MLB Player News

Cruz (back) entered Friday's game against the Phillies in the ninth inning as a pinch hitter and struck out.

Cruz made his first appearance since May 10 due to lower-back tightness. He was originally deemed day-to-day, and he may be ready to re-enter the lineup Saturday after sitting for the start of the last five contests.

Singer (5-2) earned the win in Friday's victory over Cleveland, giving up three earned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out four batters across five innings.

Cincinnati's offense gave Singer a 5-0 lead to work with after three innings Friday, and although he gave up a two-RBI single to Carlos Santana in the fourth and a solo homer to Bo Naylor in the fifth, the 28-year-old right-hander did enough to keep the Reds in front. With a 5.01 ERA and 1.31 WHIP through his first nine starts, Singer isn't quite the most reliable starter in the majors, but he'll at least have a favorable matchup during his next outing in Pittsburgh.

The Mets reinstated Mauricio (knee) from the injured list Saturday and optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse.

Mauricio missed all of last season while recovering from a torn ACL that required multiple surgeries to repair. With the 20 days on his rehab assignment up, the 24-year-old infielder will report to Syracuse after playing 10 rehab games between Single-A and Double-A, during which he went just 4-for-32 at the plate.

The Mets optioned Nunez to Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday.

Nunez will be sent to the minors as the roster casualty necessary to make room for Jose Castillo, who was acquired by the Mets in a trade with Arizona on Thursday. Nunez allowed three earned runs in 3.2 innings during his time in the big leagues.

Heaney didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 8-4 loss to the Phillies after giving up one earned run on four hits and three walks while striking out two batters in five innings.

Heaney was on his way to taking home the win before the Pirates' bullpen gave up the lead in the seventh inning. The 33-year-old southpaw still dropped his ERA to 3.02 with his performance and will now look to pick up his first win since April 23 when he faces the Reds at home next week.

Arraez went 3-for-4 with a double in Friday's 5-1 loss to the Mariners.

The Padres managed only eight hits in total, while the three batters behind Arraez in the order went a combined 0-for-11, so the 28-year-old's knocks didn't lead to any offense. Arraez is finding his groove in May, recording four three-hit performances in 13 games while producing a .298/.333/.368 slash line with six RBI and nine runs.

Kolek (2-1) took the loss Friday, coughing up five runs on eight hits -- including three home runs -- and a walk over five-plus innings. He struck out four.

After blanking the Pirates and Rockies over 14.1 innings in his first two starts since being promoted at the beginning of May, the 28-year-old right-hander ran into trouble against a much better offense Friday. Kolek saw the first pitch he threw ripped down the right-field line for a solo shot by J.P. Crawford, and two-run homers by Rowdy Tellez in the fourth inning and Cal Raleigh in the sixth accounted for the rest of the damage off him. Kolek will take a 2.33 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 15:5 K:BB through his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road next week in Toronto.

Alvarado retired the final two batters of the ninth inning to collect a save in Friday's win over the Pirates.

The Phillies began the ninth inning with Daniel Robert on the mound in a non-save situation, but after the 30-year-old reliever walked in a run, Alvarado entered the game with an 8-4 lead and the bases loaded with one out. He needed just six pitches to put an end to Pittsburgh's late rally and pick up his seventh save of the young season. He now owns a 2.70 ERA and 1.20 WHIP through 20 frames.

Turang went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases in Friday's 3-0 loss to the Twins.

The second baseman very nearly manufactured a run by himself in the first inning, slapping a single to left field and then swiping second and third base, but the Brewers couldn't bring Turang home and never got another runner that close to scoring again. The 25-year-old is up to 11 steals on the year in 14 attempts while slashing .288/.365/.365 with three homers, 16 RBI and 32 runs in 42 games.

Patrick (2-4) took the loss Friday as the Brewers fell 3-0 to the Twins, giving up three runs on eight hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out two.

While the right-hander wasn't dominant, managing only six swinging strikes among his 88 pitches (59 total strikes), Patrick delivered his third quality start of the year. Brandon Woodruff (shoulder/ankle), Aaron Civale (hamstring) and Jose Quintana (shoulder) could all come off the IL before the end of the month, while prospect Jacob Misiorowski is knocking loudly on the door at Triple-A, so Patrick's hold on a rotation spot seems precarious despite a 3.35 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 38:15 K:BB through 48.1 innings this season. He's currently scheduled to make his next trip to the mound on the road next week in Pittsburgh.