MLB Player News

Soto went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Royals.

Soto's fourth-inning blast was ultimately all the Mets needed to get the win. The outfielder has homered in back-to-back games and is now batting .316 (12-for-38) with three long balls and nine RBI over 11 contests in July. For the season, Soto's .265 batting average is nothing special, but he's getting on base at a .400 clip while slugging .515 over 95 games. He's added 23 homers, 56 RBI, 70 runs scored and 11 stolen bases for steady all-around production in his first year as a Met.

Diaz walked one and struck out one over two scoreless and hitless innings to earn the save in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Royals.

It's just the fourth time all season Diaz has been asked to go more than one inning, but he was fresh Sunday, as his last appearance was Tuesday. Diaz got the job done with 13 pitches in the eighth inning and a tidy nine-pitch ninth to secure his 19th save in 20 chances. He's added a stellar 1.66 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 55:13 K:BB through 38 innings this season.

Montas (2-1) allowed a run on four hits and struck out five without walking a batter over five-plus innings to earn the win Saturday over the Royals.

After allowing a total of 10 runs over his previous two starts, Montas was much better in this contest. He allowed just two hits over five innings but gave up back-to-back doubles before he was pulled in the top of the sixth. Reed Garrett preserved the Mets' lead, and Montas ended up with his second win in a row. Montas has pitched to a 5.03 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 17:4 K:BB over 19.2 innings across four starts since he returned from a right lat strain. Montas is expected to remain in the rotation after the All-Star break as the Mets await the returns of Paul Blackburn (shoulder) and Tylor Megill (elbow).

Muncy (knee) has begun using a stationary bike, and manager Dave Roberts said Friday that the third baseman is "trending really well," per MLB.com.

Muncy suffered a left knee bone bruise July 2 and was placed on the 10-day injured list the following day. He's likely to miss at least six weeks of action, so mid-August seems to be the earliest target for his return. Tommy Edman and Miguel Rojas have been handling duties at the hot corner while Muncy has been out.

Hoerner went 1-for-4 with a walk, a triple and a run scored in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Yankees.

For the second straight day, Hoerner batted leadoff, and he started the game with a triple before coming around to score. Chicago's regular leadoff hitter, Ian Happ, got the night off Friday and then slid down to seventh in the order Saturday. Happ is batting just .227 with a .324 on-base percentage, while Hoerner is hitting .286 with a .334 on-base percentage. It could just be a temporary change to get the slumping Happ going, but if Hoerner sticks atop the lineup, he could get a boost in fantasy value batting ahead of dangerous run producers Kyle Tucker, Seiya Suzuki and Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Happ went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Yankees.

Happ had been struggling before Saturday, as this was his first multi-hit effort since June 25. In 13 games since then, the outfielder had gone 4-for-51 with 15 strikeouts before recording two singles in the Bronx. Happ was also bumped down to seventh in the order Saturday, which was his first time batting anywhere except leadoff for the Cubs all season. Overall, the 30-year-old is now hitting .227 with a .699 OPS across 85 games in what's been a down year so far.

Musgrove (elbow) has extended his throwing distance while playing catch to 120 feet, per MLB.com.

Musgrove began playing catch in early April and has gradually extended his throwing distance since then. The veteran hurler also played catch off the mound Wednesday, though it wasn't a standard throwing session. Musgrove continues to progress from the Tommy John surgery he underwent last October, but he's not expected to be ready to pitch in games again until 2026.

Herrera isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game versus the Angels.

After collecting a base hit and an RBI in each of his last two starts, Herrera will step out of the starting nine Saturday while James McCann catches for Zac Gallen and bats seventh.

Norby isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Baltimore due to left hand soreness, Nate Karzmer of FishOnFirst.com reports.

Norby has collected a base hit in each of his last five games, but he'll take a day off Saturday to recover from a hand injury that popped up during his final plate appearance Friday. Javier Sanoja will get the nod to start at third base instead while batting ninth.

Palencia retired the only two batters he faced with one strikeout to earn the save during Saturday's 5-2 win over the Yankees.

Up 5-0 going into the ninth inning, the Cubs turned to their closer after Brad Keller allowed two runs and another baserunner. Palencia shut the door from there, picking up a strikeout and getting a grounder to end the game. Since blowing a save opportunity May 19 in Miami, the 25-year-old has converted 11 straight save chances. With one game left before the All-Star break, the right-hander has a 1.62 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 38 strikeouts in 33.1 innings pitched.