MLB Player News

Benson started in right field and went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Friday's 5-4 win over the Guardians.

Benson took Tanner Bibee deep in the second inning with a three-run shot to put the Reds on the board early. It was his second straight game with a homer and three RBI. He's filling in for the injured Jake Fraley (calf) but is hitting like he could replace Fraley (.205 average, .678 OPS) as the lefty-hitting component in a right-field platoon. Since his call-up, Benson is 7-for-18 (.389) with two doubles, two homers, seven RBI, three walks, a steal and three runs scored over six contests.

Hays went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a stolen base in Friday's 5-4 win over Cleveland.

Hays' third-inning homer, which gave the Reds a 5-0 lead, turned out to be the game-winning hit. It was his sixth home run and first since coming off the injured list a week ago. After serving as the DH early in his return, Hays has played left field in three of his last four outings.

Friedl went 0-for-3 with a walk in Friday's 5-4 win over the Guardians.

Friedl returned to the lineup after missing two games with a wrist injury. He was back in the center field and at his usual leadoff spot.

Nelson will re-enter the Arizona rotation as a replacement for the injured Eduardo Rodriguez (shoulder) and is expected to make his next start Monday or Tuesday versus the Dodgers in Los Angeles, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Nelson made a spot start for last Monday against the Mets in place of Corbin Burnes, but the former had since shifted back to a relief role this week after Burnes didn't require a stint on the injured list. During that start, Nelson tossed 30 pitches, and he's been able to stay fairly stretched out while working out of the bullpen for much of the season, throwing at least 50 pitches in four of his nine relief outings. Manager Torey Lovullo said Friday that he's comfortable with Nelson working in the 65-to-70 pitch range for a couple of starts before ramping up beyond that, though it's not clear how long Nelson will be needed in the rotation. He currently holds a 5.13 ERA but a 3.93 xERA and a 16.1 K-BB% over 26.1 total innings on the season.

Del Castillo (shoulder) has begun a throwing program, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

If all goes well, the Diamondbacks plan to have Del Castillo begin a rehab stint in the complex league next week. He hurt the shoulder in late March and was expected to miss at least one month.

Suarez went 1-for-3 with three RBI in Friday's 8-0 win over Colorado.

Suarez brought home a run on a sacrifice fly in the third inning and then had a two-run single in the seventh. It was the second straight game with three RBI for Suarez, who has three home runs and 11 RBI over the last seven contests. The batting average (.213) isn't pretty, but Suarez has delivered for Arizona with runners in scoring position (1.151 OPS). He's tied with Geraldo Perdomo for the team lead with 34 RBI.

Marte went 0-for-4 with a stolen base and run scored in Friday's 8-0 win over the Rockies.

Marte was in Friday's starting lineup after he was pulled from Wednesday's game with stiffness in his hip. Thursday's off day allowed for healing, and Marte showed the hip wasn't an issue by stealing his first base of the season.

Tawa started in center field and went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI in Friday's 8-0 win over Colorado.

Tawa replaced Alek Thomas in center field against Rockies left-hander Carson Palmquist. He also replaced Thomas against San Francisco southpaw Robbie Ray earlier in the week. Tawa was dislodged from an infield utility role when the Diamondbacks called up Jordan Lawlar, but he'll fill the short side of a platoon in center. Tawa carries a .228 average (18-for-79), but he's slugged five home runs and three doubles (.228 ISO) through 27 games.

Flores went 3-for-5 with three home runs and eight RBI in Friday's 9-1 win over the Athletics.

Flores set career highs with three homers and eight RBI in a single game. He took three different pitchers deep, including a grand slam off Athletics starter JP Sears in the third inning to open the scoring. With the monster game, Flores is back in a tie with Aaron Judge for first in the majors with 41 RBI. He's added 10 homers, 23 runs scored, a stolen base and two doubles while slashing .266/.318/.468 over 44 contests. Flores has carved out a near-everyday role between first base and designated hitter, though he'll occasionally sit against a right-handed pitcher.

Webb (5-3) allowed one run on five hits and two walks while striking out four over eight innings to earn the win over the Athletics on Friday.

Three of those hits came in the eighth inning, when the Athletics scraped together their first and only run of the game. Webb threw 70 of 107 pitches for strikes in his longest outing of the season, which was also his seventh quality start. However, the four strikeouts were a season low. That's not a big issue, as Webb is at a 2.42 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 69:16 K:BB across 63.1 innings over 10 starts this season, putting him on track for one of the best years of his career. The workhorse right-hander is projected for a home start versus the Royals next week.