MLB Player News

Ahmed went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in the Diamondbacks' 8-7 win over the Dodgers on Friday.

Ahmed had been in the midst of an 0-for-13 slump before leaving the yard in the top of the eighth inning, giving the Diamondbacks a vital insurance run. Even with the brief drought at the plate, Ahmed has still been one of the Diamondbacks' most productive regulars this season, supplying a .286/.375/.543 line across 40 plate appearances. Since the on-base and slugging percentages are well above Ahmed's career marks, regression is almost certainly coming, but there's reason to be optimistic about some level of sustainability. As Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic noted earlier this season, Ahmed made a concerted effort this spring to change his swing path and plate approach, which is already paying dividends in elevating the shortstop's fly-ball and line-drive rates.

Camargo (oblique) is back to full health and could return to Atlanta by the end of this weekend, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

As has been the case for the past week, Camargo's health isn't the main concern at this point. Instead, the Braves want to give him more time to shake off any rust since the Triple-A season started a full week after the big leagues. Camargo has appeared in five games in the minors thus far -- including three with Gwinnett -- going 3-for-20 with two home runs and two RBI while playing the field in those contests. Expect to see him return to the fold and regain his status as the primary third baseman soon, though he may be eased back into the lineup for the onset of his campaign.

Downs tallied a career-high four hits, including a home run Thursday for Low-A Dayton.

He now boasts an impressive .314/.368/.457 slash line with one home run and three steals (on three attempts) through 38 plate appearances at Low-A. His 23.7 percent strikeout rate is manageable, particularly for a 19-year-old making his full-season debut, but his .400 BABIP is propping up his batting average a bit.

DeJong went 1-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and an RBI Thursday against the Reds.

DeJong's 40 percent hard contact rate and 44 percent flyball rate to begin the season highlight his power upside. Despite those numbers, his home run tonight was just his fifth extra-base hit of the season and his first home run since April 2. His production will likely continue to come sporadically throughout the season thanks to a strikeout rate that is also clearing 40 percent in the early going.

Turner is leading off Thursday's contest against the Rockies.

With Adam Eaton (ankle) sidelined, Turner will take a turn hitting atop the order. He and Brian Goodwin seem like the logical leadoff candidates while Eaton is out, which could give them greater run-scoring opportunities while hitting ahead of Anthony Rendon and Bryce Harper.

Pennington is not in the lineup Thursday against the Cardinals.

There were some thoughts that Pennington could take over the vacant third base job while Eugenio Suarez (thumb) is out, but it seems like the Reds want to test out their younger options first. Alex Blandino will start Thursday and could continue to see a good amount of time at the hot corner along with Phil Gosselin. Nick Senzel is also looming in the minors and could fill the void in the coming weeks.

Crawford hit his first homer, a two-run shot, in a 1-for-3 game Wednesday against the Reds.

Crawford was a brutal 2-for-26 heading into Wednesday's game without an extra-base hit. The top prospect desperately needed something like this to get going, and hopefully the fact that he provided two of the four Phillies runs in a hotly contested win can help him get on the right track.

Rojas went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Mets.

His second homer of the season gave the Marlins a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning, but it was the only run they managed to score all game. Rojas is currently hitting second in the order, giving him a little extra value in deeper fantasy formats, but he's already set a new career high for home runs in a season, and his playing time will dwindle once J.T. Riddle (shoulder) gets healthy.

Baez went 2-for-4 with two home runs, three runs scored and four RBI in Wednesday's win over the Pirates.

Baez has now hit two home runs in back-to-back games. After a slow start to the season, the 25-year-old seems to be heating up. Fantasy players should ride his bat as long as this power streak keeps up.

Pennington is not starting Wednesday against the Philles.

In the three games since Eugenio Suarez went down with a fractured thumb, Pennington has started just once, with Alex Blandino and Phil Gosselin (who starts Wednesday) each getting one start. Highly rated prospect Nick Senzel could be up later this week to take over as the Reds' primary third baseman, which would leave Pennington with even fewer opportunities for playing time. The veteran is better suited for a utility role, which he'll likely resume again soon.