MLB Player News

Suzuki went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 4-1 win against Seattle.

Suzuki was one of three Cubs with solo home runs in the win, joining Michael Busch and Miguel Amaya. The outfielder struck out in his other three at-bats, so the performance wasn't all good, but fantasy managers won't complain about three long balls through 14 games. Suzuki hit a career-high 20 home runs in 2023, and he could make a run at surpassing that figure this season if he keeps up his recent level of play.

Amaya went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 4-1 win against Seattle.

Amaya hit his first home run of the season in the eighth inning, giving the Cubs some extra breathing room in the victory. The 25-year-old has now appeared in eight games this year, with Yan Gomes making nine appearances. The two should continue to split playing time fairly evenly behind the plate, with Gomes slotted in as the de facto starter. However, the veteran is struggling with a .174 batting average and .522 OPS to date, so Amaya could push for a larger role if he produces at the plate.

Schwarber went 3-for-3 with two walks, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Pirates.

Incredibly, all five of his plate appearances came against southpaws, marking the first time in his career that Schwarber had reached base five times in the same game against same-handed pitching. Per Paul Casella of MLB.com, he's only the third left-handed batter in the last eight years to accomplish that platoon-defying feat, joining Juan Soto and Anthony Rizzo. Schwarber has had a solid start to the season, slashing .259/.358/.414 through 15 games with three homers, a steal, six RBI and 11 runs.

Outman went 1-for-4 with a run and a stolen base against the Padres in a 5-2 victory Saturday.

Outman used his legs in the fourth inning to help produce the game's first run, notching a one-out single, subsequently swiping second base and then coming home to score on a Mookie Betts single. The theft was Outman's first of the campaign in two tries after he stole 16 bags in 19 attempts as a rookie last year. The 26-year-old is off to a slow start with a .184/.286/.327 slash line through 56 plate appearances this season, but he's been trending up of late, batting .294 with both of his homers and four RBI over his past five games.

Hoffman (2-0) picked up the win in Saturday's 4-3 victory over the Pirates, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.

After shutting Pittsburgh down on 17 pitches (11 strikes) in the top of the ninth to preserve a 3-3 tie, Hoffman got rewarded when Nick Castellanos walked it off with a single in the bottom of the frame. The right-hander has had a strong start to the season in a high-leverage role, being scored upon in only one of his seven appearances while posting a 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 8:3 K:BB, but the ninth-inning picture for the Phillies could get even more crowded when Orion Kerkering (forearm) gets added to the mix, joining Hoffman (one save) and Jose Alvarado (two saves).

Turnbull came away with a no-decision Saturday, giving up three runs on four hits and four walks over four-plus innings in a 4-3 win over the Pirates. He struck out three.

The right-hander was looking good through four innings but failed to get an out in the fifth, allowing a leadoff single to Alika Williams, a two-run homer to Oneil Cruz and a walk to Bryan Reynolds before getting the hook. Turnbull tossed 48 of 88 pitches for strikes as he gave up his first earned runs of the season, and through three starts he still sports a 1.80 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 16:5 K:BB in 15 innings. He'll try to get back on track against a familiar foe, as the former Tiger lines up to make his next start at home next weekend against the White Sox.

Ohtani went 0-for-2 with two walks, an RBI and a stolen base in a 5-2 win against the Padres on Saturday.

Ohtani had his eight-game hitting streak snapped Saturday, but he still reached base twice and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. The slugger added to his fantasy output with his second theft of the campaign. Ohtani hasn't had much difficulty adjusting to the National League, slashing .343/.392/.686 with four home runs, 10 RBI, 13 runs and a 7:14 BB:K through 79 plate appearances.

Reynolds went 1-for-1 with three walks, a run scored and a stolen base in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Phillies.

Despite getting very little to hit, Reynolds still managed to extend his hitting streak to five games. The 29-year-old outfielder has been his usual solid self through the first couple weeks of the season, slashing .274/.384/.452 in 15 games with two homers, two steals, seven runs and 11 RBI.

Gonzales came away with a no-decision in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Phillies, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out five.

The veteran southpaw delivered his second straight quality start and left the game nursing a 3-2 lead, but the Pirates' bullpen couldn't get Gonzales his first win of 2024. He tossed 64 of 90 pitches for strikes, and through his first three outings this season he sports a 2.65 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 11:5 K:BB over 17 innings. Gonzales will try to get into the win column in his next start, scheduled to come at home next weekend against the Red Sox.

Chapman went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and three runs scored in Saturday's win over the Rays.

Chapman first came around to score in the top of the sixth inning after drawing a walk -- one of three walks allowed in succession by Chris Devenski. The third baseman scored again on a Thairo Estrada home run in the next frame before launching a solo shot of his own in the ninth with the game already well in hand. Chapman is still batting just .186 in April following Saturday's two-hit performance, though he has now registered multiple hits in two of his last three contests.