MLB Player News

Mets center fielder Juan Lagares has been moved to the leadoff spot for Sunday's game against the Braves.

Lagares will get the leadoff role with Curtis Granderson being replaced by John Mayberry in Sunday's lineup. The Mets are also giving second baseman Daniel Murphy and catcher Travis d'Arnaud a break from starting Sunday, with Ruben Tejada and Anthony Recker set to start against the Braves.

Manager Terry Collins indicated that while Murphy is fatigued, "his legs are fine," ESPNNewYork.com reports. Tejada was initially set to start ahead of Wilmer Flores Sunday but instead will spell Murphy at second base.

The Mets are underdogs (+104) against the Braves Sunday, per VegasInsider.com.

Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale is going with Cliff Pennington at shortstop Wednesday over Nick Ahmed, the team announced.

Pennington will make his first start of the season despite making one plate appearance in the first two games of the year. He is hitting .275 with two triples and eight RBI in 116 plate appearances in his career against the Giants.

The Diamondbacks are the favorites (-108) against the Giants.

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford homered during a 7-6 loss Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.

Crawford connected for a solo home run off Rubby De La Rosa in the sixth inning for his only hit in four at-bats. He is batting .375 (3 for 8) with one home run and two RBI through two games.

During spring training, Crawford hit .262 with no home runs, one triple, five doubles and five RBI in 22 games.

Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale will make sure to give the team's reserve position players plenty of work. 

Hale believes in matchups, and he pinch hit for Chris Owings and Nick Ahmed on Opening Day. 

Well, you know what, we've got a lot of guys who are starters on this team, so I have to figure out a way to get them all at-bats," Hale said, per MLB.com. "We don't have a DH in this league, so I have to mix and match. It's going to be tough on them at times. We've already made that clear to them that if they're not starting, they're going to get a chance to play late in the game and win the game for us

Braves infielder Pedro Ciriaco was in line to win the final spot on the major-league bench this season, but after the team acquired Cameron Maybin on Sunday, manager Fredi Gonzalez had to tell Ciriaco that he wouldn't be on the Opening Day roster, the Atlanta Journal-Consitution reports.

"You guys see it at the top level with (Craig) Kimbrel, but you didn’t see it with Ciriaco. That was tough," Gonzalez said. “Here’s a guy on Saturday, you bring him into the office and he’s scared to death, because he doesn’t know what’s going to happen. And I say, congratulations, you made the team, barring anything crazy. And he starts crying. He had expected to be sent down. I tell him he had a hell of a spring and all the reasons we’re going to go with him, and he starts crying and he goes, 'It’s the first time I’ve made an Opening Day roster.' Well, (expletive), 12 hours later he’s not on the Opening Day roster, and you’ve got to have that conversation. I mean, it’s tough sometimes."

Ciriaco, who was reassigned to Triple-A Gwinett in the wake of the Kimbrel-Maybin trade, hit .373/.387/.492 in 59 spring at-bats.

Diamondbacks starting second baseman Chris Owings was held out of the starting lineup Tuesday against the Giants in favor of veteran infielder Aaron Hill.

Owings and Hill both started in Monday's season opener. Owings was at second base, while Hill was at third base.

Owings, who won the starting job in spring training, went 0 for 3 with one strikeout, while Hill went 2 for 4 with one run and one strikeout.

The Giants Opening Day lineup will go left fielder Norichika Aoki, second baseman Joe Panik, center fielder Angel Pagan, catcher Buster Posey, first baseman Brandon Belt, third baseman Casey McGehee, shortstop Brandon Crawford, right fielder Gregor Blanco and pitcher Madison Bumgarner.

It was uncertain where Aoki would be slotted in the lineup with manager Bruce Bochy experimenting with him leading off during spring training.

Diamondbacks rookie shortstop Nick Ahmed was able to start in Monday's season opener against the Giants after leaving Saturday's spring game with an arm injury. Ahmed, who hit eighth Monday, was hit by a pitch Saturday.

Ahmed, who won the starting shortstop job this spring, hit .311 with no home runs, five RBI, six doubles and 12 runs in 21 games. He also had three stolen bases this spring.

The Marlins have announced their starting lineup for Monday's Opening Day matchup against the Braves in Miami, with offseason acquisition Michael Morse slotted into the cleanup spot.

Morse is coming off a hot spring in which he hit .347/.429/.673 with five home runs and 17 RBI in 29 at-bats. He'll hit behind No. 3 hitter Giancarlo Stanton and ahead of third baseman Martin Prado.

The full Marlins lineup: 2B Dee Gordon, LF Christian Yelich, RF Stanton, 1B Morse, 3B Prado, CF Marcell Ozuna, C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, SS Adeiny Hechavarria, SP Henderson Alvarez.

Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed left Saturday's game after he was hit in the left arm by a pitch, manager Chip Hale said after the game per MLB.com.

Ahmed said after the game he was fine, but he will be re-evaluated Sunday. He has hit .311 with six doubles and five RBI in 61 plate appearances this spring.