MLB Player News

Calhoun went 3-for-4 with a double and a run Friday in a 6-0 win against the Guardians.

Calhoun started at DH and batted cleanup in his first action with Los Angeles after being called up from Triple-A on Wednesday. The veteran was productive in his first game with the big club, and he scored the team's second run following a fourth-inning double. With Miguel Sano (knee) and Anthony Rendon (hamstring) among a bevy of Angels on the injured list, Calhoun could see semi-regular starts at designated hitter, though manager Ron Washington has shifted various players into the DH role throughout the campaign.

Ramirez went 3-for-5 with a run scored Friday against the Mets.

Ramirez has started to see his playing time slip with righties on the mound, but he hit third in the order with lefty Jose Quintana starting for the Mets. Ramirez took advantage of the opportunity by recording multiple hits for the third time in his last 15 starts. Ramirez has only one home run across 115 plate appearances for the season, but he has 13 runs scored and 10 RBI.

The Cubs optioned Mervis to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday.

Mervis was called up to the big club April 23 after a strong start in Triple-A, where he slashed .288/.402/.606 with six doubles, five home runs and 13 RBI over 82 plate appearances with Iowa. That hasn't translated to the majors, as he's gone 3-for-26 with three RBI and eight strikeouts over nine games, and manager Craig Counsell noted that Mervis needs to go "back to the drawing board" in Triple-A, per Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. The Cubs called up infielder Miles Mastrobuoni in a corresponding move.

Pederson started at designated hitter and went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored in Friday's 7-1 loss to the Padres.

Pederson had one of Arizona's three hits, a leadoff double in the fifth inning, and came in to score the team's lone run on a Eugenio Suarez single. Pederson leads the Diamondbacks in average (.318), on-base percentage (.447) and slugging (.515), but he's not an everyday starter. He serves as the primary DH against right-handers and has just four plate appearances against southpaws.

O'Hearn went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in Friday's 3-0 win over the Reds.

O'Hearn has hit safely in his last six games, going 8-for-19 (.421) in that span. The homer was his first since April 16, but the 30-year-old continues to demolish right-handed pitching. He's up to a .307/.381/.573 slash line with five homers, 11 RBI, 13 runs scored, three doubles and a triple over 84 plate appearances this season. He should continue to see a strong-side platoon role, mainly as the designated hitter but also with occasional looks in the corner outfield or at first base.

Manager Alex Cora said Friday that Yoshida will get a second opinion on his strained left thumb, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Cora previously said Thursday that Yoshida may need to undergo surgery on his thumb after straining it during Sunday's win over the Cubs, but the 30-year-old will wait to hear from another doctor before determining the best course of action. Yoshida has slashed .275/.348/.388 with 11 RBI across 89 plate appearances this season, and an update on his status should be available within the next several days.

Langford is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Royals.

Langford started the previous 15 games and will receive a day to reset after he posted a .542 OPS during that stretch. Travis Jankowski will bat eighth as the designated hitter Friday for Texas.

Velazquez is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Rangers.

Velazquez has been less and less of an everyday option for the Royals as the team continues to trot out lineups with Salvador Perez as first base, Vinnie Pasquantino at DH and Freddy Fermin behind the dish. Velazquez hasn't done much to warrant an everyday role after starting the season red hot, managing just one hit in his last 27 at-bats.

Florial is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Angels.

Florial will get a rare off day against a right-handed pitcher, with Jose Ramirez filling in at DH and Gabriel Arias playing third against the Angels' Jose Soriano. Time on the bench against RHP could become more common though, as Florial has stumbled to a .196 batting average and a 40.6 percent strikeout rate through 20 games and 64 plate appearances.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Friday that Sanchez (hamstring) is not yet 100 percent but is "good to go" and will be available off the bench, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Eric Haase is on the Brewers' taxi squad just in case, but it doesn't appear at this point that the team plans to add him to the active roster. Sanchez had to be removed from Tuesday's game against the Rays with right hamstring tightness, but it sounds like he could pinch hit Friday, if needed.