MLB Player News

Gurriel went 1-for-5 with a double and a run scored in Monday's 8-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Gurriel doubled in the fifth inning to snap an 0-for-15 slide and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch. The outfielder is slashing .265/.312/.444 with five home runs and a team-high 22 RBI.

Alexander batted leadoff and went 0-for-1 with three walks and two runs scored in Monday's 8-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Alexander served as the leadoff batter for the first time, as manager Torey Lovullo recently tweaked the top of the order. Primary leadoff batter Ketel Marte has been moved to third in the order. Alexander has been adept at getting on base, posting a .406 OBP over 69 plate appearances.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional run and a walk in Monday's 8-4 victory against the Diamondbacks.

Smith padded the Dodgers' lead in the sixth inning with a 407-foot solo blast to center field. It was the backstop's second long ball in three games after he went deep just once over his first 23 contests of the campaign. Though he's been pretty quiet in the power department thus far, Smith is having an outstanding start to the season, slashing .363/.404/.539 with 22 RBI and 16 runs through 114 plate appearances.

Henry (1-2) took the loss against the Dodgers on Monday, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks without recording a strikeout over four innings.

Henry got another turn in the rotation with Merrill Kelly (shoulder) and Ryne Nelson (elbow) on the injured list, but he was mostly ineffective against a potent Dodgers offense. Though the extent of the damage on the scoreboard against the southpaw was a pair of second-inning runs, he didn't record a single strikeout, and only one of his 72 pitches was a swinging strike. Henry's overall body of work this season has been mediocre, as he's posted a 5.40 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 24:11 K:BB over 28.1 frames. He may be pushed out of the rotation before his next turn comes up with Nelson nearing a return to action.

Paxton (3-0) earned the win over Arizona on Monday, allowing four runs on six hits and five walks while striking out four batters over five innings.

Paxton gave up constant traffic on the basepaths and needed 96 pitches to get through just five frames, but a potent Dodgers offense gave him enough support to keep his record spotless at 3-0 for the season. Despite the veteran southpaw's clean record, he's been a volatile rotation option for Los Angeles due largely to his control issues -- Paxton has walked five or more batters on three occasions this season after doing so only five times total across his first 10 big-league campaigns. Though Paxton has thus far done what it takes to pick up wins in spite of the issue with free passes, fantasy managers may be hesitant to deploy him given his ugly 15:22 K:BB and 1.68 WHIP through 25.2 innings on the season.

Profar went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's loss to the Reds.

It looked like San Diego's offense could be in for a big day when Profar led off the bottom of the first inning with a solo shot off Nick Lodolo, but that turned out to be the only hit for the team until the ninth frame. The long ball extended Profar's hitting streak to six games, and he's batted .364 (8-for-22) with a pair of homers, four RBI and six runs during that stretch. Profar has served as San Diego's leadoff man each of the past two contests, and he could stick there for a while if he continues to hit well. Through 122 plate appearances, Profar is slashing .301/.402/.485 with four homers, 19 RBI, 16 runs and a stolen base.

De La Cruz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Monday in a 5-2 victory against the Padres.

De La Cruz set the Reds on a positive path with his massive 443-foot solo shot to center field in the first inning. The long ball snapped a four game-stretch during which the dynamic young shortstop didn't knock any extra-base hits and went just 1-for-13 at the plate, though he did maintain valuable production with three thefts during that span. De La Cruz has been one of baseball's most impressive performers early in the campaign, slashing .280/.390/.590 with eight home runs, 19 RBI, 26 runs and a league-leading 18 stolen bases through 118 plate appearances.

Waldron (1-3) was tagged with the loss against Cincinnati on Monday, allowing four runs on six hits and no walks while striking out four batters over six innings.

Waldron fell behind early on an Elly De La Cruz first-inning solo homer, and he gave up four runs across his first three frames. To his credit, the knuckleballer yielded just one hit and zero runs over his final three innings, but San Diego's offense was mostly held in check. Waldron has completed six frames in each of his past two appearances, and he's given up one run in half of his six starts on the season. However, his record sits at 1-3, and he's pitched to a mediocre 4.35 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 27:10 K:BB over 31 frames overall.

Lodolo (3-0) earned the win over San Diego on Monday, allowing one run on one hit and two walks while striking out 11 batters over seven innings.

Lodolo's outing got off to an inauspicious start when he gave up a home run to the first batter he faced (Jurickson Profar), but that would end up being the only hit given up by the 26-year-old hurler over seven frames. The southpaw finished with an impressive 22 whiffs and a season-high 11 punchouts, marking his second double-digit strikeout effort through four starts. Lodolo has given up one or zero runs in three of those appearances and is thriving thus far with a 1.88 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 31:6 K:BB over 24 innings.

Acuna went 1-for-4 with a pair of stolen bases Monday in a loss to the Mariners.

Acuna's wheels were key in the production of Atlanta's only run, as the star outfielder began the seventh inning by reaching on an infield single, subsequently stole both second and third base, and came around to score on an Ozzie Albies double. Acuna also struck out three times in the contest, and he's now fanned multiple times in three straight games, but fantasy managers are likely to mostly ignore that as long as he continues to run wild on the basepaths. Acuna began the campaign with just one steal through his first nine games, but he's since racked up 12 steals over his subsequent 18 contests.