MLB Player News

Hedges went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a solo home run and two additional runs scored in Saturday's 14-6 win over the A's.

The backup catcher belted his first homer of the season in the third inning off Jacob Lopez, and the three extra-base hits were a career high for a single game. Hedges has been surprisingly productive this season in limited playing time, slashing .325/.364/.500 over 40 plate appearances with three RBI and 10 runs.

Abreu went 2-for-3 with an RBI single and two walks during the Red Sox's 6-3 loss to the Astros on Saturday.

Abreu reached base safely in four of five plate appearances Saturday, and he reduced Boston's deficit to 6-2 in the seventh frame after his single to right field brought Willson Contreras home. Abreu is up to 13 multi-hit games on the season, five of which have come over his last eight games. In that eight-game span, he has gone 11-for-30 (.367) with one steal, six walks, one home run, three RBI and four runs scored.

Ramirez went 1-for-6 with a double, a run scored, two RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 14-6 win over the A's.

The steal was Ramirez's AL-leading 13th of the season and the 300th of his MLB career, making him just the second player in Cleveland franchise history to reach that milestone after Kenny Lofton. Ramirez also has 291 career homers, putting him weeks away from becoming the ninth member of the exclusive 300-300 club -- a group that includes Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Andre Dawson and Carlos Beltran, as well as Alex Rodriguez and the father and son duo of Bobby and Barry Bonds. Steve Finley and Reggie Sanders round out the list. Through 34 games this season, Ramirez is slashing .214/.336/.421 with six homers, 14 RBI and 20 runs.

Raleigh (undisclosed) is no longer in the Mariners' starting lineup against the Royals on Saturday.

The Mariners have yet to announce why Raleigh was removed from the lineup, but it will be Mitch Garver who will start behind home plate and bat eighth in Saturday's contest. Raleigh has struggled to a .186/.272/.380 slash line with two steals, seven home runs and 18 RBI across 147 plate appearances this season.

Cecconi (1-4) picked up the win Saturday, giving up five runs on 10 hits over 5.1 innings in a 14-6 rout of the A's. He struck out three without walking a batter.

The right-hander served up a pair of homers to Shea Langeliers to account for most of the damage against him, but Cleveland's offense dominated from the fifth inning onward to get Cecconi into the win column. Cecconi's been tagged for at least four earned runs in three straight starts and five of seven this season, saddling him with a 6.56 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 28:13 K:BB through 35.2 innings. As yet, there's been no suggestion his rotation spot is in jeopardy, but he made need to turn things around soon to avoid getting bumped. Cecconi lines up to make his next start on the road next week in Kansas City.

Contreras went 1-for-4 with a sacrifice fly and a run scored during the Red Sox's 6-3 loss to the Astros on Saturday.

Contreras got the Red Sox on the board with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning, and he extended his hitting streak to seven games with a single in the seventh frame. Over that seven-game span, Contreras has gone 9-for-26 (.346) with three home runs, nine RBI and seven runs scored. He is up to 21 RBI on the season, which is tied for 10th-most in the American League.

Early (2-2) took the loss against the Astros on Saturday, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks while striking out three across four innings.

Early started out slowly by yielding one run on three baserunners in the first inning. He kept the Astros off the board over the next two frames but was tagged with four runs in the fourth, highlighted by a three-run long ball by Brice Matthews. It was the first time this season (in seven starts) that Early gave up more than three earned runs, and he now sits at a 3.79 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 31:17 K:BB across 35.2 innings. He's slated to start next week at home against the Rays.

Correa went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and a run scored during the Astros' 6-3 win over the Red Sox on Saturday.

Correa gave the Astros a 5-0 lead in the fifth inning after his single off Connelly Early brought Cam Smith home. It was the 10th multi-hit game of the season for Correa, five of which have come over his last 10 games. He has reached base safely in six straight games, going 9-for-24 (.375) with two home runs, three RBI and five runs scored over that span.

Matthews went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk during the Astros' 6-3 victory over the Red Sox on Saturday.

Matthews gave Houston a 4-0 run lead after belting a three-run long ball to center field off Connelly Early. It was the third home run of the season for Matthews, two of which have come over his last five games. In that five-game span, he has gone 9-for-21 (.429) with one steal, six RBI and four runs scored. Matthews has enjoyed more playing time in the outfield as of late due to the absences of Joey Loperfido (quadriceps), Taylor Trammell (groin) and Jake Meyers (oblique), all of whom are on the Astros' 10-day injured list.

King earned his second save of the season Saturday against the Red Sox after retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth inning. He did not record a strikeout.

The Astros deployed Enyel De Los Santos across the fifth and sixth frames of Saturday's game, and manager Joe Espada opted to go with King over Bryan Abreu to protect the team's 6-3 lead in the ninth. King answered the call and needed just six pitches (four strikes) to retire the side. The Astros should continue to use a committee approach to closing duties between King, Abreu and De Los Santos until Josh Hader (biceps) is cleared to return from the 60-day injured list, the earliest of which would take place in late May.