MLB Player News

De La Cruz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-3 win over the Rangers.

De La Cruz took left-hander MacKenzie Gore deep in the sixth inning to give the Reds a brief lead. It was the switch hitter's third home run of the season and second as a right-handed batter against a lefty. Historically, De La Cruz has been more productive from the left side (.846 OPS) than the right (.616). Of his 63 career home runs, only 15 have come when batting from the right side.

Kelly (back) allowed two hits and two walks while striking out two over five scoreless innings for Triple-A Reno on Friday.

Kelly made his first -- and perhaps only -- rehab start Friday and threw 72 pitches (40 strikes). That puts him in range to be activated next week. If Arizona chooses to bring him back, Kelly's five-day schedule lines him up to pitch next Wednesday against the Yankees in New York.

Harvey (0-1) allowed three runs on two hits and a walk while retiring just two batters in relief to take the loss Friday against the Guardians.

Both of the hits Harvey allowed left the yard, as he served up a solo home run to Gabriel Arias and a two-run shot to Chase DeLauter in the seventh inning in an eventual 4-1 defeat for the Cubs. The righty reliever had tossed 2.1 scoreless frames across his first two appearances with his new team, but Friday was a step backward. Harvey should be able to rebound, and he's still positioned as a key setup arm in Chicago ahead of closer Daniel Palencia.

Rea allowed one run on four hits across 3.1 innings of relief in Friday's 4-1 loss to the Guardians. He walked one and struck out four.

Rea entered in the second inning after starter Cade Horton (forearm) departed early. After the game, the Cubs announced that Horton will be headed to the injured list, which will open up a rotation spot at least temporarily. Rea made 27 regular-season starts for Chicago last year and has 103 career starts at the MLB level, so he certainly has the experience to slide in if needed. Ben Brown is also an option to make starts, though the Cubs have not announced their plans for Horton's spot yet.

Sewald (0-1) was tagged with the loss Friday, allowing two runs on two hits while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning in a 2-0 loss to Atlanta.

Sewald entered a scoreless game in the top of the ninth inning and ceded back-to-back home runs. It was the first hiccup in four outings for Sewald, who had not allowed a baserunner in his first three appearances.

Crow-Armstrong went 1-for-3 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 4-1 loss to the Guardians.

With Cleveland starting lefty Joey Cantillo, Crow-Armstrong slid down to eighth in the order, but he still managed to make an impact. The speedy outfielder has stolen three bases through seven games and is batting a respectable .269, but his .629 OPS reflects a lack of power so far. Friday's double was the first extra-base hit of the season for Crow-Armstrong, who is still in search of his first 2026 home run after going deep 31 times during the regular season last year.

Tawa went 0-for-2 with a walk in Friday's 2-0 loss to Atlanta.

Tawa started in left field in Arizona's first game without Jordan Lawlar (wrist), who is expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks. Tawa is expected to share duties with Jorge Barrosa for now, but eventually left field will be the landing spot for Lourdes Gurriel (knee). Gurriel will initially serve as a DH but should be ready for the field at some point in May.

Lindor went 2-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored in Friday's 10-3 win over the Giants.

Lindor had gone 0-for-9 with four walks over his previous three games. He's had a good eye so far, posting a 10:5 BB:K through eight contests, but the shortstop is batting just .185 after his second multi-hit game of the year. Slow starts are nothing new for Lindor, so fantasy managers should continue to have patience until he's able to get things to click. As long as Lindor continues to rack up steals, he has 30-30 potential while also being in a good position as the leadoff hitter for a talented lineup.

Bichette went 3-for-5 with a double, one RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 10-3 win over the Giants.

This was Bichette's first multi-hit effort as a Met. The infielder is batting just .194 over eight games, but he has an extra-base hit in each of the last two contests and has struck out just twice over his last five games after fanning eight times in the first three games of the season. His speed has been down for three years, so he's unlikely to make noise on the basepaths, which makes it all the more important for Bichette to make hard and consistent contact while maintaining good plate discipline from the No. 3 spot in the order.

Semien went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in Friday's 10-3 win over the Giants.

Semien logged just his second multi-hit effort of the season. It included a fourth-inning homer, his first of the campaign and his first extra-base hit since Opening Day. The second baseman is still batting just .214 despite the big game, but his struggles have yet to cost him playing time. Semien was limited to 15 homers in 127 regular-season games for the Rangers last season, but he had hit at least 23 long balls while playing in at least 159 games in each of the previous four campaigns. Semien's sub-.700 OPS marks in each of the last two years are discouraging, especially since age is not on the side of the 35-year-old for a potential bounce-back year. He'll need to hit better if he's going to move up from the No. 7 spot in the order he's occupied for the first week of the season.