MLB Player News

Muncy isn't in the Dodgers' lineup Saturday versus Toronto.

The lefty-hitting Muncy will step out of the lineup Saturday with lefty starter Yusei Kikuchi on the mound for the Blue Jays. Enrique Hernandez will fill in at third base and bat sixth.

Lux isn't in the Dodgers' lineup for Saturday's game against the Blue Jays.

Lux will retreat to the dugout as the Jays send left-hander Yusei Kikuchi to the hill as Saturday's starter. Mookie Betts will slide to second base as a result while Miguel Rojas starts at shortstop.

Albies went 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI in Friday's 6-2 win over the Guardians.

Making his return from a toe injury that cost him eight games, Albies demonstrated quickly that he was fully healthy, ripping a double and scoring in the fifth inning before adding an RBI single in the sixth. The 27-year-old second baseman has a nine-game hitting streak going, sandwiched around the injury absence, and on the season he's slashing .328/.392/.507 with two homers, two steals, 15 runs and 15 RBI.

Arcia went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-2 win over the Guardians.

The shortstop crushed a Pedro Avila two-seamer over the fence in left-center field, giving Atlanta its last offense of the night in the eighth inning. Arcia has both his homers on the year in the last nine games, and he's slashing .311/.340/.478 through 97 plate appearances with nine RBI and 12 runs as he proves his 2023 resurgence was no fluke.

Gibault (forearm) is scheduled to throw back-to-back games next week, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

After experiencing renewed discomfort in his forearm, Gibault had a rehab assignment paused April 16 before returning to pitch Wednesday and again Friday. Next up are the back-to-back outings scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. Presumably, that would be the right-handed reliever's final hurdle before activation.

Sale (3-1) picked up the win Friday, allowing one run on two hits and a walk over seven innings in a 6-2 victory over the Guardians. He struck out six.

The veteran lefty has been healthy and dominant to kick off 2024, and he completely shut down the Cleveland offense after serving up a leadoff homer to Steven Kwan. Sale has worked seven-plus innings in three straight starts for the first time since June 2018, and he's allowed three runs or less in four of his five outings so far for Atlanta. Sale will take a 3.69 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 33:7 K:BB through 31.2 innings into his next start, which is scheduled to come on the road next week in Seattle.

Friedl (wrist) is ramping up baseball activities at the team's complex in Goodyear (Ariz.) and could begin playing games as a defensive player only this weekend, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

After serving as a defensive player only, Friedl could move onto bunting in games and possibly a rehab assignment by the middle of next week. Cincinnati manager David Bell said he'll need between one and two weeks before being ready to return, noting the need to build up at-bats.

Gordon went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Friday's 3-1 loss to the Nationals.

The 28-year-old continues to hold down a strong-side platoon role in left field, but Gordon's done little to earn it. The steal was his first of the season, and through 61 plate appearances he's slashing just .211/.246/.404 with three homers, five runs and 12 RBI. The Marlins have the worst record in the NL at 6-21, and it may not be long before struggling veterans with limited upside like Gordon get shoved aside in favor of prospects like Victor Mesa.

Nardi gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning Friday while striking out one, but he was charged with his third blown save of the season after allowing an inherited runner to score.

Kyle Tyler began the sixth inning but got the hook after giving up a leadoff single to Jacob Young, and Nardi wasn't able to prevent Young from coming around to score and tie the game at 1-1. Nardi hasn't been tagged with a run of his own in six straight appearances, and while he's struck out 10 batters in 5.1 innings over that stretch, he's also issued three free passes and hit a batter with a pitch. He's whittled his ratios down to a 7.71 ERA and 1.89 WHIP in the process, but the 25-year-old southpaw is still struggling to regain the form he flashed in 2023.

Maldonado came away with a no-decision in Friday's 3-1 loss to the Nationals, allowing three hits over three scoreless innings. He struck out two without walking a batter.

Promoted from Triple-A Jacksonville earlier in the day for his big-league debut, Maldonado was expected to work only as an opener while Kyle Tyler handled bulk relief duties. Instead, Maldonado gave Miami an efficient 36 pitches (23 strikes) and left the mound with his team ahead 1-0. The 26-year-old righty has been deployed almost exclusively as a reliever in the minors -- his two other starts as a professional came back in 2021 at Rookie ball -- but this performance might encourage the Marlins to give him another turn in the rotation and try stretching him out a bit more considering their lack of healthy alternatives.