MLB Player News

Amaya went 2-for-5 with two doubles and five RBI during Thursday's 10-6 win against the Diamondbacks.

The 26-year-old started behind the plate and batted ninth in the Cubs' domestic opener, and he powered the offense with a three-run double in the fifth inning and a two-run double in the ninth. Amaya has been a bright spot in his first two games of the season, going 3-for-8 with three doubles and six RBI, which could help him move up from the bottom of the lineup.

Happ went 2-for-5 with a walk, a double, a home run, two runs scored and three total RBI in Thursday's 10-6 win over the Diamondbacks.

Happ batted leadoff and led the way for the Cubs in the team's first game in the U.S., after they started the season with a two-game set in Tokyo. The veteran outfielder collected a hit in each of those games, and Thursday he recorded his first multi-hit performance as well as launching his first home run of the year. Happ should remain at or near the top of Chicago's lineup, and over the last four seasons he's averaged about 22 homers, 11 steals, 77 RBI and 77 runs.

Steele (1-1) earned the win Thursday in Arizona after allowing three runs on six hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out two.

The left-hander pounded the zone and threw 55 of 77 pitches for strikes, but he generated just four whiffs as Arizona tagged him for three extra-base hits. Steele was able to limit the damage well enough, but he's now surrendered three homers through his first two starts of the season after serving up two long balls in Tokyo against the Dodgers. A more favorable matchup with the Athletics is on the docket next week.

Encarnacion is scheduled to undergo surgery Friday on his fractured left hand, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The 27-year-old appears likely to miss at least the first month of the season. Before injuring his hand in the final week of spring training, Encarnacion was on track to open the season as the Giants' primary designated hitter, but those duties are now expected to fall to Wilmer Flores, who slugged a three-run home run in San Francisco's Opening Day win over Cincinnati.

Eldridge (wrist) has resumed playing in games at the Giants' spring facility in Arizona, but the organization hasn't decided whether he'll begin the season at Triple-A Sacramento or Double-A Richmond, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Eldridge missed some time in spring training with a sore left wrist, and while the fact that he's resumed playing in simulated games in camp suggests he's healthy again, the Giants still want to be cautious with the 20-year-old. As a result, the team may prefer to have the first baseman stockpile at-bats in a controlled setting for the time being. Eldridge saw action at four different minor-league levels in 2024, but the vast majority of his playing time came at Single-A San Jose and High-A Eugene, with whom he combined to hit 22 home runs over 444 plate appearances. He logged just 75 plate appearances in 17 games between Richmond and Sacramento.

Machado went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, three runs scored and a pair of stolen bases in Thursday's 7-4 win over Atlanta.

Machado served as a catalyst in San Diego's Opening Day victory with some unexpected base-stealing ability. While the stolen bases are nice, they're not likely to be a major facet of Machado's game in his age-32 season. He swiped 11 bags in 2024 while posting a .275/.325/.472 slash line with 29 home runs and 105 RBI.

Flores went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Thursday's 6-4 victory over the Reds.

Flores delivered the decisive blow in San Francisco's season-opening win with a three-run, go-ahead blast off Ian Gibaut in the top of the ninth inning. The 33-year-old was initially expected to fill the short side of a platoon this season, though he got the Opening Day nod at designated hitter after Jerar Encarnacion (hand) landed on the injured list. Flores should see regular playing time with Encarnacion expected to miss at least a month of action. Injuries limited the veteran Flores to 71 games last season, when he slashed .206/.277/.318 with four home runs and 25 RBI.

Grichuk started at designated hitter and went 1-for-2 in Thursday's 10-6 loss to the Cubs.

Arizona is expected to use a platoon at the DH spot, with Grichuk facing lefties and Pavin Smith handling righties. That played out Thursday, as Grichuk was eventually pinch hit for by Smith in the sixth inning when right-hander Nate Pearson entered the game. Chicago will send right-hander Jameson Taillon to the mound Friday, so expect Grichuk to be on the bench.

Albies went 1-for-5 with a two-run homer and an additional RBI in Thursday's 7-4 loss to the Padres.

Albies opened the scoring in the first inning with an RBI fielder's choice before putting Atlanta ahead 3-2 in the fourth with a 413-foot blast off Michael King. The biggest question for Albies will be health in 2025 -- the 28-year-old second baseman was limited to 99 games last season, during which he slashed .251/.303/.404 with 10 homers and eight stolen bases.

McCarthy started in center field and went 0-for-3 with an RBI in Thursday's 10-6 loss to the Cubs.

McCarthy got the start over Alek Thomas with the Cubs sending left-hander Justin Steele to the mound in Thursday's season opener. McCarthy and Thomas will share the position and, since both bat from the left side, it won't be a true platoon. Thomas' glove, which is considered better than McCarthy's, could give him the edge for playing time in the long run.