MLB Player News

Donaldson will head to the bench for the first time this season Saturday against the Marlins.

Donaldson started at third base and batted second in each of the Braves' first seven games. He hasn't looked great over that small sample, hitting just .154 with no extra-base hits. Johan Camargo will play third base Saturday, while Ozzie Albies will move up to the second spot in the order.

Suarez is not starting Saturday against the Pirates.

Suarez will sit for the first time this season. He's gotten off to a bit of a slow start at the plate, as he's just 5-for-22, though he does have a home run and five walks. Kyle Farmer will start at third base in his absence.

Escobar is likely to remain the everyday third baseman with Jake Lamb (quadriceps) expected to miss up to six weeks, Richard Morin and Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Escobar's frigid start (.121/.147/.152) and manager Torey Lovullo's desire to get first baseman Christian Walker into the lineup were the motivating factors leading to Lamb occasionally moving across the diamond from first to third. With Lamb out of action, Escobar has breathing space to break out of his slump while getting regular at-bats. Ildemaro Vargas was called up after Lamb was placed on the 10-day injured list and will be the primary backup.

Arenado went 1-for-3 with a walk, two RBI and a run scored Friday against the Dodgers.

Arenado knocked home a run in the third inning on a sacrifice fly and plated another in the seventh on a single to left field. The 27-year-old slugger remains without a home run on the season, though he'll have the luxury of hitting at Coors Field for the next five contests.

Muncy went 3-for-4 with a home run, a triple, three RBI and a walk to help the Dodgers to a 10-6 victory over the Rockies on Friday.

Muncy had a monster day at the dish against Colorado, as he fell a double short of the cycle. It was a welcome showing for the 28-year-old, who was off to a slow start to the season coming off last year's breakout 35-homer campaign. With this performance, he bumped his slugging percentage up to a healthy .542 through 24 at-bats.

Machado went 1-for-2 with three walks and a run in San Diego's 5-3 win over the Cardinals on Friday.

Machado reached base in his first four appearances before grounding out in his last at-bat to snap a streak of seven straight trips to the plate where he got on base. He's the first Padres to achieve that feat since Jose Pirela in 2017, per Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union Tribune. Machado only has one home run through his first eight games, but he's now got a .394 on-base percentage, and the patient approach is a good sign he's seeing the ball well as he looks to consistently find his power stroke.

Vargas was recalled from Triple-A Reno on Friday.

The 27-year-old was sent to the minors on Monday but is able to make a quick return with Jake Lamb (quadriceps) headed to the injured list. Vargas went 1-for-6 with a double and a run scored and should serve as a reserve infielder.

Newman made his first start of the season at shortstop Thursday, going 0-for-3 with an RBI groundout.

Fellow shortstop Erik Gonzalez has started four of the team's first five games, keeping Newman mostly tied to the bench. Gonzalez's play has been up and down, however, and Newman could work his way into the mix. The 2015 first-round pick has also practiced with the outfielders, a move that could increase his versatility.

Robinson was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Friday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The 26-year-old was able to crack the Opening Day roster as Jedd Gyorko (calf) started the season on the injured list, and Gyorko's return Friday spelled an end to this big-league stint. Robinson appeared solely as a pinch hitter and went 0-for-3 with one strikeout through the first six games of the year.

Rendon went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, a walk, a double and a solo home run in Wednesday's 9-8 win over the Phillies.

Rendon now has a home run in two straight games after hitting his first blast of the season in Tuesday's loss. The 28-year-old went 0-for-4 in the season opener but since has four straight multi-hit games with two doubles, two home runs and five RBI in that stretch.