MLB Player News

Haniger went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, a walk, three total RBI and two total runs Monday in a 9-3 win over the Reds.

Haniger batted cleanup as the Mariners' DH and drilled a two-run homer in the third inning along with a run-scoring double in the seventh. The slugger extended his hitting streak to six games, though this was his first multi-hit effort during that stretch. Haniger appears to be fully healthy this year following two straight injury-plagued campaigns, and he's had good results at the plate thus far, slashing .286/.375/.500 with three homers, 11 RBI and nine runs through 64 plate appearances.

Kirby (2-2) earned the win over Cincinnati on Monday, allowing two runs on five hits and no walks while striking out six batters over six innings.

Kirby was pounded for 13 runs over 7.2 frames across his previous two starts coming into Monday, but he managed to get back on the right track with a quality start and a victory. The right-hander induced 12 whiffs among his 60 strikes and racked up six punchouts after notching just five over his previous two outings combined. Kirby still has a poor 6.64 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over 20.1 innings on the season, but he has two quality starts among his four appearances.

Ruiz hit a solo home run in his lone plate appearance in a loss to the Cardinals on Monday.

Ruiz was recalled from Triple-A prior to the contest and entered as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning. He produced Oakland's only run of the game when he smashed a 406-foot solo shot off Cardinals reliever JoJo Romero. It was a bit baffling when the A's sent Ruiz to the minors April 1, as he had gone 3-for-7 with a stolen base over his first three games. He played well during his Triple-A stint, slashing .326/.423/.581 with seven thefts in eight tries and showed more than his usual amount of power with three long balls. He probably isn't going to suddenly become a home-run hitter, but that's fine with most fantasy managers who hung onto him during his demotion -- after Ruiz racked up an AL-leading 67 thefts as a rookie last year, he figures to be a difference-maker in that category (if given enough playing time) now that he's back in the big leagues.

Stripling (0-4) took the loss against St. Louis on Monday, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four batters over 5.2 innings.

Though Stripling picked up his fourth straight loss to begin the campaign -- tied with Luis Castillo for most in the league -- he at least managed to improve upon the six-run, 11-hit performance he posted his previous time on the mound. The right-hander gave up a season-low six hits Monday and came one out away from a quality start, but he garnered only one run of support from Oakland's offense. Stripling has given the A's decent length this season by averaging nearly six innings per start, but he's well off the fantasy radar in standard leagues given his poor overall numbers.

Trout went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run during Monday's 7-3 win over the Rays.

Trout got the Angels on the board with a two-run homer in the eighth as part of a five-run inning, giving the Halos the lead and eventual victory. During his last eight games, Trout is batting 11-for-32 (.344) with four home runs and seven runs scored.

Ramirez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run batted in during Monday's 7-3 loss to the Angels.

Ramirez provided all three of Tampa Bay's runs, plating Jose Siri on a fielder's choice in the fifth inning before launching a two-run homer off Matt Moore in the eighth. The long ball was Ramirez's first of 2024, and just his second extra-base hit through 62 at-bats. In 15 games, Ramirez is slashing .258/.258/.323 with nine runs scored.

Ward went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored during Monday's 7-3 win over the Rays.

Ward launched his third homer of the last four games and extended his hit streak to eight consecutive games. The long ball plated Anthony Rendon in the ninth inning and gave closer Carlos Estevez four runs of cushion. Ward might be headed toward a breakout campaign, being tied for fourth in the majors in home runs (six) with an impressive .313/.333/.612 slash line through 16 games.

Sandoval didn't factor into the decision Monday, allowing one run on four hits and two walks across five innings against Tampa Bay. He struck out three.

Sandoval fared much better in his second go-around with the Rays on Monday, allowing one run after surrendering four (three earned) against them on April 9. However, his efforts didn't translate into the win column as the Halos didn't get on the board until the eighth frame. The southpaw owns a 4.67 ERA through four starts and has yet to allow a home run in 17.1 innings of action. He's scheduled for a Saturday start against the Reds at Great American Ball Park.

Eflin didn't factor into the decision Monday, allowing six hits and no walks with five strikeouts over 6.1 innings against the Angels.

Eflin got his revenge against the Angels on Monday, holding them scoreless after allowing five runs in five innings against them on April 8. The 30-year-old has yielded mixed results through four starts, giving up at least five earned runs twice while surrendering one run over 12.2 innings during his other pair of starts. Despite the inconsistencies, Eflin's command has been impeccable, with two walks allowed in 23.1 innings. Eflin's projected for a start against the Yankees on Saturday.

Lorenzen (1-0) allowed zero runs on three hits while walking five to earn the win in Monday's 1-0 victory over the Tigers. He struck out four.

Lorenzen struggled with his control (46 strikes on 79 pitches), but a five-inning shutout is about as good of a result as the Rangers could have hoped to get from him in his team debut. He was able to end his night on a high note by induced an inning-ending double play in the bottom of the fifth. The veteran righty signed with the Rangers in late March after coming off a career-high 153 innings split between the Tigers and Phillies last season. He'll likely have a longer leash in his next start with Texas, which is expected to come over the weekend in Atlanta.