MLB Player News

Chapman is not in the lineup Thursday against the Red Sox.

Chapman will get what appears to be a routine day off after starting the first nine games of the season, slashing .303/.425/.636 with a trio of homers and a 5:4 BB:K in those contests. Chad Pinder will cover third base and hit fifth in his place.

Lewis will open the year back with High-A Fort Myers, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

The Twins' top prospect and one of the top prospects in all of baseball, Lewis hit .255/.327/.399 (good for a 110 wRC+) with five home runs and six steals in 46 games at High-A last year. We should expect him to dominate in a return trip to the Florida State League before receiving a promotion to Double-A in the first half.

Rendon went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, a walk, a double and a solo home run in Wednesday's 9-8 win over the Phillies.

Rendon now has a home run in two straight games after hitting his first blast of the season in Tuesday's loss. The 28-year-old went 0-for-4 in the season opener but since has four straight multi-hit games with two doubles, two home runs and five RBI in that stretch.

Astudillo went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI in Wednesday's 7-6 win over the Royals.

Getting the start at third base, Astudillo shifted to left field in the eighth inning. It's the 27-year-old's first appearance of the season anywhere other than catcher, but it won't be his last if he keeps raking -- through three games, Astudillo is 6-for-9 with three doubles, five runs and three RBI.

Machado went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run, a pair of walks and two runs scored to help the Padres to a 4-1 win over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Machado was off to a bit of a slow start to his Padres tenure, with five hits in his first 23 at-bats, but he broke out in this one, turning on a pitch from Matt Andriese for a long two-run shot in the seventh inning for his first homer of the season. It was only a matter of time for the star third baseman, who is one of the premier offensive forces in baseball when he's locked in at the dish.

Muncy is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Giants, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Muncy will give way to David Freese at first base Wednesday with a left-hander in Derek Holland getting the ball first for the Giants. The 28-year-old is off to a slow start to the season, going 2-for-20 with a homer and four RBI through six games.

Moncada went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer, a double, two walks and three runs during an 8-3 victory against the Indians on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old went deep against the Indians' bullpen, smashing his homer in a lopsided game during the eighth. Five of Moncada's nine hits this season have gone for extra bases, as he now has three doubles and two homers. That gives him a dazzling .900 slugging percentage through about the first week of the season. He also sports a .522 on-base percentage in five games.

General manager Mike Rizzo said Wednesday that Kieboom won't be promoted from Triple-A Fresno to help the Nationals while Trea Turner (finger) is on the injured list, Byron Kerr of MASN Sports reports.

Turner is out indefinitely due to the non-displaced fracture of the index finger on his right (throwing) hand, leaving the team without its everyday shortstop and No. 2 hitter for an extended period of time. Though Kieboom's blend of contact skills and pop would likely make him the best replacement option for Turner from an offensive standpoint, the organization wants to work on his defense at both middle-infield spots at Fresno before he gets the call to the big leagues. As a result, the Nationals will cast their lot at shortstop with Wilmer Difo for now, while Adrian Sanchez will handle the super-utility role that Difo previously filled.

Escobar is starting at second base and hitting fifth Wednesday against the Padres.

Escobar is off to a slow start to the season, going 3-for-25 (.120) through six games. As such, he'll swap places in the lineup with Ketel Marte -- who is 7-for-14 with a pair of extra-base hits and a pair of stolen bases over his last three games -- for Wednesday's series finale.

Chapman went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Tuesday's 1-0 win over the Red Sox.

His first-inning shot off Chris Sale ended up being the difference in a duel between the two pitching staffs. Chapman already has three homers through eight games, and the 25-year-old is off to a flying start as he looks to top last year's career-high 24 round trippers.