MLB Player News

Church went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in Saturday's 11-9 loss to the Mariners.

The two teams combined for eight long balls in the wild, back-and-forth affair, and Church swung the biggest bat by slugging a solo shot off Bryan Woo in the first inning and a two-run homer off Cooper Criswell in the seventh, with a sacrifice fly in between. Church missed a chance to play hero in the ninth, however, grounding into a game-ending double play. The 25-year-old outfielder has four home runs on the season, and three of them have come in the last four games, boosting his slash line to .254/.300/.460 with three steals, 11 runs and 12 RBI in 23 contests.

O'Brien (3-1) blew the save and took the loss Saturday as the Cardinals fell 11-9 to the Mariners, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk in an inning of work. He struck out one and also hit a batter with a pitch.

There weren't many St. Louis pitchers who had success Saturday, and O'Brien wasn't immune to the malaise. The right-hander entered the game in the eighth inning with one out and runners on second and third to protect a 9-7 lead, but a Connor Joe single tied things up and stuck O'Brien with his second blown save of the year in nine chances. He then came back out for the ninth and loaded the bases before a Leo Rivas single put Seattle in front for good. The earned runs on O'Brien's ledger were his first of 2026, and despite the stumble he still boasts a 1.26 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 16:1 K:BB through 14.1 innings.

Liberatore came away with a no-decision in Saturday's 11-9 loss to the Mariners, coughing up five runs on eight hits -- including three home runs -- and a walk over 3.1 innings. He struck out three.

The two teams combined for eight homers on the afternoon, with Liberatore doing his part to fuel the offensive eruption before getting the hook after 64 pitches (47 strikes). It was the first time this season the southpaw has failed to last at least five innings in a start, but he's served up eight long balls in total over just 30.1 innings, leaving him with a 4.75 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 19:11 K:BB. Liberatore will look for his first win of 2026 in his next outing, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the Dodgers.

Pages was removed from Saturday's game against the Mariners with left hamstring tightness, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Pages went 3-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk before his hamstring forced him out of the game in the seventh inning. The Cardinals haven't provided any information on the severity of his injury, though they could be waiting for imaging results before sharing those details. Ivan Herrera and Yohel Pozo would likely split playing time behind the plate if Pages has to miss additional time.

Ozuna isn't in the Pirates' starting lineup Saturday versus Milwaukee.

Ozuna will take a seat after starting each of Pittsburgh's previous 10 games and batting .262 with two home runs and eight RBI over that span. The veteran slugger's bat may be beginning to perk up, but he still has a poor .487 OPS and 26.1 strikeout rate through 21 games on the campaign. Ryan O'Hearn is getting a day off his feet as the DH in Ozuna's stead Saturday.

Smith isn't in the starting lineup Saturday versus the Cubs due to a tight back, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Manager Dave Roberts explained that Smith's back is "a little tight" but said he expects the catcher to be back behind the plate Sunday. It doesn't sound like Smith is dealing with anything serious, but fantasy managers who roster the backstop will certainly be relieved if he does indeed miss just one game. Dalton Rushing is starting at catcher for the Dodgers in Smith's stead Saturday.

Harris (quadriceps) is batting fifth as the designated hitter in Saturday's game against Philadelphia.

Harris left Thursday's contest against Washington due to left quad tightness and was scratched from Friday's series opener versus the Phillies after originally being penciled in to start. However, there never seemed to be a concern that the outfielder was dealing with a serious issue, and Harris even doubled as a pinch hitter Friday. Atlanta seems to still be taking a cautious approach by having Harris DH instead of taking his usual spot in center field, but all signs point to the 25-year-old being good to go moving forward.

Pittsburgh recalled Sanders from Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday.

Sanders had a very brief stint with the big-league club in mid-April, getting into one game and allowing four runs over two-thirds of an inning. His call back to the majors Saturday corresponds with starter Braxton Ashcraft (personal) being placed on the bereavement/family medical emergency list. Sanders could be in for another short stint with the Pirates if Ashcraft isn't out beyond the seven-day maximum.

The Pirates placed Ashcraft (personal) on the bereavement/family medical emergency list Saturday.

Ashcraft had been scheduled to make his next start Monday versus St. Louis, but he'll miss that outing since he'll have to be inactive for at least three days while on the bereavement list. Pittsburgh called up reliever Cam Sanders from Triple-A Indianapolis to temporarily fill Ashcraft's spot on the 26-man roster. It's unclear who will slide into Ashcraft's rotation spot for what will likely be a spot start Monday.

Senga will start the second game of Sunday's doubleheader versus Colorado, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Senga was originally scheduled to start Saturday, but the game was postponed due to rain. Fantasy managers in weekly leagues who have Senga in their lineup won't lose a start, however, as the right-hander is slated to pitch in the second game of a doubleheader Sunday. Nolan McLean will make his regularly scheduled start in the matinee.