MLB Player News

Elder pitched well in Sunday's loss to the Mets but did not factor into the decision. He allowed two runs on seven hits and no walks while striking out six in 5.1 innings.

Elder fell just two outs short of his second quality start of the year. The lone damage against him came off the bat of Pete Alonso, who had an RBI single in the third and another run-scoring double in the sixth. Elder tossed 65 of 85 pitches for strikes and managed to not issue any free passes after allowing eight walks over his last 8.2 innings. The 25-year-old owns a 4.79 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 16:8 K:BB in 20.2 innings and lines up for a home start against the Padres his next time out.

Minter was charged with a blown save in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Mets after allowing two runs on two hits while managing to get just one out.

Minter was called upon to close things out in the ninth with Raisel Iglesias unavailable to pitch and failed to take advantage. Jeff McNeil reached on a bunt single before Brandon Nimmo ended things with a two-run walk-off homer to center field. Minter has now suffered three blown saves this season and has coughed up runs in two of his last three outings. He owns a 3.78 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 20:4 K:BB in 16.2 innings.

Snell (adductor) struck out seven over four perfect innings in his first rehab start with Single-A San Jose on Sunday.

Snell even completed an immaculate inning in the first as part of an impressive showing from the southpaw. The results should be taken with a grain of salt given the level of competition, but the bottom line for Snell was certainly encouraging. Snell got his pitch count up to 46 in his four efficient frames, which would seem to point to him needing at least one more rehab start before being activated from the 15-day injured list. He's been out since late April with a Grade 2 adductor strain.

Kelenic went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Mets.

Kelenic got Atlanta on the board first with a solo home run off Luis Severino in the second inning. He now has two home runs in the last week after having none in all of April and is slashing .274/.322/.393 with seven RBI, 10 runs and a 6:29 BB:K in 90 plate appearances.

Candelario went 1-for-5 with a double and three RBI in Sunday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Giants.

Candelario nearly missed a grand slam in the first inning and settled for a three-run double. This was just his second multi-RBI effort in 34 games this season. He's still battling a season-opening slump, but Candelario's bat has shown life of late. He's hit safely in four of the last five games, going 7-for-20 with a home run, two doubles and five RBI. Perhaps this recent five-game run will prompt a move up the batting order -- Candelario opened as the team's cleanup hitter but has since moved to the lower-third. The Reds are last in MLB with a .556 OPS out of the cleanup spot.

Benson went 0-for-4 with a walk in Sunday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to San Francisco.

As has been customary of late, Benson found himself on the bench to start the game against a lefty, but he was needed when TJ Friedl was removed in the second inning with a thumb injury. Benson, whose average has hovered around .200 since April 19, is just 3-for-25 (.120) over 10 games during the month of May.

Grichuk went 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI in Sunday's 9-2 win over the Orioles.

Grichuk entered as a pinch hitter for designated hitter Joc Pederson and doubled in two runs, upping the Diamondbacks lead to 9-1. He finished out the game at DH. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo has rigidly stuck to having Pederson mostly face right-handers -- just five plate appearances against lefties -- so when southpaw reliever Cionel Perez entered the game, Grichuk got the opportunity with runners in scoring position. As a pinch hitter in 2024, Grichuk is 5-for-7 with a walk, three doubles and three RBI.

Marte started at second base and went 1-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 9-2 win over Baltimore.

Marte was back playing the field after serving as the designated hitter Friday and Saturday due to general body stiffness. He produced a run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning then plated two more an inning later with a bases-loaded single. The single extended a hit streak to 13 games, which features one game with multiple hits (14-for-54, .259). What the streak lacks in average is made up for by slugging. Nine of Marte's 14 hits have gone for extra bases (four doubles, one triple, four home runs), and he's knocked in 10 runs.

Crawford is slashing .107/.194/.107 over 10 games with the Cardinals this season.

Crawford was signed to serve as backup to rookie Masyn Winn, who has been one of the Cardinals' better hitters. As such, Crawford has seen minimal playing time. All three of his hits this season have been singles, and he's also posted a 3:11 BB:K. The veteran shortstop is unlikely to see a larger role unless Winn suffers an injury or enters a severe slump.

Siani went 2-for-4 with a double, one RBI, a stolen base and one run scored in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Brewers.

Siani has slipped into a part-time role since Dylan Carlson returned from a shoulder injury. It appears to have lit a spark in Siani's game -- he's 10-for-21 (.476) over nine games in May. The outfielder is at a .250/.318/.300 slash line with three steals, two RBI, 12 runs scored, one double and one triple through 71 plate appearances this season. The 24-year-old's defense is his best attribute, but none of the Cardinals' outfielders have hit particularly well, so he could gain more playing time if his bat stays warm.