MLB Player News

The Diamondbacks optioned Vargas to Triple-A Reno on Friday, Owen Perkins of MLB.com reports.

Vargas and Jack Reinheimer were both bidding for utility roles with the big club, but neither was viewed as a likely candidate to make the Opening Day roster so long as Chris Owings and Daniel Descalso maintained health in spring training. As a result, Vargas will report to Reno for the second straight season and should handle a full-time role in the Pacific Coast League until the Diamondbacks have a need for another infielder.

Vargas was sent to Triple-A Reno on Friday.

Vargas reached the majors for the first time in 2017, grabbing four hits in 13 at-bats. He'll return to Reno, where he posted a .312/.355/.462 line in 113 games last year. With another strong performance at Triple-A, Vargas could return to the majors in a bench role at some point in 2018.

Suarez agreed to a seven-year extension with the Reds on Friday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic Cincinnati reports.

The deal keeps Suarez under contract through the 2024 season and includes a club option for 2025. The extension, combined with the Reds' experimentation with top prospect Nick Senzel at shortstop, demonstrates the team's commitment to Suarez as the third baseman of the future. In a breakout season last year, the 26-year-old hit .260/.367/.461 with 26 home runs.

Newman was sent down to minor-league camp Thursday, David Adler of MLB.com reports.

Newman went 5-for-19 with two RBI and three stolen bases in 12 spring training games. He's expected to begin the season with Triple-A Indianapolis.

Longoria (ankle) is in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic Bay Area reports.

Longoria had been battling ankle soreness since Saturday. Barring any setbacks, he should have enough time to be fully up to speed by Opening Day.

The Braves reassigned Riley to their minor-league camp Tuesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The third baseman only recorded five hits in his 24 at-bats during the Grapefruit League, but made his hits count with a pair of home runs. The 20-year-old's bat has always been ahead of his glove, but the strides he made defensively last season leave the Braves optimistic that he'll be able to stick at the hot corner long term. It's possible that Riley could head back to Double-A Mississippi to begin the upcoming campaign after logging only 203 plate appearances there in 2017, but a second-half promotion to Triple-A Gwinnett or even the big club isn't out of the question if he continues to hit for average and power while playing a capable third base.

Marlins manager Don Mattingly confirmed Wednesday that Anderson will open the season as the team's everyday third baseman after Martin Prado (knee) suffered a setback that will result in the veteran heading to the disabled list, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Prior to experienced renewed soreness in the back of his surgically repaired right knee during a workout Tuesday, Prado hadn't appeared in any Grapefruit League games and was always facing an uphill battle to be ready for Opening Day. Prado's setback should at least give Anderson a little more leash in the full-time role, which the 24-year-old may have been able to earn outright in any case due to his strong performance at the dish in spring training. Anderson has maintained a .400 on-base percentage through 14 Grapefruit League appearances and has notched five extra-base hits, including two home runs. Fantasy owners throwing a late-round dart on Anderson shouldn't expect much in terms of power, but the youngster offers a solid batting-average floor due to his line-drive tendencies and could be a better-than-expected source of runs if his on-base skills earn him a spot in the top half of the order.

Longoria (ankle) participated in fielding drills and took batting practice Tuesday, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Due to a bout of ankle soreness, San Francisco withheld Longoria from the lineup for a few days as a precautionary measure. After Longoria participated in Tuesday's workout without any issues, the Giants plan on having him play in Wednesday's game against the Mariners. Over six games this spring, Longoria has gone 4-for-14 (.286) at the dish and drawn three walks.

McMahon has gone 16-for-45 (.356 average) with a home run, six doubles and six RBI through 17 Cactus League appearances.

Though McMahon entered camp as the frontrunner for the starting first-base gig, the possibility lingered that the Rockies could re-sign Mark Reynolds to handle the position if they weren't confident the rookie was up to the task. McMahon hasn't given the Rockies any reason to look outside the organization for first-base help, however, as he's hit for both power and average while striking out just six times. While Reynolds remains a free agent, the Rockies did recently re-sign longtime corner-outfield stud Carlos Gonzalez, which could result in Ian Desmond logging more time at first base with the Colorado outfield looking quite crowded. Even if Desmond ends up eating into McMahon's workload at first base, the 23-year-old's path to playing time won't necessarily become closed off. McMahon also has experience at second and third base, so he could move around on the diamond if DJ LeMahieu or Nolan Arenado ever require time off.

Muncy (oblique) was reassigned to minor-league camp Monday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

After he finishes recovering from his oblique injury, Muncy will likely play at Triple-A Oklahoma City. Muncy went 4-for-14 (.286) with two doubles and a triple for the Dodgers this spring. Muncy spent the entire 2017 season with Oklahoma City and compiled a .309/.414/.491 line over 110 games.