MLB Player News

Friedl went 3-for-4 with a double, solo home run and an additional run against the Tigers in a 9-2 win Saturday.

Friedl capped a big offensive game by the Reds with a solo blast in the eighth inning. His three total hits tied a season-high mark, and this was the first time all season Friedl has logged multiple extra-base hits in a game. In fact, the veteran outfielder went 20 contests at the outset of the campaign without any extra-base knocks on his ledger. He seems to be turning things around since, going 7-for-19 with three doubles, Saturday's homer, four RBI and a stolen base across his past five games.

Fraley went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Twins.

Fraley gave the Rays a 2-0 lead they wouldn't relinquish with a 401-foot blast in the fourth inning. He was later replaced by Jonny DeLuca, who entered to face lefty Taylor Rogers in the seventh. On the season, the 30-year-old Fraley is slashing .240/.309/.440 with two homers, four RBI, four runs scored and two steals across 55 plate appearances.

Church went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in Saturday's 11-9 loss to the Mariners.

The two teams combined for eight long balls in the wild, back-and-forth affair, and Church swung the biggest bat by slugging a solo shot off Bryan Woo in the first inning and a two-run homer off Cooper Criswell in the seventh, with a sacrifice fly in between. Church missed a chance to play hero in the ninth, however, grounding into a game-ending double play. The 25-year-old outfielder has four home runs on the season, and three of them have come in the last four games, boosting his slash line to .254/.300/.460 with three steals, 11 runs and 12 RBI in 23 contests.

Rodriguez went 3-for-6 with a two-run home run, a second run scored and a stolen base in Saturday's 11-9 win over the Cardinals.

The two teams combined for eight homers on the afternoon, and Rodriguez got the fireworks started by crushing a Matthew Liberatore slider into the second deck in the first inning. Rodriguez had a sluggish start to the season, but he's quickly shaken that off and is batting .352 (19-for-54) with two homers, three steals, seven runs and eight RBI over the last 14 games.

Harris (quadriceps) is batting fifth as the designated hitter in Saturday's game against Philadelphia.

Harris left Thursday's contest against Washington due to left quad tightness and was scratched from Friday's series opener versus the Phillies after originally being penciled in to start. However, there never seemed to be a concern that the outfielder was dealing with a serious issue, and Harris even doubled as a pinch hitter Friday. Atlanta seems to still be taking a cautious approach by having Harris DH instead of taking his usual spot in center field, but all signs point to the 25-year-old being good to go moving forward.

The Reds recalled Bleday from Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.

Bleday had an excellent spring training but didn't break camp with Cincinnati. He's been tearing up Triple-A pitching, posting a 1.121 OPS with six homers, 19 RBI and one stolen base over 24 games, and will now get a chance to make an impact with the Reds. Bleday hit 14 homers while driving in 39 runs and slashing .212/.294/.404 over 98 games with the Athletics last season, and he'll likely serve as a reserve outfielder during his initial stint in Cincinnati.

Fraley (shin) will start in right field and bat fifth Saturday against the Twins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Fraley missed the Rays' last two games after fouling a pitch off his leg Tuesday, but he's now feeling well enough to return to the starting nine. The 30-year-old outfielder has collected a hit in six of his last eight games and is slashing .261/.320/.435 with a homer, two RBI and two runs in that span.

Valera will start in left field and bat fifth against the Blue Jays on Saturday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Valera was originally in line to have a day off Saturday, but he will join the starting nine to replace Steven Kwan, who was scratched with neck stiffness.

Kwan was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's game against Toronto with a stiff neck, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Manager Stephen Vogt said that Kwan's absence Friday wasn't due to an injury, but a neck issue will prevent the 28-year-old from playing in Saturday's contest. Angel Martinez will shift to center field with Kwan out, opening up left field for George Valera.

Valera isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Blue Jays.

Valera will take a seat Saturday after making four straight starts, during which he went 3-for-16 with four RBI and a run scored. While he rests, Angel Martinez, Steven Kwan and David Fry will start across the outfield.