MLB Player News

Vargas is not starting Friday against the Mets.

Vargas had started six of eight games heading into Friday's contest, hitting .370 over that stretch. Ketel Marte starts at second base in his absence, with Jarrod Dyson starting in center field.

Suarez (hand) is starting at third base and batting third Friday versus the Nationals.

Suarez suffered a left hand bruise on a hit-by-pitch Wednesday, but X-rays came back negative, allowing him to make a quick return to the lineup. The 27-year-old found his stride in May with a .327/.398/.614 slash line that includes eight doubles, seven homers and 23 RBI.

Moustakas went 4-for-6 with two home runs, four RBI and two runs scored during Thursday's 11-5 win over the Pirates.

Moustakas did plenty of damage early in this one, hitting a two-run home run in the first inning before dispatching a solo shot to right in the third. He then capped off his first four-hit effort of the season with an RBI single in the eighth. Moustakas was just 1-for-11 over his previous three games and will look to build on this bounce-back effort.

Escobar went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run, three RBI and a pair of runs in the Diamondbacks' 11-10 defeat to the Rockies on Thursday.

Escobar continued his recent tear, touching up Mike Dunn in the eighth inning for a two-run blast to give him 14 on the season. He's slashing .286/.347/.558 through 224 at-bats and is on track to comfortably surpass his career high of 23 long balls, which he set last season.

McMahon went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double and two runs to help the Rockies to an 11-10 win over the Diamondbacks on Thursday.

It was the sixth long ball of the season for the 24-year-old, who tagged T.J. McFarland with a two-run blast in the third inning. The big performance brings McMahon's slash line up to .260/.356/.449 through 127 at-bats.

Newman is starting at shortstop and hitting leadoff Thursday against the Brewers.

Newman is hitting .347 with a .903 OPS through 28 games this season, prompting the Pirates to move the 25-year-old to the top of the order for the second time in three games. If Newman and regular leadoff man Adam Frazier -- who is hitting just .250 this season -- continue to trend in opposite directions at the dish, the 25-year-old shortstop could solidly himself as the team's new table setter.

McMahon will start at second base and bat sixth Thursday against the Diamondbacks, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

While McMahon's opportunities have generally been trending down since Brendan Rodgers was called up from Triple-A Albuquerque on May 17, the arrival of the Rockies' top middle-infield prospect hasn't been quite as damaging for McMahon as anticipated. McMahon has posted a strong .940 OPS in the two weeks since Rodgers' promotion and will be rewarded with his third start of the four-game series with Arizona. Rodgers, meanwhile, will sit for the third time in six games as the Rockies remain reluctant to commit to him as their everyday second baseman.

Newman went 2-for-3 against the Reds on Wednesday, raising his season batting average to .347 in 75 at-bats.

He's started seven of the last nine games, collecting 10 hits in 27 at-bats with one homer and six RBI. Newman has played the majority of his time at shortstop, but he could also begin seeing time at second base if Adam Frazier's struggles continue. He's attempted only two stolen bases in 59 MLB games but swiped 28 bags in 39 tries for Triple-A Indianapolis in 2018.

Muncy went 2-for-5 with a home run, double and another run scored in Wednesday's 9-8 win over the Mets.

Muncy and Joc Pederson went back-to-back with solo home runs off Edwin Diaz in the ninth inning as the Dodgers rallied from an 8-5 deficit for the win. The 28-year-old has become quite the everyday player for the Dodgers this year, batting .269/.363/.505 with 11 home runs, 32 RBI, 32 runs scored and three stolen bases.

Riley went 2-for-4 with a grand slam in Wednesday's 14-4 loss to the Nationals.

His seventh-inning shot didn't make much of a difference to the final outcome -- Atlanta was already down 14-0 at the time -- but it did give Riley a stunning seven homers and 20 RBI through his first 14 big-league games, to go along with a .375/.407/.786 slash line. Pitchers will figure out the 22-year-old eventually, but he's quickly establishing himself as a fixture in the team's lineup.