MLB Player News

Cincinnati manager Terry Francona spoke to Candelario on Monday about a reduced role due to an early-season slump, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "We tried to explain to him, too, that you can't chase hits. That's a hard way to play," Francona said.

This move was a long time coming and forecasted over the last week. Candelario, who is batting .113 with a .411 OPS over 22 games, managed to avoid being benched earlier while the Reds navigated injuries. Now that the roster is in better shape -- Spencer Steer is back playing the field following a bout of shoulder inflammation, Noelvi Marte is ripping it up since his promotion, and Gavin Lux no longer needs to cover left field since Austin Hays was activated off the injured list -- Candelario will have to take advantage opportunities when presented to him to climb back into a rotation at first base, third base or DH.

McLain went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Monday's 3-1 win over the Cardinals.

McLain's seventh-inning single was his first hit in a week. It ended an 0-for-21 stretch that dropped his average to .157. He's had bad luck early on, as McLain is in the top tier in barrel (18.6 percent, 94th percentile) and hard-hit (53.5, 90th) rates through 20 games. Over time, results begin to correct, which suggests McLain is due for a productive stretch.

Myers went 2-for-2 with a grand slam in Monday's extra-inning loss to the Dodgers.

Myers began the game on the bench for the second straight day, but that didn't prevent him from making a big impact. He pinch hit for Matt Mervis in the sixth inning and tied the game with one swing of the bat, launching a 405-foot grand slam to center field. Myers added a single in his other trip to the plate, giving him his first two-hit performance since April 20. He entered Monday having gone 1-for-10 with five strikeouts over his previous four games.

Ohtani went 1-for-2 with a run, three walks and a stolen base in a 7-6 extra-inning victory versus Miami on Monday.

The Marlins largely pitched around Ohtani in the contest, putting him on base via walk three times. The superstar slugger was able to make the most of his lone hit by following his first-inning single with a steal of second base before coming around to score on a Freddie Freeman base knock. Ohtani hasn't homered in his past seven contests, but he's picked up a pair of thefts in that span while going 8-for-27 (.296 batting average) at the plate.

Hernandez went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in a 7-6 extra-inning win against the Marlins on Monday.

Hernandez homered for the third straight game when he popped a two-run blast off the top of the left-field wall in the fifth inning. The veteran slugger is up to nine homers on the season -- among major-leaguers, only Cal Raleigh (10) and Eugenio Suarez (10) have gone deep more times. Hernandez is also tied for third in the league with 27 RBI and is slashing a solid .274/.291/.585 through 110 plate appearances.

Cabrera didn't factor in the decision against the Dodgers on Monday, allowing five runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out two batters over four innings.

Cabrera allowed a constant stream of baserunners, and the nine hits against him marked a season-worst tally. The right-hander failed to miss many bats, notching just three whiffs and two punchouts after recording at least five strikeouts in each of his first three starts this season. Cabrera hasn't been able to pull things together so far this season, as he now carries an ugly 7.23 ERA and 1.77 WHIP through 18.2 innings across four starts.

May allowed three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out three batters in 5.1 innings in a no-decision against Miami on Monday.

May appeared to be en route to a win after completing five scoreless innings, but things took a turn for the worse for him in the sixth. In that frame, the right-hander allowed the first three batters he faced to reach base, and they all came around to score before the inning was over (though two of the runs charged to May crossed the plate following his departure). This was still a better performance for May after he gave up a career-worst seven runs over five innings against the Cubs in his previous trip to the mound, but over his past two contests, May's ERA has jumped from a sparkling 1.06 to a less-impressive 3.95.

Goodman went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in a loss to Atlanta on Monday.

Goodman helped Colorado get off to a fast start with a three-run blast to left field in the first inning, but that was the final time the Rockies got on the scoreboard. Goodman has been one of the few bright spots in what has been a horrendous 4-24 start to the season for Colorado -- he is tied for the team lead with five long balls and ranks first on the Rockies with 14 RBI and 15 runs while slashing .256/.350/.478. Goodman's production has been especially valuable in fantasy given his status as a backstop.

Harris went 1-for-4 with a two-run double, a run scored and a stolen base in Monday's 6-3 win against Colorado.

Harris came up big in the fifth inning, recording a two-out, two-run double to break a 3-3 tie and chase Colorado starter Ryan Feltner. The star outfielder had scored the tying run one frame earlier after reaching on a fielder's choice, swiping second base and subsequently crossing the plate on a pair of infield singles. Harris' slash line is still a modest .243/.263/.374, but he's been coming on strong with a .350 batting average, nine RBI and four steals over his past 10 contests.

Feltner (0-2) took the loss against Atlanta on Monday, allowing five runs on 10 hits and one walk while striking out four batters over 4.2 innings.

Feltner was handed a three-run lead after half an inning, but he couldn't hold onto it. The righty did manage to make it through two scoreless frames, but Atlanta struck for two runs in the third inning and another in the fourth before Michael Harris chased Feltner with a two-out, two-run double in the fifth. All told, Feltner gave up a season-high 10 hits, and this was the second time in his past three appearances that he's yielded five runs. Feltner did have a bit of bad luck Monday -- five of Atlanta's 10 hits left the bat at less than 75 mph -- and he was at least able to grind through 95 pitches after having his start pushed back from Sunday due to back tightness.