MLB Player News

Young went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Sunday's win over the Phillies.

Getting the start in center field and leading off against lefty Cristopher Sanchez, Young opened the bottom of the first inning with a single -- his first hit since his promotion -- and promptly swiped second base for his first big-league steal of 2024. The 24-year-old has started three of four games since getting the call to replace Victor Robles (hamstring) on the roster, but all three starts came with southpaws on the mound for the opposition. Young should still get plenty of playing time even in a short-side platoon role -- the Nats are scheduled to face Blake Snell and Kyle Harrison to kick off a home series against the Giants beginning Monday.

Walker (1-0) struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the win Sunday over the Padres.

Walker set down the heart of the Padres' order without problems, and the Giants rallied in the bottom of the eighth inning to make him the pitcher of record. The right-hander allowed a run in his season debut, but he's pitched 4.2 scoreless innings since then. He's allowed four hits and one walks while striking out six over 5.2 innings on the year, and it appears he'll be trusted with some late-inning assignments in close games after serving in a fireman role last season.

Raley walked two in a scoreless seventh inning Sunday to record his third hold of the season in a win over the Reds.

The southpaw has been one of the few bright spots for the Mets to begin the season. Raley has posted a 0.00 ERA and 4:3 K:BB through his first 4.1 innings, picking up holds in all three of his team's wins. The 35-year-old racked up a career-high 25 holds in 2023, and he's well on his way to matching or topping that number this year.

Nardi struck out two in a perfect seventh inning during Sunday's win over the Cardinals.

The southpaw threw eight of 12 pitches for strikes against St. Louis' 5-6-7 hitters, giving Nardi only his second scoreless outing in five appearances to begin the season. Tanner Scott has been very shaky as well, but Nardi hasn't looked like much of a candidate to take over ninth-inning duties if necessary, stumbling to a 16.62 ERA over 4.1 innings. His 6:1 K:BB does offer some hope of a turnaround, however.

De La Cruz went 3-for-5 with a run scored in Sunday's win over the Cardinals.

Getting the start at DH and batting seventh, De La Cruz helped fuel a 10-run outburst by Miami as the team collected its first win of 2024. The 27-year-old has had a solid start to the season, hitting safely in nine of 10 games and batting .273 (12-for-44) with a double, a solo home run and five total runs scored, but his 0:11 BB:K is a little jarring after he produced a 40:142 mark over 153 games in 2023.

Harris went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's win over the Diamondbacks.

The center fielder put Atlanta ahead for good with a fourth-inning shot to right field off Ryne Nelson. Harris is off to a flying start to 2024, batting .344 (11-for-32) through eight games with two doubles, a triple, two homers, five RBI and seven runs scored.

Olson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's win over the Diamondbacks.

The first baseman took Ryne Nelson deep to lead off the second inning and set Atlanta on its way to a 5-2 victory and a series sweep. Olson has picked up where he left off after slugging a career-high 54 homers in 2023, and through eight games this season he's batting .303 (10-for-33) with five doubles, three home runs and eight RBI.

Jimenez struck out two over 1.2 perfect innings Sunday to record his second hold of the season in a win over the Diamondbacks.

The right-hander entered the game in the sixth inning and needed only 21 pitches (16 strikes) to carve up the heart of Arizona's order. With Raisel Iglesias unavailable after pitching two straight days, it was Pierce Johnson and not Jimenez who got the save Sunday, and the latter hasn't pitched any later than the seventh inning through his first four appearances this season. Jimenez has been sharp in his role, posting a 2.08 ERA and 4:1 K:BB through 4.1 frames, but he appears to be no higher than fourth or fifth in the packing order in the Atlanta bullpen.

Machado said Sunday that his surgically repaired right elbow is "not 100 percent" and he's been told by doctors he might not feel fully healthy until next season, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Machado experienced some fatigue in the elbow during spring training, which has delayed his return to third base. While Padres manager Mike Shildt indicated Saturday that Machado could play the hot corner before the end of April, Machado said Sunday that "there's not really a timetable on it." The elbow doesn't affect Machado at the plate, as he's started all 12 games at designated hitter (though he's hitting only .196/.288/.370 so far). San Diego has used a combination of Tyler Wade, Graham Pauley and Eguy Rosario at third base.

Davis went 0-for-2 with an RBI on Sunday against the Orioles.

Davis is hitless in five straight games spanning 16 plate appearances. He's also struck out 43.8 percent of the time in that span, though he had a brief bright spot on Sunday when he drove in a run on a sacrifice fly. With Yasmani Grandal (foot) and Jason Delay (knee) both out, Davis faces diminished competition for plate appearances. However, Joey Bart made quite an impression in his debut with the Pirates and could start to see his playing time tick up.