MLB Player News

Friedl batted seventh and went 0-for-1 with two walks, a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Cubs. He was also hit by a pitch.

Friedl, who had batted leadoff since returning from a thumb injury Wednesday, was lowered to seventh in the order Saturday. That's due to the Reds facing a left-hander for the first time since his return. Friedl is 1-for-9 with four walks, one steal and one run scored since being activated off the injured list.

Miller (shoulder) is scheduled for a rehab start Friday with Triple-A Oklahoma City after he allowed four runs on five hits and one walk over 3.1 innings Saturday for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, Eric Stephen of SBNation.comreports.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Miller experienced some reduced velocity Saturday, but it doesn't appear to be injury related. The right-hander threw 65 pitches for Rancho Cucamonga, but he induced just two swinging strikes and will need to continue building up his workload to about five innings while also honing his effectiveness as he moves up to the Triple-A level. An additional start in the minors after Friday's outing hasn't been ruled out, but Miller could return from the 15-day injured list and slot back into the rotation if all goes well during his upcoming start with Oklahoma City.

Fairchild batted leadoff and went 1-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base, an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Cubs.

The Reds hadn't faced a left-handed starter the previous six games, which meant Fairchild was limited to a pinch-hit role over the last week. He singled in a run in the second inning and later stole his sixth base. Fairchild was eventually pinch hit for by Will Benson in the sixth inning when the Cubs brought a right-hander into the game. Fairchild is limited mostly to work against left-handers and is slashing .317/.411/.492 off them.

Leiter (2-3) tossed a scoreless inning of relief with a strikeout to earn the win Saturday against the Reds.

Leiter pitched a clean top of the eighth inning in a 5-5 tie, then moved into position for the win when the Cubs scored twice in the bottom half of the frame. The righty surpassed last season's win total in the process, and he's been about equally effective in the ERA department, as he's sitting with a 3.52 mark so far this year compared to 3.50 in 2023. Leiter is missing more bats, however, as his K/9 is up to 12.1 from 10.8 last season. His FIP is also down to 2.05 from 3.76 last season, suggesting his current ERA may trend downward.

Grichuk went 2-for-3 with two walks, an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 10-5 win over the Mets.

Grichuk, in the starting lineup as normal against a left-hander, made an immediate impact by gunning down Francisco Lindor trying to stretch a single to a double in the bottom of the first inning. He later walked ahead of Christian Walker's third-inning grand slam and singled in a run in the seventh inning. Grichuk has performed well against left-handers, batting .317 with a .368 OBP versus southpaws.

Swanson went 1-for-3 with a walk, a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 7-5 win against Cincinnati.

Swanson started June off on the right foot after only going deep once in 17 games all of last month. The shortstop has only five total home runs this season, but he also missed some time with knee soreness, which likely contributed to the slow start. If fully healthy, Swanson has the ability to get going in the power department, as he hit 20 or more long balls in each of the last three seasons with the Cubs and Atlanta.

Perdomo (knee) started at shortstop and went 1-for-3 with a run scored in a rehab game for the Diamondbacks' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate Saturday.

Perdomo, who played five innings in the field, made his second ACL appearance after getting four at-bats Friday as the designated hitter. The organization's plan calls for Perdomo to finish out the weekend in the ACL before moving on to a higher-level affiliate. A return from the 10-day injured list later in the week is a possibility.

Alexander started at second base and went 2-for-5 with a stolen base, an RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 10-5 win over the Mets.

Alexander made his first start in five days and had a hand in both runs scored in the sixth inning. After singling in a run, he stole second base, advanced to third on a wild pitch then scored on a throwing error by the catcher. Alexander's playing time dwindled during May -- a month in which he batted .184 with just 38 at-bats -- and he could be in danger of losing a roster spot once Geraldo Perdomo (knee) returns.

Hayes went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a second run scored in Saturday's 8-1 win over the Blue Jays.

The third baseman took Yusei Kikuchi deep in the first inning, helping to kick-start what proved to be a laugher for the Pirates. It was only Hayes' second long ball of the season and his first in three games since recovering from back issues and coming off the IL. The 27-year-old had has a rough start to the campaign, but he could be rounding into form now that he's healthy.

Ortiz gave up a hit over three scoreless innings of relief Saturday to record his first career save in an 8-1 win over the Blue Jays. He struck out three without walking a batter.

With the Pirates coming off a 14-inning game Friday and holding a five-run lead when he took the mound, Ortiz gave the rest of the bullpen a much-needed breather by wrapping things up on his own. The right-hander has been effective in long relief -- he's pitched two or more innings in five of his last six appearances, posting a 2.57 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 13:6 K:BB over 14 innings during that stretch. While his role doesn't afford him much high-leverage work, he does have two wins and a hold this season in addition to Saturday's unconventional save, and Ortiz has value in deep NL-only formats due to his bulk Ks and respectable ratios.