MLB Player News

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.

DeJong is not in the lineup against Milwaukee on Wednesday, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

For the first time this year, DeJong will occupy a spot on the pine while Greg Garcia earns a start at short for the series finale. During the first 11 games, DeJong has slashed .302/.333/.535 with three home runs and five RBI. Expect him back in the lineup against the Reds on Thursday.

Swanson went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Nationals.

Braves hitters only managed five hits on the night, and the team's double-play duo of Swanson and Ozzie Albies collected four of them. Swanson is off to a hot start, slashing .366/.381/.585 with one homer and eight RBI through 10 games, but his 1:8 BB:K and .438 BABIP are both strong signs he could cool down rapidly.

Seager went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in the Dodgers' 4-0 win over the Athletics on Tuesday.

The long-awaited first long ball of the season finally came for the struggling shortstop, as he managed to touch up A's starter Sean Manaea with a first-inning solo blast. Seager is still hitting just .211 with two RBI through 38 at-bats but it was encouraging to see him leave the yard, especially with concerns over an elbow injury he battled throughout spring training possibly hampering his production. Owners will hope Tuesday's homer is what he needed to jumpstart his season and regain his All-Star caliber form going forward.

Story went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a stolen base in the Rockies' 5-2 defeat to the Padres on Tuesday.

Story provided all the offense for Colorado against San Diego with his first-inning homer off Joey Lucchesi marking his third of the season. He got off to a slow start and was hitting just .214 coming into this game, but he's now left the yard in three of his last five contests, so fantasy owners will hope that's a sign he's getting set to pump his average up somewhere closer to the .251 mark he's posted for his career. Even if Story doesn't fully regain the form of his breakout 2016 that saw him hit .272 and tally a lofty .908 OPS in 372 at-bats, he can still act as a solid source of power at shortstop, as he showed on Tuesday.

Through four games with High-A Myrtle Beach, Ademan is 3-for-10 with two walks, two runs scored and an RBI.

The 19-year-old Dominican is making the jump to High-A this year after splitting 2017 between Low-A South Bend and short-season Eugene. Ademan is one of the Cubs' top position-player prospects, though he's no doubt a few years away from making it to the MLB level. He's a fairly slight player who will need to fill out his frame, but he's a good athlete who's considered an above-average defender at shortstop.