MLB Player News

Pagan felt discomfort in his right triceps, which forced him to leave Sunday's game against the Dodgers, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports

Pagan noted he did not feel anything until his final pitch and said it wasn't a sharp pain or a grab. The right-hander was examined by a Dodgers team doctor, who ran the reliever through some tests that left the Reds optimistic the injury is not a serious one. Pagan is expected to be seen by his own team's doctors Monday.

Houser is scheduled to start Tuesday's game against the Guardians at Progressive Field.

Houser had made his last two appearances as a reliever, but he'll slot into the rotation at least temporarily and afford all other five starters some rest while the Mets are in the midst of a stretch of 13 games in 13 days that ends Wednesday. After Thursday's off day, the Mets will have another stretch of 13 games in 13 days, but unless he impresses Tuesday, Houser may not be the top choice to stick around in a starting role if New York expands its rotation to six men. Rather than Houser, Jose Butto -- who posted a 3.08 ERA over seven starts before being optioned to Triple-A Syracuse last Wednesday -- would look to be a more worthy candidate to rejoin the big-league rotation.

Manager Torey Lovullo said Mantiply will serve as the Diamondbacks' opening pitcher for Monday's game against the Dodgers, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

The left-handed Mantiply has limited opposing lefties to a .275 wOBA over his career, so the Diamondbacks will likely hope that he can limit the damage from the Dodgers' usual Nos. 2 and 3 hitters -- left-handed batters Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman -- before he turns the game over to the bullpen. Monday had been Slade Cecconi's turn in the rotation, and the expectation is that he'll work behind Mantiply in bulk relief.

Cecconi is expected to operate as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Joe Mantiply in Monday's game against the Dodgers, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Two of the Dodgers' usual top three hitters (Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman) bat from the left side, so manager Torey Lovullo will likely have the left-handed Mantiply work the first inning or two before turning the game over to the right-handed Cecconi. The arrangement should increase Cecconi's chances of qualifying for the win while perhaps helping him generate better results after he tagged for six earned runs in two of his previous three starts.

Steer is dealing with a sore ankle, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Steer was held out of the starting lineup Sunday as a result of the ankle but served as a pinch hitter. He walked for Will Benson with the bases loaded in the seventh inning and was removed for a pinch runner. Cincinnati manager David Bell said Steer should be back to 100 percent for Tuesday's series opener at home against the Padres.

Carroll went 1-for-4 with a triple, a walk and a run scored in Sunday's 6-4 win over Detroit. He was also caught stealing.

Carroll tripled to lead off the bottom of the first inning and scored the first of two Arizona runs during the frame. It was the second straight game with a triple for Carroll, who finished second in MLB last season with 10 three-baggers. He was moved back to the leadoff spot seven games ago, but it hasn't done much to break Carroll's season-long slump; he's 4-for-24 with three extra-base hits and five runs since the move and has been caught stealing twice.

Grichuk went 1-for-2 with a run scored in Sunday's 6-4 win over the Tigers.

Grichuk singled as a pinch hitter to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning and came around to score the winning run. He's been incredible as a pinch hitter, going 7-for-10 with a walk when batting for a teammate. The right-handed hitting outfielder/DH is typically in the lineup against lefties and has made just four starts over the last 17 games.

Marte went 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored in Sunday's 6-4 win over Detroit.

Marte extended a hit streak to 18 games with a second-inning single. His single two innings later ended another streak: the switch hitter entered Sunday's contest with exactly one hit in 15 consecutive games. It seems counter-intuitive, but Marte's batting average has actually dropped during the streak, from .307 to .292. It should be noted he's done more than just hit singles during the run; Marte has four doubles, two triples, four home runs, 11 RBI and 10 runs scored over those 18 games.

Alexander started at third base and went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Sunday's 6-4 win over the Tigers.

Alexander had one of the two productive run-producing outs in the bottom of the seventh inning when the Diamondbacks reclaimed a lead they lost in the top half of the frame. He started for the fourth time in the last eight games, and it was his first start at third base. After a spell as the regular fill-in for Geraldo Perdomo (knee) at shortstop, Alexander has taken a back seat to Kevin Newman. With recent news coming out that Perdomo is expected back in two weeks, Alexander could be moving down to the minors in early June.

Diaz (1-3) took the loss in 10 innings Sunday against the Dodgers, allowing an unearned run on one hit and a walk over an inning of work. He also struck out a batter.

Diaz struck out Jason Heyward in the ninth to send the game into an extra frame. He was an out away from getting through the 10th, but Shohei Ohtani laced a base hit to right that scored Heyward to end the game. Diaz has now given up five total runs on four hits over his last 2.1 innings, which has also come with two losses and a blown save. He's given up nine runs in 4.2 innings in May. Despite the struggles, manager David Bell has not made any public comments about a possible closer change, suggesting Diaz's job is save for now. He now owns a 7.02 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 17:13 K:BB in 16.2 innings.