MLB Player News

Olson went 4-for-5 with two home runs, a triple, five RBI and four runs scored in Friday's win over Miami.

Olson knocked two of Atlanta's six homers in the huge victory, including a two-run shot in the first inning. After a slow start to the month, he ended June on a tear; the 29-year-old slugger slashed .310/.364/.589 with 11 long balls over the last 17 games of the month. He's up to an NL-leading 28 home runs with 67 RBI and a .924 OPS through 366 plate appearances.

Flores went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-4 win over the Mets.

Flores was able to do some damage in the series opener versus his former team. This was his first start since returning from a foot injury Tuesday. The infielder is up to eight home runs, 24 RBI, 21 runs scored and a .255/.318/.460 slash line through 55 contests this season. He was in a bench role for much of June prior to the injury, and he'll likely continue to be a short-side platoon option.

Freeman went 1-for-4 with a double, two walks, an RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 9-3 win over the Royals.

Freeman's performance Friday pushed him up to a .401 OBP, making him one of eight players in the majors north of .400. The first baseman has gone 8-for-21 (.381) over his last five games while tallying six RBI in that span. He's batting .320 with a .944 OPS, 14 home runs, 53 RBI, 65 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 28 doubles and a triple through 81 games this season, numbers that would likely be good enough to put him in the NL MVP conversation in a year when Ronald Acuna wasn't threatening to re-write the record book.

Gurriel (face) is expected to be available off the bench Friday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Gurriel took an errant groundball to his right cheek during pregame fielding drills Thursday in Boston and had to be scratched from the Marlins' lineup, but he suffered no fractures and reported feeling good ahead of Friday night's series opener in Atlanta. Garrett Cooper is getting the start at first base versus the NL East leaders.

Rizzo (elbow) is not in the lineup Friday at St. Louis.

As expected, Rizzo will get the night off after taking a pitch off his elbow late in Thursday's series finale against the Athletics. X-rays turned up negative for any fractures, and he should be able to return Saturday. DJ LeMahieu is starting at first base and batting leadoff.

Cooper (illness) is starting at first base Friday against Atlanta, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Cooper was scratched from Thursday's lineup due to illness, but it seems the issue has now subsided. The 32-year-old has been on a tear at the plate recently, batting .444 (12-for-27) with two homers and eight RBI across a seven-game hitting streak.

Young is starting at first base and batting eight Friday versus the Guardians.

With Cody Bellinger back in center field, Young has now made two straight starts at first base and three straight overall. The 27-year-old has a home run and a triple in his first two contests with the big club in 2023 after posting a 1.030 OPS with 13 homers at Triple-A Iowa. The lefty-swinging Young could be the preferred option at first base versus righties for the time being, with Trey Mancini playing there against southpaws.

Padlo cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.

He's no longer on the 40-man roster, but Padlo will remain in the Angels organization. The 26-year-old infielder is just 6-for-54 at the plate across parts of three seasons at the big-league level.

Guerrero went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 2-1 win over San Francisco.

Guerrero broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning with a 413-foot two-run shot that gave the Blue Jays all the offense they needed to pull out the win. The long ball was the third in the past five games for the slugger, who has gone 8-for-22 with six extra-base hits and nine RBI over the hot stretch. Prior to the impressive run, Guerrero had been batting .243 (18-for-74) with just one homer over his first 20 contests in June.

Raley went 2-for-3 with a solo homer and an additional run scored in Thursday's victory over the Diamondbacks.

Raley got the scoring started with a solo shot off Brandon Pfaadt in the first inning. It's Raley's 13th homer of the year, though just his third in his last 25 games. Still, the 28-year-old outfielder has been productive in that span -- he's gone 21-for-62 (.339) since the start of June. Raley's now slashing an impressive .276/.354/.573 with 40 runs scored, 30 RBI and eight stolen bases through 210 plate appearances this season.