MLB Player News

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.

Arenado went 2-for-4 with a run scored and three RBI in Wednesday's 9-5 win over the Nationals.

Arenado didn't have an extra-base hit as he brought home runs Wednesday with a pair of singles and a sacrifice fly. The 28-year-old is slashing .278/.327/.464 with four home runs and 17 RBI in 97 at-bats.

Chapman went 1-for-5 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Rangers.

Chapman took Jesse Chavez deep in the fifth inning to record his eighth home run of the season, and second in as many days. Not only has he begun the season hitting for plenty of power, but he's also shown strong plate discipline by posting an impressive 11:14 K:BB.

Muncy sits for the second straight game Wednesday against the Cubs.

The Dodgers face their second straight lefty in Cole Hamels. Muncy has started against just two of the seven lefties who have started against the Dodgers this season, with David Freese starting at first base during each absence.

Walding was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.

Walding spent four days on the Phillies' 25-man roster and struck out in both of his plate appearances. He's now 1-for-19 with 14 strikeouts in his big-league career. Sean Rodriguez's contract was selected in a corresponding move.