MLB Player News

Merrill went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Monday in a loss to the Cardinals.

San Diego was down 4-0 when Merrill took Kyle Gibson deep to left field for the first home run of his major-league career. The 20-year-old has gone 3-for-7 with two RBI over his past two games, so he may be settling in after starting the campaign with just two hits over his first 14 at-bats. Merrill has started all but one of San Diego's seven games so far, so the team appears to be giving him plenty of space to get accustomed to major-league pitching.

Wendle will start at second base and bat ninth in Monday's game versus the Tigers, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Wendle didn't make an appearance in the lineup or off the bench in the weekend series against the Brewers, but he will start the first game of a three-game set versus the Tigers. Jeff McNeil is receiving a day off.

Adames went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two walks in Sunday's victory over the Mets.

Adames went 0-for-4 in Milwaukee's season opener, but he recorded two hits in their second game and reached base four times a day later. He should have ample opportunities to knock in runs, as he hit fifth against the lone southpaw the Brewers have faced and cleanup against the two right-handers.

Kim went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run and two additional runs scored during Sunday's win over the Giants.

Kim ended up a triple short of hitting for the cycle Sunday and delivered his first home run of the 2024 campaign. He's gotten back on track after going 0-for-7 in the Padres' two-game Seoul Series, hitting 6-for-15 (.400) with four runs scored and a steal in four games since.

Abrams went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's loss to the Reds.

Abrams went deep for the first time this season, hitting a monster 429-foot home run to center off Nick Martinez. The 23-year-old needed 19 games last season before hitting his first homer, so it's encouraging to see him find the bleachers in the Nationals' first series of 2024. Abrams and his team now return to Washington for two home series against the Pirates and Phillies this week.

Ahmed is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Ahmed went 3-for-10 with a double and two RBI in the first three games of the season but will take a seat Sunday. Tyler Fitzgerald will step in at shortstop and bat ninth in the series finale.

Wade is out of the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Giants.

Wade has started at third base in four of San Diego's five games, but he'll head to the bench for Sunday's series finale. Graham Pauley will step in at the hot corner and bat eighth.

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.