MLB Player News

Betts went 3-for-4 with a double and one RBI in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Phillies.

This was Betts' second three-hit game over his last four contests. The shortstop is hitting .209 (14-for-67) since he returned from an oblique strain. On the year, he's batting .200 with a .673 OPS, six homers, 16 RBI, 13 runs scored and three doubles over 103 plate appearances.

Kim isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Cincinnati.

Kim will grab a seat on the bench for a third consecutive game after going just 4-for-42 (.095) in 12 games since his return from the injured list. Jorge Mateo will start at shortstop for the third game in a row, and he could continue to get extra playing time while Atlanta waits for Kim to get on track after making his season debut a few weeks ago.

Griffin went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two stolen bases in Friday's 6-5 win over the Twins.

The 20-year-old rookie is up to 14 steals in 15 attempts through his first 50 big-league games. Griffin is more than holding his own at the plate as well, and through 24 contests in May he's slashing .301/.359/.452 with nine extra-base hits including two homers, nine RBI and 19 runs.

Lawlar (wrist) took live at-bats Friday, MLB.com reports.

Lawlar took live at-bats for the first time since suffering a fractured right wrist in early April, facing off against the rehabbing Corbin Burnes (elbow). Pending the outcome of Friday's activity, Lawlar could play in a complex game Saturday. He's projected to rejoin the Diamondbacks during the second week of June.

Perdomo went 3-for-6 with a solo home run, a double and three total runs scored in Friday's 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Mariners.

Perdomo's last long ball was May 1 versus the Cubs. In the 24 contests in between homers, he hit a meager .200 with five doubles and 11 RBI. The shortstop hasn't come close to replicating his breakout year from 2025 -- he's batting .232 with a .703 OPS, three homers, 21 RBI, 26 runs scored, nine doubles, three triples and eight stolen bases over 53 contests this season. While his numbers are down across the board, Perdomo still offers enough speed to be enticing in fantasy if he can get on base enough to use that skill.

Tovar went 2-for-4 with two home runs, four RBI, one walk, a stolen base and three runs scored in Friday's 8-6 win over the Giants.

Tovar stuffed the stat sheet in a big way during the come-from-behind win. He walked and stole home in the second inning, belted a two-run homer in the eighth and then swatted a walk-off, two-run homer in the ninth. They were Tovar's third and fourth homers of the season. It's been a tough month at the plate for Tovar, whose average bottomed out at .186 on May 6. Since then, he's 18-for-62 (.290) with three home runs, 11 RBI, eight runs scored, two stolen bases and a 6:14 BB:K across 19 games. He's pushed his season average to .220 with a .614 OPS in what has been a disappointing 2026 campaign for the 24-year-old shortstop. Tovar has an ugly second-percentile 43.9 percent chase rate.

Holliday will undergo surgery for a stress fracture in his left foot and miss the rest of the 2026 season, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Holliday underwent several examinations after being removed from Single-A Fresno's lineup last week due to a left foot injury. The injury is severe enough to require surgery and will sideline the 19-year-old prospect for the rest of the 2026 season. He'll end the season slashing .262/.395/.557 with one steal, two triples, nine home runs and 32 RBI across 152 plate appearances.

The Dodgers optioned Kim to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Even though Enrique Hernandez (oblique) is expected to miss a significant amount of time, the Dodgers were expected to go with Alex Freeland at second base over Kim, and Friday's transaction confirms that approach. Kim has a .651 OPS with five steals, one home run and 11 RBI across 130 major-league plate appearances this season, but since May 8 he's gone 8-for-46 (.174) with three RBI and 17 strikeouts. He'll have the chance to work on his approach at the plate in an everyday role in Triple-A.

Griffin (forearm) is serving as the designated hitter and batting sixth against the Twins on Friday, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.

Per Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Griffin has not been cleared to throw due to a right forearm flexor strain but has been given the green light to hit. Marcell Ozuna will see a dip in playing time while Griffin gets rep at DH, and Jared Triolo will see more starts at shortstop as well.

Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk told reporters Friday that Griffin is dealing with a muscle strain in his right forearm but has been cleared to serve as the team's designated hitter, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Griffin's forearm injury led to his absence from Thursday's lineup against the Cubs. The positive news is that the injury isn't severe enough for the 20-year-old shortstop to go on the injured list, but he has not been cleared to throw and will be restricted to hitting duties. As a result, Jared Triolo should see more time at shortstop, and Marcell Ozuna could see less playing time if the Pirates opt to use Griffin as the DH.