MLB Player News

Manager Bud Black said Saturday that Freeland (elbow) is "a week or 10 days away from getting on the mound," MLB.com reports.

Freeland played catch Thursday, Friday and Saturday and seems to have responded well to the workouts, but the Rockies aren't yet ready to have him advance to the next phase of his rehab program for his strained left elbow. While Freeland might join the Rockies for their upcoming road trip that begins Monday, the veteran southpaw will still be limited to playing catch and doesn't yet appear to be close to a return from the 15-day injured list. Given that he'll still need to complete a minor-league rehab assignment after he resumes throwing off a mound and facing hitters, Freeland doesn't look like he'll be an option for Colorado's rotation until around mid-June.

Bryant (back) is likely to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Bryant hasn't played since April 13 due to a lower-back strain, but he took a major step forward in his recovery by taking batting practice Friday and Saturday. According to the report, Bryant displayed even more power in Saturday's live BP session than Friday's, leaving the Rockies optimistic that he'll soon be ready to rejoin the big club. Bryant will report to Albuquerque on Tuesday, and if all goes well in his rehab assignment, manager Bud Black left the door open for the four-time All-Star to return to the big club in advance of Friday's series opener in San Francisco.

Moreno is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.

Moreno will receive a breather after he had started at catcher both of the previous two days while going 1-for-8 with a double. Tucker Barnhart will get the starting nod behind the dish in the series finale in Baltimore.

Alexander is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.

The right-handed-hitting Alexander started each of the past three games, but he appears to be viewed as a short-side platoon player, with two of those three starts coming against left-handed pitching. He'll give way to Kevin Newman at shortstop Sunday while the Orioles bring right-hander Dean Kremer to the hill.

Blach is slated to start Sunday's game against the Rangers at Coors Field.

Blach will pick up his second start of the season as he joins the rotation as a replacement for Peter Lambert, who was recently moved to the bullpen. The veteran southpaw had worked in relief in both of his past two appearances for Colorado, but because he handled four- and three-inning workloads in those outings, he should be reasonably stretched out as he re-enters the rotation.

Hernandez went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Saturday's win over the Padres.

Hernandez jumped on a hanging slider after being down 1-2 in the count with two outs in the sixth and sent it over the wall in left field for a grand slam, putting the Dodgers up 5-0. It marked the outfielder's 11th home run of the season and the fifth in his last eight games. He's now tied with Salvador Perez, Jose Ramirez and Juan Soto for second in the majors with 33 RBI on the season.

De La Cruz went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and was hit by a pitch in Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Giants.

De La Cruz launched his ninth home run in the fourth inning for the Reds' lone run. He entered Saturday with multiple steals in three straight games. The dynamic infielder has hit safely in three straight and is batting .272 with a .910 OPS over 158 plate appearances.

Freeman went 2-for-3 with a double and a solo home run while also drawing a walk in Saturday's win over the Padres.

Freeman kicked things off for the Dodgers with a solo shot off Matt Waldron in the top of the first, giving the first baseman his fourth home run of the season. The veteran infielder would reach three times on the night after also doubling and drawing a walk, raising his average to .333 in the month of May. Freeman has now hit safely in five straight games and in 17 of his last 19 contests overall.

Gurriel went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI in Saturday's 5-4 extra-innings loss to the Orioles.

Gurriel singled in the Diamondbacks' final run in the fifth inning. An earlier double extended a hit streak to four games, during which he's gone 6-for-18. The modest hit streak is a welcome sign for Gurriel, who endured a 2-for-37 slump over the nine previous games.

Mastrobuoni went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 10-9 loss to the Pirates.

Mastrobuoni was productive from the No. 8 spot in the lineup and he recorded his first three hits of the season, as he came into the contest 0-for-14 across 10 games. The 28-year-old has bounced between Triple-A and the majors and serves in a utility role when he's with the Cubs, so he doesn't see a ton of regular playing time, which makes Saturday's performance an outlier.