MLB Player News

Tauchman went 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI in Friday's 8-3 win over the Marlins.

Tauchman entered the game as a pinch hitter for Nick Madrigal in the fifth inning, and he responded with his second straight multi-hit performance. Ian Happ was also lifted from this game in the seventh with hamstring tightness and was replaced by Alexander Canario. If Happ has to miss any time moving forward, Tauchman is an option to fill in there, though he'd likely continue to sit against southpaws.

Thompson tossed two scoreless innings of relief with four strikeouts in Friday's 8-3 win over the Marlins.

Thompson allowed just a lone walk over his two strong frames Friday, and he kept his season ERA at a perfect 0.00 across six innings. This level of play is of course unsustainable, though the righty could be emerging as a key multi-inning option for the Cubs. Thompson doesn't seem to be in the mix to start anytime soon, however, and his fantasy value will remain limited in a long-relief role.

Adams went 2-for-3 with a double, a solo home run and a second run scored in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Astros.

The 27-year-old backstop was the only Washington hitter to have much success against Justin Verlander in his 2024 debut, lacing a two-bagger off the the future Hall of Famer in the third inning and taking him deep in the fifth for Adams' second long ball of the year. With Keibert Ruiz (illness) on the shelf, Adams has started seven of the last nine games and gone 9-for-25 (.360) with four doubles and a homer. Even when Ruiz has recovered, a Nationals club searching for offense might try to find ways to keep Adams in the lineup as long as he stays hot.

Hoerner went 2-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored in Friday's 8-3 win over the Marlins.

Hoerner paced the way as the leadoff hitter, and after a slow start to the season, he's now batting a robust .361 over his last 10 games. The infielder has batted .280 or better in each of the last three years, and he should be able to reach that mark again in 2024, particularly if he keeps up his recent level of performance.

Gore (2-1) took the loss Friday, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk over four innings as the Nationals were downed 5-3 by the Astros. He struck out four.

The southpaw needed 92 pitches (64 strikes) to record his 12 outs, and all the damage off Gore came in the second inning when Houston led off the frame with back-to-back-to-back doubles. It was Gore's shortest outing so far in 2024, and he'll take a 3.60 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 27:6 K:BB through 20 innings into his next start, which lines up for a tough home tilt against the Dodgers next week.

Swanson went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 8-3 win over the Marlins.

Swanson extended his hitting streak to three games, which has helped push his season average up to .254. That's in line with the .244 mark he posted last year, though he batted .277 in his last season in Atlanta back in 2022, so there is room for growth. The shortstop also only has two home runs so far, but he's posted 20 or more long balls in three straight seasons and should find his power stroke soon.

Priester (0-1) took the loss Friday, giving up five runs (four earned) on seven hits - including three home runs - and a walk over 4.1 innings as the Pirates were routed 8-1 by the Red Sox. He struck out two.

It's never a good sign for a pitcher when they have more homers allowed than strikeouts, and the first long ball he served up -- a solo shot by Wilyer Abreu in the first inning -- actually left PNC Park completely. Priester was making his 2024 debut for Pittsburgh on Friday, and after tossing 53 of 86 pitches for strikes, he could be headed back to Triple-A Indianapolis. If the 23-year-old righty sticks around, his next start will likely come at home next week against the Brewers.

Stephenson went 1-for-2 with two walks, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Friday's 7-1 win over the Angels.

Stephenson, batting cleanup for the first time this season, went deep in the sixth inning off left-hander Tyler Anderson to give the Reds a 2-1 lead. It was his second home run of the season and snapped an 0-for-13 skid -- his previous hit was his first homer. It's unclear if Stephenson will continue to bat fourth. Jeimer Candelario (illness) had been the team's primary cleanup hitter -- against both lefties and righties -- but was recently dropped to seventh amid a slump. And the Reds hadn't faced a left-hander since he was demoted. Stephenson is off to a slow start, slashing .209/.300/.395 through 50 plate appearances.

Harris went 2-for-4 with a home run and scored two runs during Friday's win over Texas.

Left-handed starter Andrew Heaney held Harris hitless in his two at-bats against him, but the 23-year-old outfielder singled in the sixth inning to set up a four-run frame for Atlanta, and his solo homer in the eighth gave the team an extra bit of insurance against the reigning World Series champions. Harris has now collected a hit in 12 of his last 13 games and is slashing .263/.276/.421 in that span.

D'Arnaud went 3-for-4 with three home runs and six RBI during Friday's 8-3 victory over the Rangers.

D'Arnaud hadn't registered a home run in his first 14 contests before going deep three times Friday -- the first time he's done so in one game since 2019. His offensive outburst propelled him from a .591 OPS to .819 through 52 plate appearances this season.