MLB Player News

Kieboom will be promoted from Triple-A Fresno ahead of Friday's game against the Padres, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

With Wilmer Difo struggling and Trea Turner (finger) presumably still multiple weeks away from a return, the Nationals decided to summon Kieboom for the first time in his career. The well-regarded prospect has been on a tear with Fresno, slashing .379/.506/.636 with three homers and a stolen base through 18 games. While it remains to be seen whether he'll be in the starting lineup Friday, Kieboom figures to see his fair share of opportunities during his time with the big club. A corresponding roster move will have to be made Friday.

Segura (hamstring) is on track to be activated from the 10-day injured list Saturday, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Segura is expected to rejoin the Phillies ahead of Saturday's game against the Marlins after a minimum stay on the shelf. The shortstop appeared in 16 games prior to landing on the IL, slashing .328/.384/.478 with one homer and one stolen base in those contests.

Senzel (ankle) started in center field for Triple-A Louisville in games Tuesday and Wednesday, going a combined 2-for-8 with a double and a run scored.

Senzel's ability to play on back-to-back days suggests the Reds no longer harbor any concern about the condition of his right ankle, which he sprained late in spring training. After a layoff of nearly a month, Senzel's main focus will be getting regular at-bats to make up for the lost time while continuing to get more comfortable in center field after playing exclusively in the infield prior to 2019. His callup date remains unknown, but Senzel will almost certainly be deployed as the Reds' everyday center fielder once he does receive a long-awaited promotion.

Newman (finger) drew starts in center field and left field during rehab games Tuesday and Wednesday at Triple-A Indianapolis. He went a collective 3-for-7 at the plate between the two games.

Prior to kicking off the rehab assignment, Newman hadn't seen any action in the outfield during his professional career. According to Adam Berry of MLB.com, Newman is scheduled to play his natural position (shortstop) in rehab games Friday and Saturday, so his usage in the outfield may have just been an experiment to gauge his viability as a super-utility player. With four outfielders (Corey Dickerson, Lonnie Chisenhall, Starling Marte and Jose Osuna) already on the 10-day injured list and another banged up (Bryan Reynolds), the Pirates could certainly benefit from adding more depth to that group.

LeMahieu plated three runs as part of a 2-for-4 day in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Angels.

LeMahieu drove in the Yankees' first run of the night on a sixth-inning double, hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh and broke a 5-5 tie with an RBI single in the top of the ninth. The pair of hits helped end a 4-for-40 skid for LeMahieu over the Yankees' previous 10 contests. With eight position players currently on the injured list, LeMahieu has not only locked down an everyday gig, but he also appears fairly secure as the club's leadoff hitter.

Muncy is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

With the Cubs deploying lefty starting pitchers for each of the last three days, Muncy has been on the bench for every game of the series. Muncy's usage suggests that manager Dave Roberts views him as a pure strong-side platoon player, at least while the team is at full strength. David Freese will garner the start at first base in Muncy's stead.

Vargas will start at second base and bat out of the two hole in Thursday's game against the Pirates.

The Diamondbacks are holding out several regulars for the day game after the night game, opening the door for Vargas to pick up his fourth start of the season. The 27-year-old has displayed some solid contact skills and speed during his time in the minors but has yet to make much of an impression in a limited sample of action at the big-league level (66 wRC+ over 62 plate appearances).

Escobar went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, a triple, an RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 11-2 win over the Pirates.

As cold as Escobar was to start the season, he's gone in the other direction recently. This was the third straight three-hit game for the infielder, who has nine hits in his last 13 at-bats. That stretch includes two doubles, a triple and a home run.

Ramirez went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, four RBI, a walk and stolen base in a 6-2 victory against the Marlins on Wednesday.

Owners hope this is the breakout game they've been waiting for from Ramirez. It's been an extremely slow start for the 26-year-old, as he has been hovering around the .150 mark in batting average for most of April. Even after the three-hit game, the average rose to just .184. He has two homers, nine RBI, 12 runs and six stolen bases in 87 at-bats this season.

Candelario went 1-for-4 with a walk, a double and two runs scored in Wednesday's 11-4 loss to the Red Sox.

Candelario again batted leadoff, as he did in both games of Tuesday's doubleheader at Fenway Park. The 25-year-old may have supplanted veteran Josh Harrison as the team's preferred hitter atop the order, though Candelario's .238 average and .640 OPS are far from elite, so his fantasy appeal remains limited.