MLB Player News

Garcia went 1-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases in Wednesday's win over the Dodgers.

The 23-year-old stole a career-high nine bases last year, and Garcia is already 3-for-3 on the basepaths to begin 2024. After looking like his starting job at second base might be in jeopardy this spring, Garcia's come out of the gate slashing .294/.321/.490 through 16 games with seven doubles, a homer, four runs and eight RBI. He's also been working his way into a better spot in the batting order against right-handers, and he hit cleanup Wednesday. If he stays in the heart of the lineup, Garcia's counting-stat production should pick up.

Abrams went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's win over the Dodgers.

He drove the second big-league pitch of Landon Knack's career over the fence in right-center field, giving the Nats all the offense they would need as Jake Irvin and the bullpen combined for a shutout. Abrams launched a career-high 18 homers in 2023 but is well ahead of that pace to begin this season, slashing .295/.358/.656 with five home runs, three steals, 10 runs and 11 RBI in 15 games.

Bader went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's win over the Pirates.

His sixth-inning shot down the left-field line helped break the game open for the Mets. It was Bader's first homer with the club, and after a slow start at the plate to 2024, the 29-year-old has come alive by batting .385 (10-for-26) over his last seven games. The surge has lifted his season slash line to .288/.327/.365 with three steals, five RBI and eight runs on the season.

Marte went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's win over the Pirates.

The veteran outfielder took Bailey Falter deep in the third inning to get the Mets on the board. Marte has been healthy to begin the season and appears to be back in 20-20 form, slashing .267/.321/.413 through 18 games with three homers, three steals, six RBI and 12 runs.

Alvarez went 1-for-4 with a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's win over the Pirates.

The 22-year-old doesn't run much, but he's never been caught stealing in the majors, going 3-for-3 in 143 MLB games. Alvarez is struggling to get going at the plate this year, slashing .241/.293/.370 through 15 games with a homer, a steal, seven runs and eight RBI, but he remains locked in as the Mets' near-everyday catcher.

The Mets optioned Hartwig to Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The move clears a spot on the 26-man active roster for Michael Tonkin, whom the Mets claimed off waivers. Hartwig made one scoreless appearance during his brief time in the majors this month.

Ziegler is set to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in the near future, Michael Mayer of MetsmerizedOnline.com reports. High-A Brooklyn placed him on its full-season injured list Wednesday.

Ziegler has had terrible luck on the injury front the since the Mets selected him in the second round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft. He's flashed plenty of promise when on the mound, including this season, when he had a 13:2 K:BB over six hitless innings with Brooklyn. However, the 21-year-old is now looking at a second straight lost season after elbow and quadricep injuries limited him to just one start in 2023.

Diaz attributes his early-season velocity drop to his mechanics being a little off after he missed the entire 2023 season with a knee injury, Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic report.

The right-hander has averaged 96.6 mph with his four-seam fastball through his first seven appearances this season, down from the 99.1 mph he averaged in 2022 and even the 98.1 mph he averaged in April 2022. Diaz indicated Monday that he was pulling a bit to the first-base side with his delivery, something that seems like he should be able to correct fairly quickly. The velocity drop hasn't impacted his performance, as Diaz has converted all four of his save chances with an impressive 1.29 ERA, 0.57 WHIP and 10:2 K:BB through seven innings.

De La Cruz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Giants.

The 27-year-old outfielder accounted for the Marlins' only run of the game with his sixth-inning shot off Keaton Winn. De La Cruz has been one of the few bright spots for Miami in the early going, slashing .288/.296/.450 through 19 games with three homers, a steal, eight runs and 10 RBI, and he currently sports a six-game hitting streak and a five-game RBI streak.

Marte went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and two RBI in Wednesday's loss to the Cubs.

Marte led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run, jumping on the first pitch he saw from Jordan Wicks to give the Diamondbacks an early 1-0 lead. He then doubled in his next at-bat to lead off the third and singled home a run in the fifth to tie the game at 2-2. The second baseman continues to swing a hot bat and has now recorded at least three hits in back-to-back contests, raising his batting average to .325 in the process. Marte has also homered in two straight games, giving him five long balls in the early campaign.