MLB Player News

Smith went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored in Friday's 7-1 win over the Rockies.

Smith drove Shohei Ohtani home with a sacrifice fly in the top of the first and then singled in each of his next two trips to the plate. Smith has now hit safely in seven of his last eight games, though he has just one extra-base hit this month and hasn't homered since the third game of the season. Smith is slashing .300/.377/.417 with two home runs, 10 RBI, nine runs scored and an 8:11 BB:K across 69 plate appearances.

Herrera went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, hit-by-pitch, three RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 9-4 win over the Astros.

Herrera padded the Cardinals' lead to 9-3 with a two-run shot in the top of the eighth. It was Herrera's first multi-hit game of the season, and he's now homered in two of the past three games after failing to hit a long ball in any of St. Louis' first 16 contests. Herrera's on-base skills have remained strong this season, and his bat seems to be heating up, with at least one hit in six of the last eight games. Herrera is slashing .212/.398/.348 with two homers, 10 RBI, seven runs scored and an 18:10 BB:K across 88 trips to the plate.

Trevino (back) caught two simulated innings and hit in the batting cages Friday, MLB.com reports.

Trevino has elevated his baseball activity this week, which began with light throwing sessions. If he comes out of Friday's activity without an issue, manager Terry Francona will begin ramping up his activity.

Ballesteros went 2-for-2 with a three-run home run in Friday's 12-4 win over the Mets.

Ballesteros gave the Cubs an early jolt with a three-run bomb in the first inning, which was his third home run of the season. The 22-year-old was eventually lifted for a pinch hitter, but not before he boosted his batting average to .375 and his OPS to a robust 1.034. Ballesteros has competition for playing time as Chicago's primary DH, but his strong play so far is making it hard to keep him out of the lineup.

Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI in Friday's 12-4 loss to the Cubs.

While most of the Mets' roster has struggled during a nine-game losing streak, Alvarez has been able to keep his head above water. The 24-year-old backstop is slashing .294/.410/.549 through 18 games this season with four homers, five RBI, eight runs and a strong 8:11 BB:K, and his RBI opportunities should pick up as the lineup around him shakes out of its funk.

Fermin (head) is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Angels.

Fermin will miss a second straight start after taking a foul tip off the mask Wednesday against the Mariners. Luis Campusano will make another start at catcher and bat ninth.

Bailey is not in the lineup for Friday's game versus the Nationals.

Giants manager Tony Vitello hinted Thursday that he might start deploying a timeshare at catcher. A day later, Daniel Susac will do the catching for ace Logan Webb. Bailey is slashing just .128/.180/.128 with zero extra-base hits in 2026.

Hernandez is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Brewers.

Hernandez is slashing only .149/.259/.191 this season and will begin Friday's series opener on the bench. The Marlins will go with Javier Sanoja in left field.

Fermin (head) is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Mariners.

Fermin had to depart Wednesday's contest after taking a foul tip to the mask. Per Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune, Fermin does not have concussion symptoms and expects to be available off the bench Thursday, though the Padres' team doctor will have the final say. Luis Campusano is catching and batting eighth for San Diego in Thursday's series finale.

Hicks went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's loss to Atlanta.

The 26-year-old backstop had gone 12 straight games without leaving the yard after a power surge in the first week of the season, but Hicks got hold of an Osvaldo Bido slider in the eighth inning Wednesday and ripped it down the right-field line for his fourth homer of the year. Hicks has been playing nearly every day between catcher (10 games), first base (six games) and DH (three games), slashing .309/.355/.545 with a stunning 18 RBI, two behind MLB leader Andy Pages.