MLB Player News

Riley may spend some time in the outfield in spring training, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The Braves still view Riley as their third baseman of the future, but with Josh Donaldson in on a one-year deal, he's blocked at that position in the short term. The 21-year-old hit a solid .282/.346/.464 in 75 games with Triple-A Gwinnett last season, suggesting that he could be ready to make the leap to the big leagues. He likely won't break camp with the team, but he's not far from forcing the Braves to give him major-league at-bats, which could come either in an outfield corner or as an injury replacement.

Donaldson signed a one-year, $23 million contract with the Braves on Monday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Donaldson will immediately slot in as the team's everyday third baseman, likely pushing Johan Camargo to a utility role. Injuries limited the 32-year-old to just 52 games in 2018, prompting him to sign a one-year deal in an attempt to re-establish his value. When healthy, Donaldson has proven to be one of the premier options at the hot corner over the past five seasons, slashing .275/.373/.524 with 148 homers and 421 RBI over that stretch (636 games).

Vosler was traded from the Cubs to the Padres on Tuesday in exchange for Rowan Wick, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Vosler split time between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa in 2018, posting a combined .251/.330/.467 line with 23 homers and 29 doubles across 129 games with both teams. The 25-year-old will likely fill an organizational depth role in 2019.

Muncy is out of the lineup for Game 2 of the World Series against Boston on Wednesday.

Muncy will begin Wednesday's game on the bench as David Freese draws another start at first base with lefty David Price on the rubber for the Red Sox. Look for Muncy to join the fray once Price's day has come to a close.

Muncy is not in the lineup for Game 1 of the World Series against the Red Sox on Tuesday, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.

Muncy will hit the bench for Game 1 as manager Dave Roberts stacks right-handed hitters against lefty Chris Sale. In his place, David Freese will start at first base and hit third.

Escobar will remain in Arizona for three more seasons after signing an extension Monday, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

The deal is reported to be for three years and $21 million. The 29-year-old utility man broke out in 2018, moving into an everyday role and hitting .272/.334/.489 with a career-high 23 homers. His hard contact rate jumped up to 38.2 percent after sitting at 31.4 percent in 2017, so there's reason to believe he'll be able to sustain that level of production going forward, giving fantasy owners a cheap but adequate option at shortstop and third base.

Muncy is not in the lineup for Game 4 of the NLCS against the Brewers on Tuesday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

As has been the case all postseason, Muncy will give way to David Freese at first base with a southpaw (Gio Gonzalez) starting for the Brewers. Muncy is 1-for-6 with two walks and two runs scored through the first three games of the series.

Muncy remains on the bench for Game 2 of the NLCS against the Brewers on Saturday.

The Brewers will start their second straight lefty in Wade Miley, so David Freese will again start at first base. Game 1's starter, Gio Gonzalez, pitched just two innings before the Brewers switched to righty Brandon Woodruff, leading to Muncy pinch hitting in the fourth inning and playing the rest of the game. A similar situation could take place again Saturday.

Muncy won't be included in the starting lineup for Game 1 of the NLCS against Milwaukee on Friday, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

With left-hander Gio Gonzalaz slated to toe the rubber for the Brewers in Game 1, manager Dave Roberts will elect to go with David Freese at first base. Milwaukee is expected to roll out lefty Wade Miley in Game 2, so it's possible Muncy could come off the bench for the first two ballgames of the series.

Senzel (finger) will need to undergo surgery to remove bone spurs in his left elbow. He said that an expected timetable for his recovery is 4-to-6 weeks, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Senzel met with doctors Wednesday after apparently playing through pain in his elbow throughout the course of the 2018 season with Triple-A Louisville. This injury comes at an unfortunate time as the 23-year-old was expected to see some reps in the outfield in the Arizona Fall League, which obviously will no longer be in the cards. Senzel wound up missing the final two months of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured right index finger in late June. He was also sidelined with vertigo for just under four weeks in May. Looking ahead, Senzel is confident that he'll be "100 percent healthy" by the time spring training rolls around.