MLB Player News

Slater went 1-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base in Wednesday's 8-2 loss to the Mets.

Slater has struggled at the plate this year, but he remains in a short-side platoon role in right field. The steal was his first of the campaign, and he's batting just .115 with one RBI, three runs scored and no extra-base hits over 32 plate appearances. Slater will often play in right field when Mike Yastrzemski is on the bench, but the former's hitting hasn't been strong enough to make much of a fantasy impact.

Fitzgerald went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 8-2 loss to the Mets.

Fitzgerald got the Giants on the board in the seventh inning. He has often found his way into the lineup versus southpaws while also serving as a right-handed bench bat. The utility man is batting .269 with a homer, four stolen bases, three RBI, five runs scored, two doubles and a triple over 28 plate appearances.

Hjelle (0-1) took the loss versus the Mets on Wednesday, allowing three runs on two hits and a walk while striking out two over 2.2 innings.

Blake Snell (thigh) was placed on the injured list Wednesday, forcing the Giants to go with a bullpen game. Hjelle ended up with the most innings of the seven pitchers used, but he was unable to match his success from his season debut Sunday versus the Diamondbacks, when he pitched two innings of one-hit ball. The right-hander was on the shelf with an elbow injury to begin the season, and he'll likely serve as a long reliever for the majority of 2024.

The Nationals optioned Millas to Triple-A Rochester on Thursday.

Washington no longer had a need for Millas as a backup catcher after the team reinstated Keibert Ruiz (illness) from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. During his week-and-a-half-long stint with the Nationals, Millas appeared in two games and went 1-for-6 with a stolen base.

The Nationals reinstated Ruiz (illness) from the 10-day injured list Thursday. He'll start at catcher and bat fifth in the Nationals' series finale versus the Dodgers.

Ruiz missed the Nationals' last 11 games while recovering from a case of influenza. He checked out fine after making two rehab appearances with Double-A Harrisburg earlier this week and should settle back in as the Nationals' No. 1 catcher now that he's been activated from the IL. Washington optioned catcher Drew Millas to Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move.

Bart will start at catcher and bat cleanup Thursday against the Brewers.

Bart has been included in the lineup in four of the past six games and appears to have surpassed Henry Davis on the depth chart at catcher. The eventual return of Yasmani Grandal (foot) from the 10-day injured list could cost Bart some playing time, but for now, the 27-year-old should garner the lion's share of starts behind the dish while he's swinging a hot bat. Bart heads into Thursday's game with a 1.119 OPS over 23 plate appearances on the season.

Davis is out of the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Brewers.

He has now started just two of the previous six games and will give way to Joey Bart behind the dish Thursday. Davis is slashing just .180/.288/.230 with a 31.1 percent strikeout rate this season, and with Yasmani Grandal (foot) nearing a return, he could find himself back in the minors soon.

Hayes is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Brewers, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Hayes looks to be getting some routine maintenance for a day game after a night game. With Hayes on the bench, the Pirates will shift Jared Triolo over to third base Thursday and give Alika Williams a start at second base.

Rojas went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 7-4 loss to the Phillies.

It's been an impressive week for Rojas, who extended his hitting streak to six games, going 10-for-22 with a double, a triple and four stolen bases in that span. After starting the year 1-for-22, the 23-year-old Rojas has boosted his slash line to .266/.329/.328 with nine runs scored, three RBI and a team-high seven stolen bases.

Fairchild is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Phillies.

Fairchild will retreat to the bench for the series finale with the Phillies after he had started in each of the Reds' past three games while going 1-for-11 with a walk and a run scored. Though Jake Fraley (illness) remains out of the lineup Thursday, the Reds are seemingly optimistic that he'll be back in action at some point during the weekend series versus the Rangers. Once Fraley returns, Fairchild's opportunities will likely be limited mostly to playing against left-handed starting pitchers.