MLB Player News

Polanco (Achilles) will serve as the designated hitter and bat third against the Giants on Saturday.

Polanco's Achilles tendinitis has limited him to working mostly as a DH to begin the regular season, and manager Carlos Mendoza said that the 32-year-old infielder began experiencing renewed discomfort Thursday. Polanco now appears to be feeling well enough to return to his role as New York's DH, though he may not be ready to start every day quite yet.

The Rockies reinstated Crim (oblique) from the injured list Saturday and optioned him to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Crim missed most of the Cactus League schedule due to a strained left oblique. He received the green light to begin playing in rehab games at Albuquerque on March 31, and he'll officially stay put in the minors now that he's been deemed fully healthy.

Santana isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Atlanta.

Santana will get a chance to reset Saturday after going 0-for-17 over his last five games. Jose Fernandez will start at first base while Santana sits, and Adrian Del Castillo will serve as Arizona's designated hitter.

Freeman went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run against Washington in a 13-6 win Friday.

It's been a frustrating start to the season for Freeman, who is batting just .214 through seven games despite consistently hitting the ball hard and posting a .268 xBA. However, the star first baseman seems to be turning things around, as he's homered in two straight games and collected a hit in three consecutive contests. Freeman hasn't posted an OPS below .850 since the 2015 season, so the expectation should be for his current .731 mark to jump up considerably over the course of the long campaign.

Olson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-0 win over Arizona.

Olson went back-to-back with Ozzie Albies in the ninth inning to produce the lone runs of the game. This was Olson's second long ball in as many days after he hit his first homer of the year in Thursday's 17-2 win over Arizona. The first baseman has hit at least 29 homers in each of the last seven full-length seasons, and he has played in all 162 regular-season games in four straight years, offering reliable power and availability. This season, he's batting .313 with two homers, six RBI, six runs scored and four doubles over eight contests, though he's also racked up 11 strikeouts.

Steer went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 5-3 win over the Rangers.

Steer opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the second inning before adding a double in the ninth. It was a much-needed effort for the 28-year-old, who entered Friday just 1-for-17 through five games. While he dropped from 25 steals in 2024 to seven last season, Steer has tallied 20-plus homers in each of his three full campaigns and should see consistent playing time between the outfield and first base.

Manager Carlos Mendoza said Friday that Polanco suffered a setback in his recovery from left Achilles tendinitis Thursday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Polanco has been working primarily as a DH to begin the season while playing through an Achilles injury, but he reported discomfort Thursday and was absent from the starting nine Friday. The Mets may place him on the injured list to give him as much time as he needs to properly recover, though no decision has been made just yet. If the 32-year-old were to land on the IL, Mark Vientos, Brett Baty and Jared Young would stand to benefit from additional reps.

Polanco is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Giants.

Mark Vientos will be rewarded with another start, this time at DH, after homering in Thursday's win. Brett Baty gets the nod at first base. Polanco is off to a slow start to begin his Mets career with a .582 OPS through 28 plate appearances.

Olson went 3-for-5 with a home run, two doubles, a walk, three total runs and three total RBI in a 17-2 win against Arizona on Thursday.

Olson kicked off the scoring in the contest with a first-inning, 430-foot solo shot -- his first long ball of the campaign. He later produced an RBI double as part of an eight-run fifth frame for Atlanta and added another RBI double in the ninth. Olson had been having a quiet beginning to the campaign prior to Thursday, but he's now slashing a nice-looking .321/.367/.571 with five RBI and five runs through seven games.

Lowe served as the designated hitter and went 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI in Wednesday's 8-3 loss to the Pirates.

Lowe made his first start of the season and managed to contribute against Pittsburgh righty Paul Skenes. When the left-handed Mason Montgomery relieved Skenes in the sixth inning, Lowe was replaced by a pinch hitter. With the hot-hitting Sal Stewart at first base and Eugenio Suarez at DH, there haven't been many opportunities for Lowe early in the regular season.