MLB Player News

Cruz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Cruz started the first three games of the season and will receive Sunday off after going 5-for-14 with a home run, two RBI, three runs and six strikeouts. Alika Williams will step in at shortstop and bat eighth in the series finale at Miami.

Swanson went 1-for-2 with a walk and a two-run home run in Saturday's loss to the Rangers.

Swanson's second-inning blast, his first of the year, ended up being Chicago's only offense in an 11-2 blowout loss. The shortstop has hit 20 or more long balls in each of the last three seasons, and he should be able to reach that plateau again in 2024 assuming he stays healthy. Swanson remains a strong fantasy asset in the middle infield.

Betts went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, a double, two walks and three total runs in Saturday's extra-inning loss to the Cardinals.

Betts is on an absolute heater to begin the campaign, as he's homered in four straight contests and has reached base an absurd 18 times through 25 plate appearances. His long ball Saturday came in the clutch, pulling the Dodgers to within one run in the ninth inning against Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley. Betts is already paying huge dividends for fantasy managers who made a big investment in him in fantasy drafts -- he leads all players in homers (four), RBI (10) and walks (seven) while posting an astronomical 2.109 OPS through the Dodgers' first five games.

Abrams went 1-for-2 with a triple, three walks, three runs scored and three stolen bases in Saturday's 7-6 win over the Reds.

After an 0-for-4, two-strikeout showing in his 2024 debut, Abrams was a menace in the second game of the series. The 23-year-old notched a couple steals against Reds starter Hunter Greene and added another against Cincinnati's closer, Alexis Diaz. Abrams was only caught four times in 51 attempts last year, and the Reds didn't make it particularly close on any of his three steal attempts Saturday.

Winn isn't in the Cardinals' lineup Saturday against the Dodgers, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Winn went 2-for-3 and came around to score during Friday's 6-3 defeat, and he'll begin Saturday's contest in the dugout. Brandon Crawford will pick up a start at shortstop and bat eighth while Winn rests.

Rojas went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-3 win against the Cardinals.

With Los Angeles going up against lefty Zack Thompson, Rojas logged his first start of the campaign while Gavin Lux got the night off. Rojas made the most of the opportunity, gathering two hits, including a solo homer to left field in the seventh inning. The veteran is slated to get regular starts at shortstop when Los Angeles goes up against lefty starters, but it's not expected to be a straight platoon with Lux, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.

Betts went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Friday's 6-3 win over the Cardinals.

Betts got the Dodgers started early Friday, belting his third home run of the season off Zack Thompson to lead off the bottom of the first inning. The 31-year-old Betts is off to a torrid start this season, going 8-for-14 with four extra-base hits and nine RBI through four games. He looks poised for a massive season while leading off in front of Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.

Arcia went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a run scored in Friday's 9-3 win over the Phillies.

The veteran shortstop hit the ground running in 2024 as part of a 13-hit attack for Atlanta in its opener. Arcia is coming off a career-best campaign that saw him slash .264/.321/.420 with 17 homers, 65 RBI and 66 runs, and even from the bottom half of the order -- he batted eighth Friday against Zack Wheeler -- he's capable of delivering solid production in a stacked lineup.

Merrill is not in the lineup Friday against the Giants.

Merrill started in center field Thursday, and he finished 0-for-2 with one run, one walk and one strikeout while batting ninth. With left-hander Kyle Harrison starting for the Giants on Friday, Jose Azocar will play center field and bat ninth.

Wade is not in the Padres' lineup Friday against the Giants.

With the Giants starting left-hander Kyle Harrison on Friday, Eguy Rosario will draw the start at third base and bat eighth. Wade was the third baseman Thursday and went 1-for-3 with one run, one RBI and one strikeout.