MLB Player News

Friedl is not in the lineup for Friday's game in Cleveland.

Friedl could be losing his grip on an everyday role. This is his second straight absence and the fourth across the Reds' last eight contests. Additionally, in his last start Friedl batted eighth after previously not hitting anywhere other than leadoff this season. Will Benson is covering center field and batting leadoff for the Reds on Friday. Friedl is slashing just .184/.268/.270 for Cincinnati this season.

Benge went 2-for-5 with a run scored and a stolen base in Thursday's win over the Tigers.

The 23-year-old rookie swiped a bag for a second straight game and racked up multiple hits in a third straight. Benge has caught fire in May, hitting safely in nine of the last 10 contests while slashing .389/.450/.556 with three doubles, a homer, two steals, seven RBI and eight runs.

Soto went 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Thursday's win over the Tigers.

The 27-year-old superstar didn't seem affected by the ball he fouled off his foot Wednesday, launching a solo shot off Brenan Hanifee in the seventh inning as the Mets' offense erupted for five homers in the series finale. It was Soto's fifth long ball of the season and his second in 12 May contests, a month in which he's slashing just .174/.250/.348 with one steal, five RBI and six runs.

Nootbaar (heels) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Palm Beach on Friday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Nootbaar has been ramping up workouts at the Cardinals' spring training facility in Florida and is finally ready to test things out in a game setting. It will be his first game action since he underwent offseason surgery to address painful growths on both heels. He's eligible for activation from the 60-day injured list May 24, but it's likely Noobaar will need a little more time than that. When he does make it back onto St. Louis' active roster, Nootbaar could take over left field from the lackluster duo of Nathan Church (.681 OPS in 136 PAs) and Thomas Saggese (.380 OPS in 65 PAs).

Schwarber went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Red Sox.

After both starting pitchers dominated to begin the night, Schwarber finally broke a scoreless tie in the eighth inning by taking Tyler Samaniego deep. The blast was Schwarber's MLB-leading 18th of the season, including seven in the last seven games. He continues to be one of baseball's premier power bats with a .965 OPS, and he's already compiled 1.5 WAR despite serving primarily as a designated hitter. Since 2022, the veteran slugger has hit at least 38 home runs every season, and he appears well on his way to reaching that mark again. Schwarber is slashing .226/.355/.610 with seven doubles, 30 RBI and 30 runs scored across 197 plate appearances.

Walker went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, a double and an additional RBI in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Athletics.

Walker came through in multiple key spots Thursday, first tying the game in the sixth inning with a solo homer off Jacob Lopez before delivering the eventual game-winning RBI on a double down the right-field line in the ninth. The young outfielder has stayed hot throughout May, batting .318 with nine RBI since the start of the month. Walker is now slashing .294/.370/.575 with 12 home runs, nine doubles, 32 RBI, 33 runs scored and seven stolen bases across 181 plate appearances as he continues to put together a breakout season.

Lee went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in a loss to the Dodgers on Thursday.

Lee got some help on his inside-the-park job, as Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernandez appeared to assume Lee's blooper would bounce into the stands for a ground-rule double. Instead, the ball rolled to the outfield wall, and Lee was able to round the bases just ahead of a relay throw to home plate. It was Lee's first career inside-the-park homer and his 13th home run through 230 career regular-season games. He's been productive over his past seven games, going 9-for-32 (.281 average) with three extra-base hits, four RBI and three runs.

Johnston went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI on Thursday against the Pirates.

Johnston accounted for the Rockies' only offense with a two-RBI double in the fourth inning. He had a solid road trip in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, going 5-for-15 with three runs scored and three RBI across six games. Johnston is hitting .326 for the season, paired with two homers, 14 runs scored and 20 RBI across 40 games.

Grichuk went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Royals.

Grichuk started the scoring for Chicago with a two-run homer in the first inning and then added a single in the third that plated two more runs. The veteran outfielder has given the White Sox a jolt of power since joining the club May 4, going deep three times over 17 at-bats. However, Grichuk has had to make the most of his opportunities, as he's started just four times across the team's nine contests during that span.

Happ went 2-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Thursday's 2-0 win over Atlanta.

Happ snapped an 0-for-11 slump across his last four games with his 10th home run of the season. The power has been notable so far for the veteran outfielder, who hit 23 homers last year in 151 regular-season contests. It's only taken 42 games this year for Happ to get to double figures in long balls, which has resulted in an .857 OPS that would be his best since 2020.