MLB Player News

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo is considering giving Alexander more looks at third base, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

With Geraldo Perdomo (knee) due back in the coming days, Lovullo is evaluating potential roster decisions to accommodate his return. Perdomo's pending return puts a focus on Alexander and Kevin Newman. Alexander, who has made four appearances (two starts) at third base over the last 13 games, went 10-for-21 over a five-game hitting streak that ended Friday. At some point, the Diamondbacks may look for options to spell starting third baseman Eugenio Suarez, whose average has dropped to .198, while he is 2-for-23 over the last seven games.

Suarez went 0-for-4 in Friday's 10-3 loss to San Diego and is batting .198 through 63 games.

Suarez's season-opening slump continued into the month of June; he's 2-for-23 (.087) over seven games this month and dipped below .200 for the first time. He remains fourth on the team with 28 RBI, production that helped mask his slump over the first month and a half, but Suarez has delivered just five runs over the last 22 contests, and his .582 OPS has gotten harder to ignore.

Perdomo (knee) started at shortstop and went 0-for-4 for Triple-A Reno on Friday.

Perdomo played a third consecutive day for Reno and his first nine-inning game in the field. Including time spent in the Arizona Complex League, he's played six games and is 3-for-19. The Diamondbacks are considering roster options for Perdomo's pending return, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports. He'll slide back into his starting shortstop position, which puts the focus on Kevin Newman and Blaze Alexander.

Romero (3-1) struck out one and hit one batter in a scoreless inning to earn the win over the Rockies on Friday.

After his Monday meltdown versus the Astros, Romero has bounced back with a pair of scoreless outings. There's been little reason to worry about the southpaw this year, as he's pitched to a 1.97 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 32:4 K:BB over 32 innings. He's added 19 holds and two blown saves while operating in a setup role ahead of closer Ryan Helsley. Romero's impressive numbers have been fueled by his slider, which he's thrown 33.5 percent of the time. Opponents are batting just .048 off the pitch, and it's generated a 44.4 percent whiff rate on this year, per Statcast.

Ramos went 3-for-5 with one RBI in Friday's 5-2 win over the Rangers.

Ramos logged multiple hits for the fourth time in the last five games. This was also his third time leading off in that span, and the first time he's been atop the order against a right-handed pitcher (Michael Lorenzen). Ramos is slashing .320/.416/.515 with five home runs, 20 RBI, 12 runs scored and one stolen base over 27 contests. As long as he's swinging a hot bat, it makes sense to have him at leadoff, especially since he's displayed improved plate discipline with a 13.2 percent walk rate this year.

Conforto went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in Friday's 5-2 win over the Rangers.

The Rangers tied the game at 2-2 in the fifth inning, but Conforto's seventh-inning blast put the Giants ahead for good. The outfielder has slumped since returning from a hamstring injury, going 2-for-14 over four contests, but his long ball Friday could spark his bat. Overall, he's at a .268/.324/.478 slash line with eight homers, 22 RBI, 21 runs scored, seven doubles, one triple and no stolen bases through 42 games. Conforto should continue to see a starting role in left field, though he could be squeezed out of the lineup versus some southpaws to accommodate the red-hot Heliot Ramos.

Keller (8-3) earned the win Friday over Minnesota, allowing seven hits and two walks over six scoreless innings. He struck out eight.

It's the sixth straight win for Keller -- he hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in an outing during that span, pitching to a 1.13 ERA. The 28-year-old right-hander lowered his ERA to 3.16 on the season with a 1.24 WHIP and 74:22 K:BB across 13 starts (79.2 innings). Keller will look to keep rolling in his next outing, currently scheduled for next week in St. Louis.

Pederson went 2-for-3 with a double and a stolen base in Friday's 10-3 loss to the Padres.

Pederson went 0-for-12 with two walks and six strikeouts over his first four games in June, though a run of opposing left-handed starters has limited his playing time this month. He was able to find some success against San Diego right-hander Michael King in Friday's contest, which also saw Pederson earn his third steal of the season and second in his last six games. The designated hitter is at a .290/.390/.510 slash line with seven home runs, 21 RBI, 19 runs scored and 10 doubles over 53 contests in his usual strong-side platoon role.

Gurriel went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Friday's 10-3 loss to the Padres.

Gurriel has hit safely in nine of his last 11 games, going 10-for-37 (.270) with three homers in that span. He didn't start Friday, but he entered as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning and delivered with his ninth long ball of the campaign. The outfielder has added 37 RBI, 29 runs scored, three stolen bases and a .239/.282/.399 slash line over 252 plate appearances.

Marte went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in Friday's 10-3 loss to the Padres.

The second baseman is on a roll to begin June, going 11-for-26 (.423) with three homers and six RBI over his first seven games this month. Marte is up to 13 long balls, 35 RBI, 41 runs scored, one stolen base and a .282/.340/.508 slash line over 63 contests this season. He's topped the 20-homer mark just twice in his first nine major-league seasons, but he's on pace to do it for the second year in a row.