MLB Player News

Suarez went 3-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored Thursday against the Athletics.

Suarez took Chris Bassitt deep in the third inning for his 11th home run of the season. Now slugging .545, Suarez has blasted five home runs in his past 10 games. He's also maintained his contact skills from past seasons, which gives his .242 average some room to improve as the season wears on.

Farmer will start at first base and bat eighth Thursday against the Athletics.

Farmer will stick in the lineup for the fourth straight game while starting at his third different position. The 28-year-old has been aided by the Reds having an extra lineup spot for the past three days with the designated hitter available in Oakland, but he'll be at risk of falling into a reserve role on a more regular basis once the Reds resume National League play in San Francisco this weekend.

Riley went 3-for-4 with a walk, two home runs and three RBI for Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old is the hottest hitter in the International League at the moment, if not the entire minors, slashing .469/.544/1.204 over the last 13 games with 10 homers -- including three separate two-homer performances in the last eight contests. More importantly for his chances of making a big-league debut in 2019, Riley got the start in left field Wednesday, his first appearance in the outfield during his minor-league career. Josh Donaldson is healthy at third base for Atlanta and has an .846 OPS, but Ender Inciarte has a .640 mark, and the club could easily shift Ronald Acuna to center field to open up a corner outfield spot for Riley if Inciarte's struggles continue too much longer.

Muncy went 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Wednesday's 9-4 win over Atlanta.

So far Muncy has dispelled any notion that his 2018 numbers were a fluke, slashing .274/.370/.521 through 38 games with eight homers and 28 RBI. He's avoided a platoon role so far -- a 1.090 OPS against same-side pitching will do that -- and as long as he continues to hit in a prime spot in the potent Dodgers' lineup, the 28-year-old should remain on pace to blow past last year's 79 RBI.

Riley will receive a couple starts per week in the outfield going forward at Triple-A Gwinnett, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Riley received the first of said starts Wednesday, though he also made a start in the outfield during spring training. The increased versatility will help the 22-year-old reach the majors should the Braves run into any injury issues. Riley is slashing .300/.373/.633 with 10 home runs for the Stripers, but Josh Donaldson is currently blocking the 22-year-old's path to the majors at third base.

Moustakas went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in a 7-3 victory against the Nationals on Wednesday.

Since returning from a fractured right ring finger April 26, Moustakas has hits in 11 of 12 games. During that stretch, he has gone 17-for-54 (.315) with three home runs and 14 RBI. That's improved his average to .272 with nine homers, 24 RBI, 19 runs and two steals in 125 at-bats this season.

Rendon went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a HBP before being ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the seventh inning of Tuesday's loss to the Brewers.

After missing 14 games with an elbow injury and being activated from the IL earlier in the day, Rendon was anxious to make an impact, and his frustration with umpire CB Bucknor's wavering strike zone got the better of him. The third baseman should be back in the lineup Wednesday.

Vargas is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.

Vargas started the past three games, recording a base hit in each of those contests. He's been aided by the Diamondbacks having the designated hitter available the past two days in Tampa Bay, but he'll likely find himself on the bench more frequently when Arizona resumes play in National League parks.

Longoria went 2-for-3 with two walks, a solo home run and two additional runs scored in Tuesday's 14-4 rout of the Rockies.

His second-inning blast off Anthony Senzatela was Longo's fifth home run of the year. The veteran third baseman is having another sluggish year at the plate, slashing .235/.285/.435 through 32 games, but Longoria is on pace for his first 25-homer campaign since 2016.

McMahon isn't starting Tuesday against the Giants, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports.

McMahon will get the night off after collecting two hits in Sunday's series finale against Arizona. Garrett Hampson gets the nod at the keystone and will bat seventh in McMahon's stead.