MLB Player News

Lopez went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in Monday's loss to the Mets.

The second baseman gave the Marlins an early lead when he touched up David Peterson for a solo shot in the first inning. It was Lopez's second homer in five games after he hit only six in 117 contests last season, and he's come out of the gates flying with a .400 (8-for-20) batting average. Lopez never flashed much pop in the minors, but at 26 years old, he could be maturing into some extra power.

Winn went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts in Monday's loss to the Angels but had a game-high three hard-hit balls.

During a rain delay in Sunday's game against the Twins, Winn compared video from 2024 to 2025 and worked on his swing with hitting coaches Brant Brown and Brandon Allen, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. They noticed in the 2025 video that his hips were leaning back before his swing, which led to lazy flyballs. Winn stood more upright during batting practice Monday and worked on driving through the ball. While he wasn't rewarded during Monday's game, Winn was heartened by the hard contact he made and is confident "everything is going to click" for him soon. The 23-year-old is 0-for-14 with seven strikeouts in his first four contests this season.

The Pirates will call up Harrington to make his major-league debut Tuesday against the Rays, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Harrington was beat out by Carmen Mlodzinski for the final spot in the Pirates' rotation, but his first start this season will wind up coming in the big leagues. The 23-year-old collected a 2.61 ERA and 115:19 K:BB over 117.1 innings across three levels in the minors last season. Harrington is known more for his command and control than his ability to miss bats, but he did show a little velocity uptick this spring. It might be just a spot start for the young righty, but if he impresses it's possible he'll be kept in the rotation over Mlodzinski.

Friedl went 2-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored and a stolen base in Monday's 14-3 win over the Rangers.

Friedl returned to the lineup after getting Sunday off. He was back at leadoff, which was a good place to be Monday. The two batters behind him, Matt McLain and Elly De La Cruz, went a combined 6-for-8 with three home runs, a double and 10 RBI. In addition to scoring twice, Friedl swiped his first bag of the season. He's looking to put an injury-marred 2024 behind him and should register double-digit thefts if given good health. He stole 27 bases in 138 games in 2023 before falling back to nine over 85 games in 2024.

Candelario started at third base and went 1-for-5 Monday's 14-3 win over Texas.

Candelario, who has started all four games thus far, was moved mid-game to first base when Christian Encarnacion-Strand (hand) was removed after being hit by a pitch. Imaging came back negative, but Encarnacion-Strand may not be ready to go Tuesday. If so, it's likely Candelario starts at first base Tuesday, with Santiago Espinal entering the lineup at third.

Steer went 1-for-5 with two RBI in Monday's 14-3 win over the Rangers.

Steer, who served as the designated hitter, was in the starting lineup for a second straight day, which indicates his lingering shoulder discomfort presents no limitations other than when it comes to playing the field. Monday's hit was his first of the season. Steer had gone 0-for-10 before a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Walker walked one and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning during Monday's 7-2 win over the Astros.

It wasn't a save situation, but it was still reassuring to see Walker on the mound after back tightness had him shut down over the weekend. Camilo Doval picked up a save Sunday in his absence, but Walker should get the bulk of the ninth-inning work for the Giants after a breakout 2024 campaign that saw him post a 1.91 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 99:18 K:BB over 80 innings.

Swanson went 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, a walk, two total runs and three total RBI in Monday's 18-3 thrashing of the Athletics.

Swanson homered for the second straight game, swatting a solo shot to center field in the first inning. The veteran shortstop plated two additional runs on a sixth-inning double. Following a slow start to the campaign, Swanson has gone 4-for-9 with four RBI over his past two contests.

Busch went 3-for-6 with a home run, two total runs and four total RBI against the Athletics in an 18-3 win Monday.

Busch was one of four Chicago players with three or more hits in the offensive onslaught. He hit the first homer of the game for Chicago, knocking a two-run shot to right-center field in the first inning. The long ball was the first extra-base hit of the season for Busch, who had gone just 4-for-18 at the plate prior to Monday's big performance.

Kelly hit for the cycle against the Athletics in an 18-3 win Monday, going 4-for-4 with a home run, a triple, a double, two walks, three runs and five RBI.

Per ABC 7 Chicago, Kelly became the first MLB player in history to hit for the cycle in the month of March and just the 17th catcher to accomplish the feat. The plodding backstop got the most difficult hit in the cycle in his final plate appearance, ricocheting a hit off the center-field wall in the eighth inning and reaching third base after the ball rolled on the outfield grass. The triple was just the third of Kelly's 10-year big-league career. He had gone 1-for-6 over two starts prior to Monday's explosive performance.