MLB Player News

Waldron (0-1) allowed six runs on eight hits, a walk and a hit batsman over 3.2 innings Friday, taking the loss versus the Angels. He struck out four.

Waldron missed time due to hemorrhoid surgery in late February. The knuckleballer didn't have success in his major-league season debut as the Angels got to him in the second and fourth innings. The right-hander was limited to just one big-league start in 2025, allowing four runs over 4.2 innings, and he pitched to a 6.67 ERA over 82.1 innings across 18 starts with Triple-A El Paso last year. There's an opening in the Padres' rotation with Nick Pivetta (elbow) on the shelf, but it's not yet clear if Waldron will be the one to fill it on a permanent basis.

Gimenez went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Gimenez is 11-for-32 (.344) with three extra-base hits and two steals over his last nine games. The infielder continues to hit well and is batting .290 on the year with an .822 OPS, three home runs, four steals, 11 RBI, six runs scored, two doubles and one triple over 19 contests. Gimenez has primarily hit in the bottom half of the order but has a starting job at shortstop. He's missed the 10-homer mark the last two seasons and was limited to 12 steals on 14 attempts over 101 regular-season games in 2025, but if he maintains steady playing time, he should rebound slightly in the counting stats.

Straw went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Straw's homer was his first of the season. The light-hitting outfielder had just 10 long balls over parts of eight seasons prior to 2026, so he shouldn't be counted on for power, though he can add some speed. He was the lone Blue Jay with multiple hits in this contest despite coming in off the bench for Daulton Varsho (knee). Straw has filled a reserve role this season but is batting .400 (8-for-20) with three RBI, eight runs scored and a double, though he was caught on his lone steal attempt so far. If Varsho misses time, Straw would likely temporarily take over the starting job in center field.

Lauer (1-3) allowed three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out four over five innings to take the loss versus the Diamondbacks on Friday.

Lauer worked behind opener Braydon Fisher, who tossed a scoreless first inning. This wasn't a terrible outing for Lauer, but it was still his third straight loss, and he may continue to work in bulk relief on occasion moving forward. Over four appearances this season, he has a poor 7.13 ERA with a 1.47 WHIP and 16:10 K:BB over 17.2 innings. Walks have been a problem for Lauer in the past, but he looked to have solved that issue with a 2.2 BB/9 over 104.2 innings in 2025. It's not yet clear if he'll start or come out of the bullpen for his next outing, which is tentatively projected to be on the road versus the Angels next week.

Arenado went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a second RBI in Friday's 6-3 win over the Blue Jays.

Arenado has recorded a trio of multi-hit efforts over his last four games, a span that also includes all three of his homers this season. The third baseman is still batting just .224 on the year, adding a .605 OPS, 11 RBI, seven runs scored and a double over 18 contests. Arenado is handling a starting role at the hot corner but is not off to a particularly strong start in 2026, which suggests he may struggle to rebound from his career-low .666 OPS from 2025 with the Cardinals.

Sewald struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Friday's 6-3 win over the Blue Jays.

Sewald's been excellent in save situations this season, pitching seven scoreless innings to come away with seven saves in as many attempts. He's struggled outside of closing duties, allowing three runs (two earned) over 1.1 innings across his three other appearances this season, two of which have resulted in him taking a loss. Overall, he still looks locked in as the Diamondbacks' closer with a 2.16 ERA, 0.48 WHIP and 11:0 K:BB through 8.1 innings.

Soroka (4-0) allowed two runs on five hits and struck out five without walking a batter over seven innings to earn the win Friday over the Blue Jays.

Soroka had his longest outing of the season so far, throwing 67 of 94 pitches for strikes. The 28-year-old gave up a solo home run to light-hitting Myles Straw in the sixth inning but still had enough in the tank to finish strong. Soroka's start to his Arizona tenure couldn't be going much better -- he's at a 2.78 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 28:6 K:BB over 22.2 innings across four starts. He'll look to keep rolling next week in a start projected to come against the White Sox, one of his former teams.

Civale (2-1) took the loss Friday against the White Sox, allowing five runs on 11 hits and one walk with four strikeouts across 4.2 innings.

Civale had allowed just three runs on 10 hits and five walks across his first three starts of the season, spanning 15.2 innings. He was dealing with traffic on the bases all night long Friday, and Civale saw his ERA balloon from 1.72 to 3.54 in the process. Just three of the 11 hits allowed by Civale went for extra bases, but he allowed multiple hits in all five innings before getting yanked in favor of Elvis Alvarado in the fifth. Civale will carry a 3.54 ERA and 16:6 K:BB across 20.1 innings into his next start against the Mariners on the road next week.

The Dodgers are expected to recall Ward from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ward first reached Triple-A in 2023 and has seen his OPS increase every year he's been at Oklahoma City. Now that he's begun the 2026 campaign slashing .324/.432/.588 through 81 plate appearances, the 28-year-old will finally get the call to join the big-league roster for the first time. He's spent most of his time in the outfield throughout his professional career but has primarily played at first base this season. It's unlikely he sees regular playing time with the Dodgers, but he could make an occasional start if Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez or Kyle Tucker need a day off.

Acuna went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, a stolen base, an RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 9-2 win over the Athletics.

Acuna swiped his fifth base of the season in the fourth inning, and his RBI double one inning later was his first extra-base hit of the season. The light-hitting Acuna is now slashing .193/.242/.211 with three RBI, six runs scored, five steals and a 3:9 BB:K across 63 trips to the plate.