MLB Player News

Thomas started in center field, batted eighth and went 0-for-3 with a walk in Tuesday's 6-5 loss to the Dodgers.

Thomas played his first game after being activated off the injured list. He missed three months due to a hamstring injury, and the rehab process lingered, including a setback early in May. Thomas has habitually struggled to hit left-handers, but he should be a lineup staple against right-handers.

Turner went 3-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI during Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Cubs.

Turner homered off Hayden Wesneski in the third inning to give Philadelphia a 3-0 lead, and then again in the fifth to put the team in front, 5-1. An RBI single in the seventh frame capped off the Phillies' scoring and gave Turner his sixth hit in the past two games. The 31-year-old shortstop is now slashing .367/.406/.667 with two homers and six RBI over his last seven games and has recorded four multi-hit performances in that span.

Hoffman struck out two batters in a scoreless inning to collect the save Tuesday versus the Cubs.

The Phillies saw a 6-1 lead quickly get cut to 6-4 after Seiya Suzuki hit a three-run shot off Jose Ruiz in the ninth inning, so Philadelphia brought in Hoffman to make sure things didn't get out of hand. Jose Alvarado remains the team leader with 12 saves on the year, but Hoffman has also proven to be a reliable option with a 1.24 ERA in 36.1 innings.

Mercado (1-0) picked up the win Tuesday against the Cubs, allowing one earned run on two hits and two walks while striking out four batters over five innings.

Mercado's 1.71 Triple-A ERA translated well into the big leagues Tuesday, as he was able to silence the Cubs' offense during his first career MLB start. The only blemish on the 25-year-old's record came via a third-inning RBI double courtesy of Cody Bellinger, but the right-hander responded by throwing back-to-back 1-2-3 innings before being pulled. With Spencer Turnbull (lat) set to miss 6-to-8 weeks and Taijuan Walker (finger) out through the All-Star break, Mercado will almost certainly be granted another start -- tentatively scheduled to come Sunday in Atlanta.

Wesneski (2-5) took the loss Tuesday versus the Phillies, giving up five earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out seven batters over five innings.

Wesneski struggled heavily in what was just his second start since May 8, as his five runs allowed set a new season high for the 26-year-old righty. Three of those runs came courtesy of Trea Turner, who hit a pair of home runs in the third and fifth frames. Wesneski has now surrendered eight earned runs in nine innings since returning to the Cubs' rotation. He's lined up to face the Angels on Sunday, and any starts beyond that point will likely depend on whether Javier Assad (forearm) is able to return from the IL.

Donovan went 3-for-4 with a walk, one RBI and one run scored in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Pirates.

Donovan had just six hitless games in June -- two of which were at the start of the month and two more at the end. He got off to a positive start in July with Tuesday's effort, his third three-hit game over his last 11 contests. He's up to a .270/.340/.414 slash line with eight home runs, 42 RBI, 37 runs scored, two stolen bases, 18 doubles and one triple over 79 games. Donovan's hit well enough to have a near-everyday role in left field.

Benson went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run during Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Yankees.

Benson snapped a 26-game homerless streak, tagging Luis Gil for a two-run shot in the fifth inning. After enduring an 0-for-25 stretch in the middle of June, Benson looks to be turning the corner, batting 4-for-18 with four runs and six RBI in his last five games. Still, the outfielder is batting .191 with a 39.4 percent strikeout rate on the year.

De La Cruz went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run, a triple and an additional run scored during Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Yankees.

De La Cruz took Caleb Ferguson yard in the fifth inning, extending the Reds' advantage to 5-0. The speedster also legged out his sixth triple of the season and third in the last five games. De La Cruz has generated multiple hits in seven of his last 10 games, batting .349 with a pair of homers, eight runs and three steals over that span.

Diaz picked up the save Tuesday against the Yankees, striking out one across a perfect ninth inning.

Diaz needed only nine pitches to retire Trent Grisham, Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe in order Tuesday. Diaz has fired five consecutive scoreless innings and is up to 18 saves on the season, which is tied for eighth most in baseball. Despite the strong save total, Diaz owns a 4.60 ERA across 31.1 innings.

Ashcraft (5-4) picked up the win Tuesday against the Yankees, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks across five-plus innings. He struck out three.

Ashcraft spent three weeks at Triple-A Louisville before allowing six runs in a start against the Pirates on June 26. He rebounded after struggling in his first start back in the bigs, blanking the Yankees over five innings before allowing a pair of singles and a walk and getting pulled without recording an out in the sixth. Ashcraft is expected to stick around for one more cycle in the Cincinnati rotation, with a start scheduled for Sunday against Detroit before Nick Lodolo (finger) returns from the injured list.