MLB Player News

Santander isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the Mariners.

Santander will get a breather during Friday's series opener after going 5-for-14 with a homer and four RBI during Toronto's previous series in Anaheim. His absence will put George Springer in the DH spot while Jonatan Clase picks up a start in left field, batting ninth.

Bryant successfully underwent ablation surgery on his back Thursday, Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com reports.

Bryant will rest for the next 72 hours, and he's expected to return to Denver next weekend to start building strength in his back. He'll likely need several weeks to recover from the procedure and is without a timeline for a return. Bryant played just 11 games before landing on the injured list in mid-April, going 6-for-39 with one RBI and a 31.7 percent strikeout rate.

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

Lewis made his season debut Tuesday and started all three games against the Orioles, going 0-for-9 with one strikeout and one walk. He'll get a breather against Giants right-hander Jordan Hicks. Brooks Lee is making the start at third base and batting in the cleanup spot for Minnesota.

Devers said Thursday that he declined a request from team management to play first base, Ken Powtak of MLB.com reports. "They had the conversation with me," Devers said through a team interpreter. "I don't think, for me personally, it's the best decision after they asked me to play a different position."

Alex Cora had previously indicated he wasn't even going to ask Devers if he would be willing to move from designated hitter to first base, and instead, the manager allowed Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow to make the request. After a slow start to the season, Devers has been locked in at the plate since late April, going 18-for-47 with four home runs, four doubles, 11 RBI and eight runs scored over the last 12 games. Devers' insistence on not switching positions leaves Boston without a clear starter at first base in the wake of a season-ending knee injury to Triston Casas.

Diaz went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run Thursday against the Phillies.

Diaz slotted into the leadoff spot for the second straight game since returning from a hip injury -- both of which came against lefties. He popped his sixth home run of the season in the seventh inning, his third in his last seven games. Diaz now has a .174 ISO across 163 plate appearances, which would be good for the second-highest mark of his career.

Malloy went 3-for-5 with a double, a walk, four RBI and one run scored across both games of Thursday's doubleheader sweep over the Rockies.

Malloy got a rare start in right field in the day game, and he went 2-for-4 and with an RBI single in the third inning. He added a three-run double late in the nightcap. Malloy has mostly functioned as a short-side platoon option, sharing right field with lefty-hitting Zach McKinstry and Kerry Carpenter. Prior to Thursday, Malloy had gone 0-for-12 with three walks over his previous nine games. He's hitting .200 with one home run, 12 RBI, 10 runs scored and no stolen bases over 84 plate appearances.

Flores went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Cubs.

Following an 0-for-15 slump, Flores now has at least one hit in his last six games -- he's gone 9-for-24 (.375) with five RBI in that span. The 33-year-old Flores is now slashing .256/.308/.429 through 143 plate appearances this season with seven homers, 33 RBI and 17 runs scored.

The Cardinals optioned Baker to Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday.

Baker has played sparingly as the short side of a platoon at designated hitter, slashing .235/.366/.324 over 41 plate appearances. The Cardinals have not announced a corresponding move, but it will likely involve activating Ivan Herrera (knee) from the 10-day injured list prior to Friday's game against the Nationals.

Pederson went 2-for-2 with a double and a walk in Wednesday's 6-4 loss to Boston.

Pederson recorded multiple hits for a second straight game and is a combined 4-for-5 with two doubles, one walk and an RBI in the first two games of the series with the Red Sox. It's just the second time all season he's hit safely in consecutive contests. He still has a way to go to dig out of an epic season-starting slump -- his average was .052 on April 22 -- but Pederson is batting .281 (9-for-32) over the last 12 games, and the bat is showing signs of life.

Bryant (back) will undergo an ablation procedure Thursday to help aid in his recovery from a lumbar degenerative disc disease, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

An updated return timeline will likely come out after Bryant goes under the knife, though he will presumably need several weeks to recover before starting up his rehab. The 33-year-old has been on the injured list since mid-April and was slashing just .154/.195/.205 when healthy.