MLB Player News

Bender worked a scoreless seventh inning without a walk or a strikeout to record his eighth hold of the season in Tuesday's win over the Pirates.

The right-hander entered the game to protect a 3-0 lead and needed only nine pitches (seven strikes) to dispatch Pittsburgh's 5-6-7 hitters. Bender has a career-low 20.0 percent strikeout rate through 27.1 innings this season and a 10.0 percent walk rate that's just a tick below the career-worst 10.3 percent mark he posted in 2022, but he's generating enough weak contact to make it work, posting a 1.98 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. He hasn't recorded a save since April 1, however, and seems stuck in a setup role ahead of current top closing option Calvin Faucher.

Canario is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

Canario will be on the bench for the third game in a row, with all of his absences from the lineup coming against right-handed pitchers. Though Canario appeared to usurp Tommy Pham as the Pirates' preferred option in left field in early May, both players now look to be behind the hot-hitting Adam Frazier on the depth chart. Frazier is a left-handed hitter, so Canario or Pham will likely spell him in left field when the Pirates face southpaws.

Sanchez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Pittsburgh.

The left-handed-swinging Sanchez will get a breather against Pirates southpaw Bailey Falter. Heriberto Hernandez will start in right field and bat third for the Marlins.

Stowers is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in Pittsburgh.

The left-handed-hitting Stowers played the last two games after missing some time with a hand injury, but he'll grab a seat Wednesday as the Pirates send southpaw Bailey Falter to the bump. Javier Sanoja will cover left field and bat ninth for the Marlins.

Crow-Armstrong is not in the lineup for Wednesday's tilt in Philadelphia.

Crow-Armstrong will receive his first day off of the season after hitting just .219/.261/.406 over his last 16 games, albeit with three home runs and seven stolen bases during that span. Vidal Brujan will occupy center field and bat ninth for the Cubs.

Flores went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Rockies.

Flores hit two singles in the matchup, the second of which was an infield hit that drove in the game-tying run during the ninth inning. With that, the 33-year-old notched his 15th multi-hit game of the season, marking his second such performance over San Francisco's last four games. Flores has appeared in eight games in June, slashing .276/.364/.379 with four RBI, four runs scored, a home run and a 21.2 percent strikeout rate across 33 plate appearances.

Lee went 1-for-5 with a triple and two runs scored in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Rockies.

Lee began the game with a leadoff triple to right-center field before coming around to score. The 26-year-old also reached on a fielder's choice in the ninth and scored the game-tying run. Lee has now recorded at least one hit in four of his last five games, slashing .357/.474/.714 with five runs scored, four extra-base hits, one RBI and a 4:2 BB:K across 19 plate appearances during that span.

The Phillies designated Hernandez for assignment Wednesday.

Hernandez doesn't have any minor-league options remaining, so the Phillies had to remove him from their 40-man roster to clear a spot for right-hander Michael Mercado, who was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley in a corresponding move. After being claimed off waivers from the Royals in the spring, Hernandez had operated as a low-leverage reliever for Philadelphia this season, logging a 5.26 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and 23:13 K:BB in 25.2 innings. Any team willing to trade for or put in a waiver claim for the right-hander will have to assume the money remaining on his $1.16 million contract for 2025.

Marsh (elbow) is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Cubs, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Marsh was lifted from Tuesday's game after hyperextending his left elbow on a slide. It's no surprise he's sitting out Wednesday's matinee, especially with a team off day looming Thursday. However, Marsh is expected to be available off the bench and should have a good shot to return to the lineup Friday versus the Blue Jays, per Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Johan Rojas will patrol center field and bat ninth for the Phillies on Wednesday.

The Phillies recalled Mercado from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.

Mercado will get his first call-up of the season after he previously made five appearances (two starts) for Philadelphia in 2024. After serving as a swingman between his stops in the minors and majors last season, Mercado has worked exclusively as a reliever for Lehigh Valley in 2025. Over his 17 appearances covering 20.1 innings, Mercado notched a 5.31 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 22:8 K:BB. He's likely to fill a lower-leverage role out of the Phillies bullpen.