MLB Player News

Matz (1-0) earned the win Wednesday over the Astros, allowing one run on two hits and no walks over five innings. He struck out five.

Matz allowed a run on a pair of hits in the first inning before settling in and blanking Houston over his final four frames, setting down the final 15 batters he faced. Matz, who made five appearances out of the bullpen before starting Wednesday's outing, now sports a 2.16 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 11:2 K:BB through his first 16.2 innings this year. Matz figures to see at least two more starts, with the Cardinals electing to utilize a six-man rotation for the next three weeks.

The Pirates optioned Cheng to Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday,

Cheng was with the big club for a little over a week and didn't play much, going hitless in seven at-bats. He's clearing out to make room on the roster for Jared Triolo's (back) return from the 10-day injured list.

The Pirates activated Triolo (back) from the 10-day injured list Wednesday.

Triolo spent the minimum amount of time on the shelf with a lumbar spine strain and was cleared to rejoin the Pirates after going 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk in a rehab game with Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday. With Nick Gonzales (ankle), Spencer Horwitz (wrist) and Endy Rodriguez (finger) still on the IL, Triolo should see plenty of playing time for the Pirates between first and second base. He'll occupy the keystone and will bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Nationals.

Marsh is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Though manager Rob Thomson floated the possibility Monday that Marsh could be held out of the lineup for the first three games of the series versus San Francisco, the 27-year-old ended up starting in Tuesday's 6-4 win. He couldn't get off the schneid, however, going 0-for-3 with a sacrifice fly to bring his batting average down to .100 on the season. The left-handed-hitting Marsh will be back on the bench while southpaw Robbie Ray takes the hill for San Francisco, and Marsh could be at risk of losing out on more starts against right-handers as well if he's unable to break out of his funk at the plate in the near future.

Kepler is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Kepler will head to the bench along with fellow left-handed hitters Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh while the Giants send southpaw Robbie Ray to the hill. Kyle Schwarber, who typically serves as the Phillies' designated hitter, will fill in for Kepler in left field.

Stott is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

He'll cede second base to Edmundo Sosa while the Giants send southpaw Robbie Ray to the hill Wednesday. The lefty-hitting Stott has gone 1-for-16 with five strikeouts versus same-handed pitching so far this season.

Marchan will start at catcher and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Giants, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

After winning the backup catcher job coming out of spring training, Marchan has predictably seen sparse use over the first three weeks of the season while top backstop J.T. Realmuto has maintained good health. Marchan will pick up his fourth start of 2025 on Wednesday, with Realmuto getting a day off from catching and serving as the Phillies' designated hitter.

Schwarber will start in left field and bat third in Wednesday's game versus the Giants, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

It's the first start in the outfield this season for Schwarber, who made five starts in left field last year. Schwarber's fantasy managers would love for the slugger to gain outfield eligibility, but there's no guarantee it will happen during the 2025 season.

Espinal is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.

After making four consecutive starts in the infield -- including three in a row at second base -- Espinal shifted to the bench for Tuesday's 8-4 win with Matt McLain (hamstring) manning the keystone in his return from the injured list. McLain should handle everyday duties at second base moving forward, leaving Espinal to fill a utility role that may afford him only a handful of starts per week.

Candelario is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.

After Austin Hays (calf) and Matt McLain (hamstring) were reinstated from the injured list Tuesday, the Reds are at full strength in the infield and outfield for the first time all season. Though he picked up a start at designated hitter in Tuesday's 8-4 win while Spencer Steer rested, Candelario will be the odd man out of the lineup Wednesday while Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Gavin Lux occupy the two corner-infield spots. While Candelario should retain a regular spot in the lineup versus left-handed pitching, he could be subject to more of a part-time role against righties now that Cincinnati has more appealing options to fill out the lineup with the returns of Hays and McLain. Candelario has yet to get going at the plate this season, slashing .125/.219/.196 with a 31.2 percent strikeout rate over 64 plate appearances.