MLB Player News

General manager Neal Huntington said Sunday that Newman (finger) will likely begin a rehab assignment this week, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Newman, who is returning from a laceration on one of the fingers on his right hand, is expected to play multiple different positions during the rehab assignment and will have his throwing monitored carefully while in the minors. Huntington suggested that the Pirates will "see where we are in two weeks" when referring to Newman's rehab assignment, making it likely that the 25-year-old won't be activated until early May. Though the Pirates will be missing Erik Gonzalez (collarbone) for at least the next two months, Newman might be in line for a utility role once back with the big club if highly touted prospect Cole Tucker continues to perform well as the interim starter at shortstop.

Robinson was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Monday.

Robinson has already had two separate stints in St. Louis this season but only has six at-bats and zero hits. This latest stay may not last particularly long, as the Cardinals will need a starter Tuesday in place of Michael Wacha (knee).

Devers went 1-for-3 with two walks and a run scored in Sunday's 4-3 extra-innings win over the Rays.

Devers began the season as the No. 3 hitter but has been dropped to sixth while giving the Red Sox very little. The third baseman has just three RBI and a .685 OPS over 22 games while the Red Sox rank 27th with a 0.4 WAR at the position. It will be interesting to see if manager Alex Cora gives top prospect Michael Chavis, who was called up Friday to help fill a void at second base, some playing time at third.

Donaldson went 3-for-4 with a walk, two home runs, four RBI and three runs scored in Sunday's win over the Indians.

Both home runs were off Shane Bieber; Donaldson took a breaking ball away to right-center in the first inning, and then pulled a high-and-tight fastball in the second. Donaldson was a bit slow to get going over the first two weeks or so, but he's been red-hot lately with 12 hits -- including four homers -- and eight walks over his last nine games. The third baseman figures to remain a big difference-maker as long as he remains healthy.

Farmer went 1-for-2 with a solo homer and a walk against the Padres on Sunday.

Farmer took southpaw Brad Wieck deep in the seventh inning for his third home run of the season after drawing the start at first base. Though he's had limited playing time, Farmer has shown he's capable of hitting for some power, as he is slugging .542 across 24 at-bats. However, with both Tucker Barnhart and Curt Casali ahead of him on the catching depth chart, Farmer's at-bats figure to only dry up further once Joey Votto (back) returns to the lineup.

Suarez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run against the Padres on Sunday.

Suarez launched his fifth home run of the season off Craig Stammen in the seventh inning. Emerging as one of the steady options at the hot corner, Suarez has produced as expected to begin the season by slugging .515 over 68 at-bats.

Bregman went 2-for-3 with a solo homer, two runs scored and two walks in Sunday's 11-10 loss to the Rangers.

Bregman crushed his third homer in the last five games after hitting just one in the first 14 games of 2019. It took him over 200 plate appearances to reach four long balls last season. The 25-year-old infielder owns a .318/.432/.561 slash line in 81 plate appearances this season.

When Senzel (ankle) returns to action at Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, he will play center field, the position he manned during spring training, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Even with both Jose Iglesias and Joes Peraza struggling offensively, the Reds haven't opted to give Senzel any time at second base, where he played in the minors last season. Instead, they're sticking with their long-term approach to make him a full-time center fielder.

Newman (finger) fielded balls at shortstop Sunday, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Newman is already eligible to return, but it remains unclear when exactly he's expected to do so. When he does get back, it will likely be in a utility role, as recently-promoted prospect Cole Tucker should receive regular at-bats at shortstop.

Moustakas has a small fracture on his right ring finger but is nevertheless considered day-to-day, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

It would be somewhat surprising for a player to avoid the injured list despite a fractured finger, but the Brewers are optimistic that Moustakas can do just that. Hernan Perez starts at second base in his place Sunday and would likely see an expanded role should Moustakas wind up requiring an IL stint.