MLB Player News

Kelly is absent from the lineup for Friday's game against the Mariners.

Kelly had started each of the previous two contests but will get a breather for the series opener versus Seattle. Reese McGuire is catching and batting ninth for the Cubs on Friday.

Loutos (1-0) picked up the win Thursday against the Rockies, giving up an unearned run on one hit in the 11th inning. He struck out one.

The rookie right-hander allowed the automatic runner to score on a leadoff single by Michael Toglia, but Loutos prevented any further damage and then fell into his first career MLB win when James Wood walked it off with a two-run homer in the bottom of the 11th. Loutos has been effective in low-leverage spots for the Nationals since being claimed off waivers from the Dodgers earlier in June, posting a 2.25 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 2:2 K:BB in four innings for his new club.

Baez went 3-for-3 with two home runs Thursday and is slashing .311/.397/.689 with six long balls in 18 games since being promoted to Double-A Springfield.

Baez's physical tools compelled the Cardinals to select him in the second round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft, but it took until 2025 for him to finally show signs of a breakout. The 21-year-old has slashed .316/.402/.544 with 10 home runs and 25 stolen bases between High-A Peoria and Springfield this season, he's struck out at a 23.7 percent rate, which is a massive improvement on the 35.5 percent rate he had last year. He'll have to show he can continue improving his contact rate as he faces better pitching, but his raw power and speed give Baez intriguing fantasy potential.

Garcia went 3-for-4 with a double in Thursday's extra-innings win over the Rockies.

The knocks didn't produce any offense, but only because James Wood kept homering in front of him to clear the decks. Garcia has been locked in at the plate for over a month, slashing .327/.358/.525 in his last 106 plate appearances with 11 doubles, three homers, 14 runs and 18 RBI. The one blemish on his resume during that stretch has been his performance on the basepaths -- Garcia has stolen only one bag in five attempts during those 27 games after beginning the season with a perfect 6-for-6 showing.

Soto went 1-for-4 in Thursday's loss to Atlanta.

The first-inning single off Spencer Strider was the 1,000th hit of Soto's career, making him one of only 84 players in major-league history to reach that milestone before their 27th birthday. In fact, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, he's the only one with 1,000 hits, 800 walks and 200 homers before turning 27. Soto has begun to erase a sluggish start to his Mets tenure, slashing .310/.481/.621 through 17 games in June with five homers, 10 RBI and 16 runs.

Bender (1-5) took the loss Thursday against the Phillies, giving up one run on one hit in two-thirds of an inning.

After entering a 1-1 game with one out in the eighth inning, the right-hander left a 96.7 mph sinker over the middle of the plate that Kyle Schwarber crushed 428 feet to right-center field for the winning run. Bender hasn't struck out a batter in five straight appearances, and all three of the homers he's served up this season have come in June. Over 6.1 innings this month, he's stumbled to a 7.11 ERA and 3:2 K:BB, although he has managed to collect four holds in seven trips to the mound.

Olson went 2-for-3 with two walks, two doubles, two runs scored and three RBI in Thursday's win over the Mets.

The first baseman continues to swing a hot bat in June. Olson has hit safely in 10 straight games, slashing .378/.467/.676 over that stretch with five doubles, two homers, seven runs and 14 RBI to go along with a rock-solid 7:7 BB:K.

Atlanta selected Fuentes' contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.

Fuentes will make his major-league debut Friday with a start in Miami. The 20-year-old began the season at the High-A level but was recently promoted to Gwinnett, and he has collected a 2.41 ERA and 23:4 K:BB over 18.2 innings covering his last four outings. It's expected to be just a spot start for Fuentes as Atlanta looks to give its regular rotation members some extra rest.

Lux went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 12-5 loss to the Twins.

The Twins raced out to a 7-2 lead by the third inning, but Lux responded with a two-run blast in the bottom of the inning. It was his third home run of the season and second during the month of June. He served as the designated hitter Thursday but has also received starts at left field (27), second base (nine) and third base (four). That versatility should serve Lux well when Cincinnati's injured players -- Austin Hays (foot), Noelvi Marte (oblique) and Jeimer Candelario (back) -- are ready to return.

Naylor went 1-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored in Thursday's 9-5 win over Toronto.

Naylor singled in the second inning and scored Arizona's first run when Eugenio Suarez homered one batter later. The single extended Naylor' hit streak to nine games, a stretch in which he's gone 16-for-36 (.444) with five extra-base hits, 10 RBI and nine runs scored. He later walked in the sixth, stole a base and scored on a sacrifice fly. The steal was his 10th in 72 contests, matching the career high he established in 2023 across 121 games while a member of the Guardians.