MLB Player News

Crews went 1-for-5 with a stolen base in Friday's loss to Atlanta.

The steal was the first in four games for Crews since he was called up to make his season debut with the Nationals. The 24-year-old hasn't made much of an impact otherwise, however, batting .188 (3-for-16) with zero extra-base hits, zero RBI and one run. Washington will give the second overall pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft plenty of chances to establish himself as an MLB regular, and Crews did bring some momentum with him to the majors after slashing .291/.339/.527 over 59 May plate appearances for Triple-A Rochester.

The Cubs recalled Alcantara from Triple-A Iowa on Saturday.

Alcantara has spent the entire season up to this point at Iowa, slashing .242/.339/.567 with 15 homers, 32 RBI, 27 runs and three steals across 41 games. The 23-year-old prospect will now rejoin the big club to provide depth to Chicago's outfield group and give a break to some of the team's struggling hitters. Nicky Lopez was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Benson isn't in the lineup for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals.

After going just 1-for-20 over his last 11 games, Benson will pick out a seat on the bench to begin the opening half of Saturday's twin bill. While he rests, JJ Bleday, Dane Myers and Blake Dunn will form the Reds' outfield trio.

Friedl isn't in the lineup for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals.

The first half of Saturday's twin bill will mark Friedl's third straight absence from the starting lineup. The 30-year-old has gone just 1-for-17 with eight strikeouts over his last six games, so he may have fallen down the depth chart as a result of his struggles. JJ Bleday, Dane Myers and Blake Dunn will start across the outfield while Friedl sits.

Barrosa entered Friday's game during the sixth inning for the injured Lourdes Gurriel (hamstring) and went 0-for-1 in a 3-2 loss to Colorado.

Barrosa would be the most likely beneficiary if Gurriel is forced to miss time. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo admitted to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com there was some level of concern about Gurriel, who will undergo an evaluation Saturday. Barrosa is slashing .181/.253/.349 over 93 plate appearances.

Crow-Armstrong went 1-for-2 with two walks and a two-run home run in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Astros.

Crow-Armstrong provided all of Chicago's offense in the sixth inning when he launched his sixth home run of the season with a runner on. The outfielder has hit those long balls in 51 games, which puts him behind last year's pace of 31 homers in 157 regular-season contests. Crow-Armstrong has also seen his OPS fall from .768 in 2025 to .686 this year. He's still talented enough to get rolling, but his production has been somewhat disappointing so far for fantasy managers, at least in the power department.

Nimmo went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, a double, an additional RBI and a strikeout in Friday's loss to the Angels.

Nimmo launched a solo shot in the fourth inning, giving him six on the year, and he later added an RBI double in the seventh that scored Andrew McCutchen. Nimmo is hitting a solid .277 with a .795 OPS on the season, but he's seeing the ball extremely well of late. He has hits in four of his last five games (7-for-20) while launching two homers and posting a 1.159 OPS over that span.

Meckler went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk in Friday's win over the Rangers.

Meckler couldn't have wished for a better Angels debut. His contract was selected from Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday just a few hours before this game, and he ended up launching a three-run homer in his first big-league at-bat since the 2023 season. He reached base three times in the win, and he might remain in the lineup over the next few days to see if he can add some much-needed offense to a struggling Angels lineup. Los Angeles has a .630 collective OPS since the beginning of May -- the fourth-worst mark in the majors.

Waldschmidt went 2-for-3 with a stolen base in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Rockies.

Waldschmidt had three multi-hit efforts over his last five games, going 7-for-14 (.500) with three walks and three steals in that span. The outfielder has taken on a starting job in center field this month, and his bat has been a big reason why. He's hitting .326 with an .815 OPS, six RBI, seven runs scored, four steals and four doubles over his first 14 big-league games. He's still looking for his first home run, but his calling card in the minors was plate discipline more than power.

Castellanos went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 7-3 win over the Athletics.

Castellanos went yard in the fifth inning to tie the game at 3-3. He has gone 6-for-28 (.214) over his last eight games, adding two homers and six RBI, though he's also racked up nine strikeouts without a walk in that span. The veteran outfielder is batting .198 with a .592 OPS, four homers, 19 RBI, eight runs scored, five doubles and a stolen base over 106 plate appearances. His playing time is trending up, but Castellanos could lose some playing time once Jake Cronenworth (concussion) returns, which would likely force Fernando Tatis back to the outfield. However, Cronenworth's return is not imminent.