MLB Player News

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Friday that Perez (groin) will likely resume throwing off the slope of a mound this weekend, MLB.com reports.

Perez was placed on the 15-day injured list May 28 with a left groin strain, which he sustained while covering first base on a play during his last start May 26. Tomczyk noted that Perez is pain-free in all of his rehab activities and has been throwing off flat ground without restrictions, so the southpaw looks like he'll soon be able to move on to the next phase of his rehab by throwing a bullpen session. Perez is without a defined target date for a return from the IL, but he's likely at least a week away from being activated.

Busch went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Reds.

Busch came into the contest in a bit of a slump, as he was just 1-for-10 over his previous six games. Overall, he's slowed down some after a strong start to the season, though he still has a solid .783 OPS and provides decent pop against righties. While Busch continues to generally sit against lefties, he has at least batted .304 (7-for-23) against them when given the opportunity.

Grove (4-2) pitched a perfect inning to earn the win in relief against the Yankees on Friday.

Neither team was able to score through nine innings, pushing the contest into extra frames. The Dodgers failed to score in the top of the 10th, but Grove was able to extend the game by keeping the Yankees from scoring in the bottom of that inning. The right-hander then moved into position for the win as a result of Los Angeles scoring twice in the top of the 11th. Grove still has an uninspiring 4.59 ERA on the campaign, but he's been pitching well since the end of April. Over his past 15 outings, he holds a 2.20 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 21:6 K:BB across 16.1 frames while recording four wins and four holds.

Rojas isn't in the Phillies' lineup for Saturday's game against the Mets, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reports.

Despite the Mets sending left-handed starter Sean Manaea to the mound, Rojas will step out of the lineup for the second game in a row Saturday. Cristian Pache will take over in center field again and bat ninth.

Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Friday's 2-1 extra-innings win over the Yankees.

Pitching dominated the matchup between two of the league's top teams, and Hernandez was responsible for half of the Dodgers' four hits. His second knock came in the 11th inning, when he doubled to left field to plate Los Angeles' only two runs of the game. Hernandez has three RBI over his past two contests to move into the team lead with 41 RBI on the campaign.

Dahl isn't in the Phillies' lineup Saturday against the Mets, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reports.

Lefty Sean Manaea will start on the hill for New York, meaning the left-handed bat of Dahl will take a seat to begin Saturday's contest. Whit Merrifield will draw the start in left field and bat eighth.

The Phillies recalled Marchan from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday.

Marchan will come up from the minors to serve as Philadelphia's 27th man during its two-game series with the Mets in London. Starter J.T. Realmuto has taken a beating behind the plate over the past several days, though it's still unlikely Marchan sees much action over the weekend, if any.

De La Cruz went 0-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 3-2 win over the Cubs.

The 22-year-old also struck out twice, and his 31.7 percent strikeout rate on the season has caught up with him -- De La Cruz is slashing .205/.286/.318 since the beginning of May with only three homers in 34 games. He continues to do damage when he is able to get on base, however, and De La Cruz's 33 steals on the season lead the league by a healthy margin, as the Brewers' Brice Turang sits in second place with 22.

Diaz gave up a run on a hit and a walk in the ninth inning Friday, recording his 13th save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Cubs. He struck out one.

The right-hander made things difficult once again, issuing a free pass with two outs before a Miguel Amaya double brought the tying run to the plate. Diaz was able to strike out Patrick Wisdom to end the game, however. Diaz has walked a batter in four straight appearances, but he's successfully converted six straight save chances. On the season, he carries a rough 5.55 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 27:18 K:BB through 24.1 innings, but for now the Reds are willing to let him work through his control issues.

Marte (knee) is starting in right field and batting fifth Saturday against the Phillies, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reports.

A knee issue forced Marte to be scratched from New York's lineup prior to Wednesday's contest, but the problem appears to have subsided ahead of New York's two-game series against Philly in London. The 35-year-old outfielder has been on a tear as of late, going 10-for-22 with six RBI and five runs scored across his last six games.