MLB Player News

Birdsong allowed three earned runs on four hits (two home runs) and two walks while striking out three across three innings of relief in Wednesday's 8-7 loss to the Diamondbacks. He also hit a batter and uncorked a wild pitch.

The 23-year-old entered the game for Jordan Hicks with no outs and two runners on base in the third inning. Birdsong surrendered a three-run homer to the first batter he faced and later gave up a two-run shot in the fourth. The right-hander struggled with his control, throwing 34 of his 65 pitches for strikes while generating nine whiffs. Over his last five appearances, Birdsong has recorded a 3.48 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and a 12:4 K:BB, allowing three home runs across 10.1 innings.

Bivens threw two scoreless innings in Wednesday's 8-7 loss to the Diamondbacks, surrendering two hits and a walk while striking out two.

Bivens turned in a solid performance in Wednesday's high-scoring matchup, allowing just two singles. The right-hander threw a season-high 39 pitches, 24 of which were strikes. The 30-year-old has allowed five earned runs (one home run) in his last five outings, recording a 5.40 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and a 5:2 K:BB across 8.1 innings.

Bennett gave up three runs on two hits and two walks while striking out four over three innings in his first start of the year for High-A Wilmington on Sunday.

Bennett, who underwent Tommy John surgery in September of 2023, made two rehab starts for Single-A Fredericksburg in early May, logging a 1.50 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 7:0 K:BB in six innings. The 6-foot-6 lefty will likely get the bump to Double-A sometime this summer if he's holding his own, as he is already 24.

Ohtani went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional run and a walk Wednesday against the Athletics in a 9-3 victory.

Ohtani jumped on Athletics starter Gunnar Hoglund's third pitch for a 403-foot blast in the first inning. The two-way star's bat has been so hot that the A's elected to intentionally walk him ahead of Mookie Betts with a runner on second in the eighth inning, though the strategy backfired when Betts doubled and Los Angeles went on to score five runs in the frame. Ohtani has been on a tear over his past 11 games, slashing .386/.491/.932 with six homers, four doubles, a triple, 12 RBI, 14 runs and a stolen base.

Kim went 2-for-2 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 9-3 win over the Athletics.

Kim's first major-league long ball was a 385-foot solo shot in the fifth inning that tied the score. Since he was called up from the minors May 3, the rookie infielder has recorded three multi-hit games and is batting a robust .360 (9-for-25). The homer Wednesday was Kim's first extra-base hit, but he's also contributed a pair of stolen bases, five runs and three RBI.

Horton is scheduled to start Friday's game against the White Sox at Wrigley Field, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

After being promoted from Triple-A Iowa last Saturday, Horton made his MLB debut later that day against the Mets, working in bulk relief and striking out five while allowing three runs on four hits and no walks across four innings en route to claiming the win. According to Levine, manager Craig Counsell suggested that the decision to use Horton in relief against the Mets was mainly to spare him from matchups with Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso to begin his big-league career, but the top of the White Sox lineup won't provide nearly as tough of a test. Horton should continue to hold down a spot in the Chicago rotation at least until Shota Imanaga (hamstring) is ready to return from the injured list.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Sauer will start Thursday's game against the Athletics, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Sauer will pick up his first MLB start Thursday, as all 14 of his appearances with the Royals in 2024 as well as his first four with the Dodgers in 2025 had come out of the bullpen. The right-hander made three starts at Triple-A Oklahoma City earlier this season and worked as a bulk reliever or piggyback pitcher in two of his relief outings with Los Angeles, pitching five innings April 29 and four innings May 7. The Dodgers will likely look for Sauer to cover 4-to-6 innings Thursday before turning the game over to the bullpen.

Barco was removed from Thursday's start at Triple-A Indianapolis in the first inning with an undisclosed injury, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Barco was lifted in the middle of an at-bat after delivering his 23rd pitch of the frame. It's unclear what injury the left-hander is dealing with, but an update on his condition could be available later Thursday. Barco was making just his second start for Indianapolis following a promotion earlier this month from Double-A Altoona. Heading into action Thursday, the southpaw had allowed just one run with a 39:10 K:BB in his first 30 innings this season.

Candelario (back) played catch on the field at Great American Ball Park on Thursday, Charlie Goldsmith of the Dayton Daily News reports.

Candelario has been shelved since late April with a lumbar spine strain and last week was given an epidural to help speed along the recovery process. He's finally ready to begin ramping things back up, but a timetable for the infielder's return has not yet been established.

Tena went 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI in Wednesday's win over the Mets.

The 24-year-old has been filling in at second base the last two games while Luis Garcia (paternity leave) has been away from the team, leaving third base to Amed Rosario. Tena should shift back to the strong side of a platoon at the hot corner once Garcia is back, but his hold on the job may be tenuous. Through 10 games in May, Tena is batting just .214 (6-for-28) with one steal, one run and three RBI, and he's still looking for his first homer of 2025.