MLB Player News

Muncy is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Mets.

Manager Dave Roberts is stacking right-handed bats against southpaw Jason Vargas, so Muncy will give way to David Freese at first base.

Vargas was recalled from Triple-A Reno on Tuesday.

Vargas put together a nice season with Triple-A Reno prior to earning a promotion, slashing .311/.348/.445 with seven homers and 10 stolen bases across 124 games with the Aces. He'll serve as a utility option off the bench for the Diamondbacks over the final month of the season.

Moustakas is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Cubs.

Moustakas will stick on the bench for a second straight game with the Cubs throwing another left-hander in Mike Montgomery. The Brewers face another southpaw (Jose Quintana) in Wednesday's series finale, though manager Craig Counsell may not want to keep Moustakas' bat out of the lineup for a third straight game. Travis Shaw is starting at third base and hitting sixth in this one.

Anderson is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Phillies, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

Anderson will retreat to the bench for what appears to be a routine day off following a string of seven consecutive starts. Miguel Rojas will start at third base and hit fifth in his place.

Longoria went 1-for-4 with a triple and a trio of RBI in Monday's loss to Colorado.

Longoria has gotten off to a strong start in September, providing a triple, a homer and four RBI in three starts. The 32-year-old is currently sitting at 15 homers through 102 games, and has an outside shot of reaching the 20-homer mark despite missing six weeks with a broken hand earlier this year.

Moustakas is not in the lineup Monday against the Cubs.

Moustakas will head to the bench for Monday's series opener as manager Craig Counsell stacks right-handed hitters against southpaw Cole Hamels. Hernan Perez is starting at the hot corner in his place. Moustakas, who was traded to Milwaukee from Kansas City in July, is hitting .269/.333/.462 with five homers in 32 games with the Brewers.

Newman, who went 0-for-3 against Atlanta on Sunday, is expected to see ample playing opportunities in September.

General manager Neal Huntington said Sunday that Newman will get "a large chunk of the time at shortstop," especially with the trading of Adeiny Hechavarria and impending free agency of Jordy Mercer. Newman made a costly error at second base Sunday and has just three hits in his first 30 at-bats, but he's the frontrunner for the starter's job in 2019. The infielder slashed .302/.350/.407 with four homers and 28 stolen bases for Triple-A Indianapolis this season.

Muncy went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Sunday against the Diamondbacks.

Muncy took Clay Buchholz deep in the fifth inning to record his 31st home run of the season. Despite losing playing time due to the crowded Dodgers depth chart -- his 58 at-bats in August were his lowest in a month since April -- he has managed nine home runs since the All-Star break in 106 at-bats. While he's best fit for a daily lineup league due to the unsteady playing time, his power upside makes him valuable in any league.

Newman will start at second base and bat seventh Sunday against the Braves.

Despite recording only three hits in 27 at-bats since being promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis in mid-August, Newman will pick up his fourth start in a row as the Pirates give Josh Harrison the day off. Harrison is just getting over a hamstring injury, so once he's further removed from that setback, he'll likely settle back into a full-time role. That would result in fewer opportunities at the keystone for the likes of Newman and Adam Frazier.

Escobar went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Saturday against the Dodgers.

Escobar took Clayton Kershaw deep in the second inning to record his 20th home run of the season. He's now reached the 20-homer plateau for the second consecutive season, though he's significantly improved on last season's slash line and is nearly certain to set new career-best marks in home runs, RBI and runs scored.