MLB Player News

De La Cruz will start in right field and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Marlins, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

De La Cruz will be included in the lineup over the left-handed-hitting Gabriel Rincones for the second straight game while the Marlins send another right-handed starter (Ryan Gusto) to the bump. Initially ticketed for a short-side platoon role when he was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday, De La Cruz may have at least temporarily earned himself a look as a full-time player after getting off to a hot start to his tenure in Philadelphia. He's recorded at least one hit in each of his first five games with the club, going 8-for-11 with a solo home run, a double and an additional run scored.

Rincones is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Rincones will hit the bench for the second day in a row, with both absences coming against right-handed starting pitchers. The rookie has mostly been handling a strong-side platoon role in right field since getting called up to the big leagues June 12, but he's struggled to a .171/.207/.293 batting line with a 31 percent strikeout rate over 87 plate appearances. Bryan De La Cruz will draw a second straight start in right field and could be moving ahead of Rincones on the depth chart.

Myers went a combined 3-for-6 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored across both games of Tuesday's doubleheader against Cleveland.

Myers started in center field for both ends of the doubleheader and made a fourth consecutive start there. Reds manager Terry Francona alluded to Charlie Goldsmith of the Dayton Daily News that the backup outfielder could see more time as a starter in the second half. "You'll probably see him play more than he was," Francona said. "The hard part is he does such a good job being that righty off the bench, kind of a weapon. But where we're at right now, you'll probably see him play more than he did before." The Reds are dealing with several injuries to players that could defend center field, including Blake Dunn (elbow), Matt McLain (calf) and Spencer Steer (wrist). TJ Friedl will also get starts there.

Bleday went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in a 2-0 win over the Guardians in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader.

After going 0-for-5 in the matinee, Bleday launched a solo home run in the first inning of the nightcap, which is all the Reds would need. It was the 18th homer of the season for Bleday, who should spark interest from playoff contenders leading up to next week's trade deadline. The outfielder has a career-high .807 OPS through 78 games for Cincinnati, which is five games out of the wild-card hunt and last in the NL Central.

Carrigg went 3-for-4 with a run scored in Tuesday's 8-7 loss to the Padres.

Carrigg has hit safely in eight of his last nine games, going 13-for-34 (.382) in that span. The outfielder was caught stealing in this contest, and he's now 3-for-6 on the basepaths on the year. Carrigg has hit .301 with an .896 OPS, five home runs, 26 RBI, 31 runs scored, nine doubles and three triples over his first 40 major-league contests.

Moniak went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and an RBI double in Tuesday's 8-7 loss to the Padres.

Moniak has been swinging the bat fairly well since the All-Star break, going 9-for-31 (.290) with two homers and eight RBI over his last eight games. While he's still filling a platoon role, Moniak has had little trouble finding success against right-handed pitchers. He's batting .279 with an .890 OPS overall this season, and those marks rise to .292 and .951 against righties. Moniak has added 17 homers, 12 doubles, three triples, 46 RBI, 36 runs scored and one stolen base over 260 plate appearances.

Merrill went 3-for-5 with one RBI, one stolen base and one run scored in Tuesday's 8-7 win over the Rockies.

Merrill has gone 16-for-35 (.457) with five home runs, nine RBI and two steals over his last nine games. This was his sixth multi-hit effort in that span. The outfielder has had some struggles this season, but he's hit .315 in July to lift his average to .235 for the season. He's added a .681 OPS, 15 homers, 47 RBI, 51 runs scored, 17 doubles, one triple and 21 steals over 104 contests.

Tatis went 5-for-5 with two RBI and one run scored in Tuesday's 8-7 win over the Rockies.

Tatis made up for his weekend slump, in which he went 0-for-13 with four strikeouts against the Marlins. All five of his hits Tuesday were singles, but he was able to set the tone from the leadoff spot in his fourth multi-hit effort over his last 11 games. For the season, he's batting .285 with a .753 OPS, eight home runs, 49 RBI, 54 runs scored, 25 stolen bases, 20 doubles and two triples over 106 contests.

Lara went 1-for-4 with a triple, a walk, three RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in Tuesday's 8-2 win over the Giants.

Lara did a bit of everything in this contest, including showing off some speed. He's gotten on base multiple times in three of his last four games. Through his first 15 major-league games, the outfield prospect is batting .289 with four doubles, one triple, 10 RBI, six runs scored and two steals. He's still looking for his first home run, but he profiled as more of a contact hitter during his time in the minors. Lara is likely to see more time in right field while Jake Bauers is managing pain from a toe fracture.

Happ went 2-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, two RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 10-2 win over the Cardinals.

Happ got the Cubs on the board in his first plate appearance, ripping a two-out double to right field with two runners in scoring position. He added another double in the ninth inning, giving him 20 two-baggers on the year. The veteran outfielder is on pace to top 30 doubles for his fifth consecutive season. Happ has cooled off at the plate in July, batting .219 with six RBI across 21 games.