MLB Player News

Merrifield went 1-for-5 with a solo home run during a 3-2 win over the Tigers in the second game of Friday's doubleheader.

After going 3-for-5 in the opener, Merrifield came through with his second homer of the season in the nightcap -- both of which have come in the last three games. The 29-year-old is now slashing .271/.354/.400 on the year, and the surprising power he displayed in 2017 appears to be returning along with warmer weather.

Solarte went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Friday's 8-5 win over the Yankees.

The 30-year-old now has five homers in 17 games to begin the season, with three of them coming in the last five contests. Solarte hit a career-high 18 home runs for the Padres last year, but the offseason change in league and home venue seems to have brought his power stroke to another level.

Forsythe (shoulder) may resume throwing Saturday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Forsythe was placed on the disabled list April 15, but it seems like the brief time off has already helped his ailing shoulder. It's unclear how far away he is from a full return, though his status following Saturday's throwing session should shed some light on the situation.

Marte is hitting fifth Friday against the Padres, Jody Jackson of FOX Sports Arizona reports.

Marte has been a staple in the two hole for much of the season, but he'll get moved down in the order after collecting just one hit in the past three games. It's unclear if this is a long-term switch or not, but if it is, this could hurt his run-scoring abilities and take away a few at-bats moving forward.

Marte went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in the Diamondbacks' 3-1 triumph over the Giants on Thursday.

Marte was riding a 10-game hitting streak coming into the Diamondbacks' homestand, but had gone 0-for-12 in the series before connecting on his first home run of the season in the seventh inning. After the brief drought at the plate, Marte's season batting line sits at an unremarkable .237/.266/.382 through 79 plate appearances, which may prompt manager Torey Lovullo to consider bumping the second baseman down from the No. 2 spot in the lineup.

Ngoepe was sent down to Triple-A Buffalo on Friday.

Ngoepe appeared in 12 games for Toronto over the first few weeks of the season but wasn't able to make an impact at the plate, going just 1-for-18 (.056 average) with one walk and 12 strikeouts. The infielder will head back to the minor leagues to get everyday at-bats while Lourdes Gurriel takes his place on the Blue Jays' active roster.

Barreto is 0-for-6 with three walks and five strikeouts in his two games since returning to Triple-A Nashville from a stint with the Athletics.

The 22-year-old recently spent time with the big-league club while Chad Pinder was sidelined with a knee injury, yet ended up logging just one at-bat during his nine days with the Athletics. He's had trouble making contact since returning to the Sounds, but he'll look to work his way back to the form that led to a solid .290/.339/.456 line, 15 home runs and 54 RBI over 111 games with Nashville in 2017.

Albies went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and three runs in Atlanta's 12-4 victory over the Mets on Thursday.

The talented 21-year-old stayed hot in logging yet another multi-hit outing, with the three runs scored bringing his total up to a National League-leading 19 on the young season. He's now slashing .316/.349/.646 with five home runs and while the early season sample size of 79 at-bats is still small, he has an .852 OPS over 292 at-bats dating back to last season. He certainly looks like the real deal, so keep rolling him out there with confidence.

Altuve went 3-for-4 with a walk, double, run scored and four RBI Thursday against the Mariners.

To no one's surprise, Altuve has been getting on base at an excellent rate to begin the season, as he's now hitting .342/.398/.392 in 79 at-bats. However, in that same span, he has failed to hit a home run and has only one stolen base on one attempt. To live up to his lofty draft price, those stats will have to increase but his pedigree and track record suggest his lack of production in those areas won't last long.

Estrada (hip) was activated from the disabled list at High-A Tampa on Wednesday, Dan Martin of the New York Post reports.

The 22-year-old had been out since suffering a gunshot wound in February. The injury did little to hamper him in his season debut, as he went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a pair of runs scored. It's interesting that he was activated by High-A Tampa since he was expected to open the season at Triple-A, though Estrada could get to that level soon if he continues to hit like this.