MLB Player News

Pratto went 3-for-6 with a double and a run scored in Monday's 7-0 win over the Cardinals.

This was Pratto's fifth turn in the leadoff spot in the last seven games, though he's struggled a bit since he bumped Bobby Witt from atop the order. Over that seven-game span, Pratto has gone 6-for-27 (.222) with just two extra-base hits and a 4:10 BB:K. Despite the recent struggles, he's still sporting one of the Royals' more encouraging batting lines, slashing .301/.395/.437 through 30 contests. Pratto also has a 32.8 percent strikeout rate and just one stolen base on the year, so he doesn't really possess the tools to be an effective long-term option at leadoff.

Rizzo (neck) is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Mariners, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Rizzo exited Sunday's win over the Padres with a neck injury he suffered in a collision with Fernando Tatis at first base on a pickoff attempt. While he had been expected to start Monday, the Yankees have ultimately elected to sit him. DJ LeMahieu will play first base and Oswaldo Cabrera will be at third.

Bell is not in the starting lineup Monday against the Orioles.

Bell will get a day off after he went 3-for-20 with a double, an RBI, two walks and five strikeouts while starting six straight games. Jose Ramirez will take over at designated hitter while Gabriel Arias enters the lineup at the hot corner and bats fifth in the series opener with Baltimore.

Casas went 1-for-4 with a run scored in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Casas also struck out three times, so it wasn't a day to celebrate, but the first baseman extended a modest hit steak to four games (6-for-15). That run puts his batting average at .200 for the first time in 2023. Casas has hit .277 in May with two more games left in the month.

Noda went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a double and a walk in Sunday's 10-1 loss to the Astros.

Noda took Cristian Javier deep to lead off the bottom of the first inning, but it was all Astros after that. Over his last 11 games, Noda has gone 10-for-32 (.313) with two homers, six RBI and three doubles. He's been a bright spot recently in a lineup that lacks much in the way of offense. For the season, he's slashing .241/.400/.451 with five homers, 16 RBI, 26 runs scored, two stolen bases and 11 doubles through 50 contests, though Noda remains mostly confined to a strong-side platoon role at first base.

Abreu went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 10-1 win over the Athletics.

Abreu's long power drought is over -- he failed to go deep in his first 50 games before his eighth-inning blast Sunday. The first baseman has had no fewer than 15 homers in any season of his career, though that low mark came in 2022, so it's concerning that trend has continued this year. He's hitting just .185 (15-for-81) in May and .214 on the season with 19 RBI, 14 runs scored and seven doubles across 213 plate appearances. He'll have a lot of catching up to do if he's going to get back to his established power production in 2023, and at 36 years old, it's not guaranteed he'll do it.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after Sunday's 10-7 win over the Padres that he anticipates Rizzo (neck) being able to play Monday in Seattle, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

Rizzo hurt his neck after colliding with Fernando Tatis on a pickoff attempt at first base in the top of the sixth inning, but the former was initially able to stay in the game before exiting the contest when the Yankees returned to the field in the top of the seventh. Boone indicated that initial tests on Rizzo revealed nothing concerning, supporting the notion that the 33-year-old's removal from the contest was precautionary. Rizzo went 1-for-3 with a run scored prior to his exit.

Rizzo was removed ahead of the seventh inning of Sunday's game against the Padres after he injured his neck when he was involved in a collision with Fernando Tatis on a pickoff attempt at first base in the top of the sixth, Max Goodman of The Newark Star-Ledger reports. He went 1-for-3 with a run scored before departing.

The Yankees are labeling Rizzo's removal from the contest as "precautionary," but fantasy managers may still want to see him included in the starting nine for Monday's game in Seattle before feeling comfortable with activating him as New York heads into a six-game week. DJ LeMahieu moved across the diamond to replace Rizzo and would likely serve as the Yankees' primary first baseman if Rizzo misses any time beyond Sunday.

Raley went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI, three runs scored and a steal in Sunday's 11-10 victory over the Dodgers.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Raley has emerged as an unlikely source of steals -- he's now 7-for-7 on stolen base attempts, all coming in his last 12 games. Raley has had a productive season with the bat as well. He's now slashing .254/.346/.568 with 10 homers, 21 RBI and 23 runs scored through 136 plate appearances while playing the long side of a platoon in Tampa.

France went 2-for-3 with an RBI double, another two-bagger, a walk and a run in a win over the Pirates on Saturday.

France got the Mariners' three-run first inning started with an RBI double that plated J.P. Crawford. The productive all-around effort gives France a .412 average over his last six games, a stretch during which his walk rate (13.6 percent) matches his strikeout rate and he's laced five of his seven hits for extra bases, including three home runs.