for the first time last season but failed to make much of an impact in 97 plate appearances, slashing a middling .209/.247/.231. Newman has shown the ability to hit for average and steal bases at a decent clip in the minors, but his dearth of power and a lack of high-end speed will make it a challenge for him to contribute meaningful counting-stats production if he eventually claims a full-time role with Pittsburgh.

Muncy (forearm) took part in a full round of batting practice Sunday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Muncy has missed the last four games due to the forearm soreness but doesn't appear too far away from a return to game action. The 28-year-old also took part in some defensive work this weekend but remains without an official timeline for his return.