MLB Player News

The Reds placed Friedl on outright waivers Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

With the Reds most likely out of contention for a postseason appearance, the team will now attempt to shed payroll for the final month of the season by exposing Friedl to waivers. The 31-year-old has endured the worst season of his career up to this point, batting just .158 with a .476 OPS through 253 plate appearances. It's unlikely that another team will be willing to take on the $700,000 remaining on his contract for minimal production, so Friedl will presumably clear waivers and remain with the Reds for the rest of the year.

Johnston went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer Wednesday in the 13-1 win against the Nationals.

Johnston pulled a Will Dion pitch to deep right field to start a rally of 13 unanswered runs for Colorado. This was Johnston's first deep ball since June 14, as he's been scuffling at the plate since the All-Star break with a .221 batting average and 12:4 K:BB in 22 games, including Wednesday.

Carrigg went 2-for-6 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 13-1 victory over the Nationals.

Carrigg hit his first home run since July 26 in the fifth inning to extend the Rockies' lead to three runs. This was Carrigg's fifth multi-hit game in August, though he has been slumping at the plate recently, having gone 3-for-28 in his last seven games prior to Wednesday. The rookie is batting .269 with an .808 OPS, with six homers, 17 doubles, three triples, and 36 RBI in 64 games this season.

Rodriguez went 3-for-6 with two solo home runs in Wednesday's 10-9 win over the Giants.

Getting the start in right field and batting leadoff against Logan Webb, Rodriguez took the San Francisco ace deep in the third inning before leading off the ninth with another solo shot off Spencer Bivens that sparked a stunning seven-run rally for the Reds. It was the first time in Rodriguez's brief MLB career that he hit atop the order, and through his first 16 games for Cincy, the 22-year-old is batting .220 (11-for-50) with two doubles, three homers, five RBI and six runs.

Fermin will start at second base and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Orioles.

Fermin will stick in the lineup for a fifth straight game after going 3-for-16 with a home run, a double and three RBI over the prior four contests. Three of those starts have come at second base, where Fermin could serve as the Cardinals' primary option while JJ Wetherholt is needed at shortstop as a replacement for Masyn Winn (thumb), who was moved to the injured list Tuesday.

Lawlar went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 2-0 win over the Cubs.

The 24-year-old broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning when he drove a Matthew Boyd changeup the other way for his third long ball of the season. Lawlar left Tuesday's contest early after being hit in the head by a pitch, but he cleared the concussion protocol and seems none the worse for wear. In eight games since recovering from a hamstring strain and coming off the IL on Aug. 17, Lawlar has gone 6-for-24 (.250) with two homers, four runs and four RBI, but a 0:9 BB:K.

Chourio is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets.

Chourio appears to be receiving a routine day off after he had started in each of Milwaukee's last 38 games. Sal Frelick will pick up a start in left field in place of Chourio, who is batting .287 with four home runs, three steals, 12 runs and eight RBI through Milwaukee's first 23 contests of August.

Ruiz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.

Ruiz had started the previous four games, going 0-for-8 with a 1:6 BB:K while reaching base on two hit-by-pitches. Three of those starts came against left-handed pitching, and Ruiz looks as though he could mainly be limited to a short-side platoon role in the wake of Kyle Stowers' return from the injured list Monday.

Baez is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Orioles.

Baez has gone just 1-for-21 with nine strikeouts against righties early on in his big-league career, so he'll get a breather as the Orioles send right-hander Kyle Bradish to the bump. Bryan Torres will occupy left field for St. Louis.

Veen is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals.

The left-handed-hitting Veen will hit the bench against a right-handed starter (Matt Waldron) for the first time since being called up from Triple-A Albuquerque on Aug. 11. Veen homered in his first two games this season, but over his last eight contests, he's gone 3-for-18 with a 0:10 BB:K. Jake McCarthy, Cole Carrigg and Mickey Moniak will play the outfield, and Troy Johnston will serve as the designated hitter for the Rockies on Wednesday.