MLB Player News

Albies might be held out of Tuesday's lineup after being hit on the toe by a pitch Monday in Houston, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Albies finished Monday's game but was limping noticeably after the contest and had his foot examined. While he looks to have avoided a serious injury, Albies' status for Tuesday will be determined when he gets to the ballpark and is checked out. If Albies is not able to go Tuesday, Luis Guillorme would likely fill in at second base.

Candelario went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Monday's 9-3 loss to the Mariners.

Candelario, who slumped to start the season, hit safely for a third straight game following a two-day break (including a team day off) from playing. The home run was the second of the season for the corner infielder, whose average ticked up to .190 through 15 games.

Murphy (oblique) has started light throwing but has yet to be cleared to run or swing a bat, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Murphy's progress from a Grade 1 left oblique strain has been slow, but he's starting to ramp up his activity level a bit. He is not close to beginning a rehab assignment, however, so a return before the end April might not happen. Travis d'Arnaud will continue to be Atlanta's primary catcher while Murphy recuperates.

Gibault (forearm) will make at least one more rehab appearance for Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

This will be Gibault's fifth appearance while out on rehab assignment. The right-hander threw two scoreless innings for High-A Dayton and was moved to Louisville, where he's allowed four runs on four hits over 1.2 innings. He's targeted to return April 20.

Alexander leads all shortstops with minus-6 outs above average, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

Geraldo Perdomo's knee injury presented an opportunity for Alexander, and while the infielder has hit well, his fielding could cost him starts. He had miscues during the team's road trip in Atlanta, which prompted a meeting with manager Torey Lovullo, who reassured the shortstop that he loves his game but there's work to do. Infield coach Tony Perezchica is confident in Alexander's range but emphasized the need to make the routine plays. Thus far, Alexander hasn't let the defense affect his offense (.286/.359/.457).

Montero is slashing .205/.265/.227 with zero home runs, two runs and two RBI through 13 games.

He has been playing regularly at first base and his 16.3 percent strikeout rate is a massive improvement over the 36.2 percent strikeout rate he logged in 85 games last year. It looks like his plate skills may have improved, but he may need to start producing soon in order to hold onto his starting role.

Ohtani went 1-for-3 with two runs and a stolen base Monday in a loss to the Nationals.

Ohtani extended his on-base streak to 15 games with a first-inning single that led to the Dodgers' first run. The slugger also reached on catcher's interference in the sixth frame, and he subsequently stole second base, reached third on a wild pitch and scored the team's second run on a Will Smith groundout. Ohtani is giving the Dodgers consistent offensive production out of the No. 2 slot in the lineup, slashing .338/.384/.648 with four homers, 10 RBI, 15 runs and three stolen bases through 86 plate appearances.

Abrams went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, an additional run and a double in Monday's 6-4 victory against the Dodgers.

Abrams led off the game with a double, reached third base on a groundout and scored on a Tyler Glasnow wild pitch. He added a solo homer off Tyler Glasnow in the third inning to round out a productive night. Abrams has gone 5-for-13 over his past three games, with all five of his hits during that span going for extra bases. On the season, he has an impressive 1.004 OPS with four homers, three doubles, two triples, 10 RBI, nine runs and three stolen bases over 60 plate appearances.

Garcia went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run against the Dodgers in Monday's 6-4 win.

Garcia produced the biggest hit of the contest for Washington, slamming a three-run homer in the fifth inning to extend the team's lead to four runs. The long ball was his first of the campaign, but he's also tied for third in the league with seven doubles. Garcia has looked good so far this season, slashing .318/.333/.545 with eight RBI, four runs and a stolen base through 45 plate appearances.

Finnegan picked up a save against the Dodgers on Monday, striking out one batter in a perfect inning.

Finnegan was staked to a two-run lead when he entered in the ninth inning, and he retired all three batters he faced to close out the contest. The right-hander is tied for the league lead with six saves on the campaign, and he's held the opponent without an earned run in all but one of his eight outings. Finnegan came into the season with a shaky hold on the closer role for the Nationals, but he appears to be firmly in control of ninth-inning duties for the time being given his success rate so far.