MLB Player News

Fraley is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rockies.

Though he was activated from the family medical emergency list Wednesday, the lefty-hitting Fraley has yet to rejoin the lineup since the Reds have faced lefty starters Kyle Freeland and Austin Gomber on consecutive days. After Thursday's contest, the Reds will begin a three-game series versus the Marlins to wrap up their first-half schedule. The Marlins haven't listed a starter for Friday, but with right-hander Yonny Chirinos tentatively lining up to take the hill, Fraley will most likely be in the Reds lineup for the series opener.

De La Cruz is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rockies.

For just the second time all season, De La Cruz will will hit the bench. According to Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer, De La Cruz's absence isn't related to the hand injury he's been managing recently; instead, the 22-year-old is just getting a well-overdue afternoon off while Cincinnati wraps up its series with Colorado with a day game after a night game. De La Cruz won't have much of a chance to catch his breath during the upcoming week while he makes his first All-Star Game appearance next Tuesday in Texas, so the Reds presumably wanted to build in some extra rest for him heading into the Midsummer Classic. Santiago Espinal will step in at shortstop for De La Cruz on Thursday.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Reds.

Diaz will receive a breather for Thursday's day game after he went 2-for-4 with an RBI while catching all nine innings of the Rockies' 6-5 win Wednesday night. Hunter Goodman will handle the catching duties for Colorado.

Blackmon is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Reds due to a slight right hamstring injury, MLB.com reports.

Manager Bud Black said that Blackmon "tweaked" his hamstring while making a sliding catch during Monday's 6-0 loss to the Reds. The lefty-hitting Blackmon received a planned day off Tuesday while the Reds sent southpaw Nick Lodolo to the mound, but the 38-year-old's continued absences from the lineup against right-handed starters Frankie Montas and Hunter Greene on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, signals that Blackmon is still being slowed by the injury. Blackmon had been available for pinch-hitting duties in Wednesday's 6-5 win but went unused, so he could once again be a candidate to come off the bench Thursday.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that Pfaadt (ankle) will start Thursday's game against Atlanta at Chase Field, Jesse Friedman of GoPHNX.com reports.

Pfaadt's most recent start Saturday against the Padres was cut short when he was struck on the left ankle by a comebacker, but he was diagnosed with nothing more than a bruise after X-rays returned negative. The right-hander was able to complete his between-starts bullpen session with no apparent discomfort, so he shouldn't face any restrictions when he takes the hill Thursday on his typical four days' rest.

Rojas (forearm) entered the game for defensive purposes in the ninth inning of Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Dodgers.

The 23-year-old was held out of the starting nine after being hit by a pitch Tuesday, but Rojas took over in center field at the end of a tight game and bumped Brandon Marsh to left, so the absence appears to have been merely a precaution. Rojas' defense is what continues to earn him playing time -- since returning to the big-league roster at the end of June, he's batting .226 (7-for-31) with a double, two RBI, three steals, seven runs and a 1:10 BB:K.

Hoffman struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Wednesday to record his ninth save of the season in a 4-3 win over the Dodgers.

Jose Alvarado was called upon to face Freddie Freeman and the heart of the Los Angeles order in the eighth inning, leaving the save chance to Hoffman. That's been the norm of late, as Hoffman has saves in four straight appearances since June 30, while Alvarado has only one save and one hold during that time. Hoffman's performance has earned him increased responsibility, as he hasn't walked a batter in over a month and has a 1.69 ERA, 0.56 WHIP and 13:0 K:BB over his last 10.2 innings. Manager Rob Thomson will play matchups in high-leverage spots with the left-handed Alvarado and the right-handed Hoffman, but the latter seems the better bet for saves heading into the All-Star break.

Sanchez (7-4) picked up the win in Wednesday's 4-3 victory over the Dodgers, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out five.

The southpaw produced his 10th quality start of the season, and fourth in his last five trips to the mound, on 91 pitches (67 strikes). Over that stretch, Sanchez has gone 4-1 with a 2.73 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 26:5 K:BB through 33 innings. The 27-year-old has already set a career high with 103.1 big-league innings this season, but he's in no danger of being shut down -- he tossed 149 innings across all levels in 2023. Sanchez will get a breather though, as he isn't scheduled to take the mound again before the All-Star break.

Ohtani went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Phillies.

The 30-year-old superstar has swiped six bags in his last six games, pushing him up to 22 steals on the season -- just four shy of his career high. Ohtani has been doing plenty of damage with his bat as well, and since June 16 he's slashing .359/.480/.859 in 98 plate appearances with 11 homers, 21 runs and 22 RBI.

Stone (9-3) took the loss Wednesday, giving up four runs on nine hits over 4.2 innings as the Dodgers were downed 4-3 by the Phillies. He struck out three.

Kyle Schwarber drove Stone's third pitch of the game over the fence in left field, and the right-hander never seemed to regain his focus, leaving the mound after 77 pitches (52 strikes). Since firing a shutout against the White Sox on June 26, Stone has been tagged for eight runs over 7.2 innings in his last two outings. Despite the stumbles, he sports a 3.26 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 76:28 K:BB through 96.2 innings on the year. He'll get a chance to regroup, as he's not scheduled to make another start until after the All-Star break.