MLB Player News
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Konnor Griffin SS | PIT
Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Notches eighth steal
Griffin went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Diamondbacks.
Griffin's knock extended his hitting streak to eight games, a span in which he's gone 12-for-29 (.414) with five extra-base hits and two steals. The shortstop hasn't shown a ton of power yet, but everything else has looked pretty good so far. He's batting .266 with a .735 OPS, two home runs, 16 RBI, 13 runs scored, eight steals, five doubles and two triples across 31 contests. Griffin is striking out at a 28.1 percent clip, which could make him prone to some slumps during his rookie year, but it's not all that concerning given his overall body of work.
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Matt McLain 2B | CIN
Reds' Matt McLain: Smacks homer Wednesday
McLain went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional run scored during the Reds' 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Cubs on Wednesday.
McClain cut the Reds' deficit to 4-2 when he smacked a solo homer off Colin Rea in the fifth inning. The long ball broke McClain's six-game hitless streak (during which he went 0-for-17 with four strikeouts), and his home run Wednesday was his third of the season.
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Elly De La Cruz SS | CIN
Reds' Elly De La Cruz: Logs three RBI with zero hits
De La Cruz went 0-for-4 with three RBI during the Reds' 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Cubs on Wednesday.
The shortstop put the Reds on the board early when his groundout in the first inning brought TJ Friedl home. De La Cruz also played a key role in the Reds' ninth-inning rally, when his flyball to deep-right field was barely caught by Seiya Suzuki, but it was enough for the rare sacrifice fly to bring two runners home to give Cincinnati a 6-4 lead. It was the fourth time this season that De La Cruz logged at least three RBI in a game, and his 29 RBI is tied for ninth most in the majors this season.
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Jose Fernandez 1B | ARI
Diamondbacks' Jose Fernandez: Losing starts to Del Castillo
Fernandez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.
Fernandez will be on the bench for the second day in a row, with both of his absences coming against right-handed pitchers. Though Fernandez maintains a .775 OPS on the season compared to Adrian Del Castillo's .657 mark, the latter's standing as a left-handed batter could afford him most of the playing time at designated hitter. Arizona previously had regular at-bats against right-handed pitching available for both players between DH and catcher, but Gabriel Moreno's recent return from the injured list will limit Del Castillo's opportunities to pick up starts behind the dish moving forward.
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Jorge Mateo SS | ATL
Braves' Jorge Mateo: Nursing jammed thumb
Mateo was held out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners while he nurses a jammed thumb, Lindsay Crosby of BravesToday.com reports.
The injury looks to be minor, but it was enough that Atlanta felt compelled to call up Jim Jarvis from Triple-A Gwinnett to make his MLB debut at shortstop Wednesday. Atlanta is idle Thursday, so Mateo will receive at least a couple days of rest. Mateo had started six straight games before being left out of the lineup Wednesday.
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Jorge Mateo SS | ATL
Braves' Jorge Mateo: Heading to bench Wednesday
Mateo is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.
After a six-game run as Atlanta's starting shortstop, Mateo will cede the position to Jim Jarvis in the latter's MLB debut. With Mauricio Dubon seeing more time in the outfield of late in the wake of Ronald Acuna's (hamstring) recent move to the injured list, Mateo could continue to see the bulk of the playing time at shortstop in the short term. Mateo is likely to pivot into more of a utility role once Ha-Seong Kim (finger) is back from the IL, however.
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Xander Bogaerts SS | SD
Padres' Xander Bogaerts: Resting up Wednesday
Bogaerts is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.
Bogaerts had started every game dating back to April 12, so manager Craig Stammen likely viewed Wednesday's afternoon contest as an opportune time to give the veteran infielder a breather. With Bogaerts on the bench, Fernando Tatis will cover second base and Sung-Mun Song will start at shortstop.
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Jim Jarvis SS | ATL
Braves' Jim Jarvis: Receives first big-league call-up
Atlanta selected Jarvis' contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.
Outfielder Jose Azocar was designated for assignment in order to clear room on the 40-man roster for Jarvis, who will be making his MLB debut if and when he gets into a game. Though he's primarily been used at shortstop during his minor-league career, Jarvis has experience at second base and third base and is likely to serve as a utility infielder for Atlanta. Jarvis has shown excellent contact skills, plate discipline and speed during his time with Gwinnett this season, posting a .305/.418/.445 batting line while notching 15 steals in 17 attempts over 153 plate appearances.
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Jordan Lawlar LF | ARI
Diamondbacks' Jordan Lawlar: Doing baseball activities
Lawlar is doing as much baseball activity as possible without using his fractured right wrist, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo indicated the plan is to have a bat in Lawlar's hands in about two weeks. Lawlar is currently on the 60-day injured list and can return June 3 at the earliest.