MLB Player News

Rivera will start at second base Thursday against the Cubs.

With Scooter Gennett (oblique) landing on the disabled list Thursday, it's important to note that Rivera is starting over switch-hitter Colin Walsh against right-hander Jake Arrieta, as manager Craig Counsell made a couple other moves that placed left-handers into key spots in the batting order. Counsell has not confirmed his plans for the keystone in Gennett's absence, but Thursday's lineup makes Rivera the early favorite to be the regular second baseman until Gennett returns.

Peterson is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.

Peterson sat out Tuesday with left-hander David Price on the hill for Boston, but the 25-year-old will take a seat despite right-hander Steven Wright taking the ball for the Red Sox Wednesday. Jeff Francoeur will slot into left field in his stead.

Candelario went 2-for-3 with a double, home run, and six RBI for Double-A Tennessee on Tuesday.

Candelario is off to a slow start - he's only slashing .217/.345/.377 in 69 at-bats for the Smokies - but Tuesday's explosion was certainly a step in the right direction. He has a respectable 14:16 BB:K this year as well. He's blocked at the major league level by Kris Bryant, but he's a decent prospect who could be part of a deal to fill whatever hole the Cubs need as the season goes along.

Peterson is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Red Sox.

Peterson will once again take a seat against a left-handed pitcher, as he has all season, as the Red Sox send out David Price on Tuesday. Jeff Francoeur will get the start in left field in his stead and bat fifth.

Segura hit his fourth home run as part of a 4-for-6 game with three RBI in Monday's win over St. Louis.

Segura extended his hit streak to five games in the process as he continues a blistering April with his new team in Arizona. Segura's line is up to .352/.379/.571. He already has 10 extra-base hits this season after mustering just 21 in 142 games last year. Even if Segura does cool off, he has a fantastic 11.6 percent strikeout rate, and good things tend to happen when you make contact that often.

Suarez launched a three-run homer against the Cubs' John Lackey on Saturday to propel the Reds into the lead in a big sixth inning. The homer was his fifth of the season, and he's now hitting .303/.361/.545 on the year.

One nice part of Suarez's big start is his improved plate discipline. Last year he walked just 4.3% of the time, while striking out 23.6%. He's improved both dramatically this year, walking 8.3% while striking out just 13.9%. The end result is that he's making more, and harder, contact.

Duffy was moved back to the three-hole and went 0-for-4 with an RBI in the 8-1 win over Miami on Friday.

Manager Bruce Bochy wanted to move Duffy back to third in the lineup (where he batted last year) in order to shake things up for a Giants club that had lost seven of their last eight games. This obviously didn't work out for Duffy personally, as he failed to collect a hit after getting multiple hits over his last three contests. Overall, the change helped spark the club, as they put up an eight spot Friday. Duffy should continue bat third for the immediate future, which is prime real estate for accruing counting stats.

Arenado went 2-for-3 with has seventh home run of the season and three runs scored in Friday's win over the Dodgers.

Arenado had failed to hit safely in his last nine at-bats heading into Friday, but the return to the always-generous Coors Field helped him rebound effectively. He now sits tied for second in baseball in RBI and third in home runs, living up to his reputation as one of the premier producers of counting stats in the fantasy world.

Segura went 3-for-5 with a triple, two RBI and a run against the Giants on Thursday.

His April onslaught continues -- Segura's .338 average and .375 OBP at the top of the Arizona order have been a big reason the team's a game above .500 in the early going. A shortstop his whole career, Segura's been moved to second base this season, but got his first start of the year at short Thursday with Nick Ahmed getting most of the day off.

Duffy went 2-for-4, smacking a pair of doubles in Wednesday's loss to the Diamondbacks.

After hitting two home runs in his first three games this season, Duffy has been mired in a sophomore slump (.217/.254/.383). He managed to end an 0-for-13 skid with a pair of singles Tuesday, but he had a couple of more authoritative hits Wednesday, indicating that he may finally be heating up at the plate.