MLB Player News

McLain batted leadoff and went 0-for-5 with an RBI in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Phillies.

McLain had spent a good portion of May in the bottom third of the order, but a productive 11-game stretch (1.067 OPS, three HR, 10 RBI) prompted manager Terry Francona to put him atop the order the last two games, once each against a lefty and righty. Although it didn't work out Tuesday, the manager has noodled around with various leadoff options after seemingly moving away from the slumping TJ Friedl. McLain was a staple and thrived in the upper third of the order when he first arrived to the big leagues in 2023.

Bleday went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI in Tuesday's 4-1 win over Philadelphia.

Bleday, who plated what proved to be the game-winning run on a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning, later snapped an 0-for-13 stretch with a seventh-inning double. He'd been one of the Reds' best sources off offense since his arrival in late April before the recent skid. Bleday still maintains a foothold in the starting lineup and is slashing .292/.402/.653 along with six home runs and 20 RBI through 21 games.

Del Castillo went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Tuesday's 5-3 win over San Francisco.

Del Castillo delivered a two-out, run-scoring single in the bottom of the ninth, which set the table for an eventual walk-off, three-run home run by Ketel Marte to complete the come-from-behind win. Del Castillo, who had singled earlier in the game, snapped an 0-for-16 run that dropped his average below .200. He's spent most of his time as the designated hitter this season and has eight starts at catcher. Del Castillo could get more opportunities behind the plate going forward after the Diamondbacks placed James McCann (quad) on the injured list Tuesday. Arizona called up catcher Aramis Garcia from Triple-A Reno to share the backup duties with Del Castillo.

Carroll went 1-for-3 with a walk, a triple and a run scored in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Giants.

Carroll ripped an opposite-field triple in the first inning, and following an error on a relay throw, he gathered himself to score the first run of the game. The throw plunked Carroll on the top of the head. After he initially looked to be shaken on the play, Carroll stayed in the game. The triple, his sixth of the season, extended a hit streak to eight contests, during which Carroll's gone 11-for-26 with three doubles, two triples, four home runs, two stolen bases, 10 walks, four RBI and 10 runs scored.

Miller (back) has resumed light baseball activities, Paul Casella of MLB.com reports.

Miller had been shut down from baseball activities for roughly the past two weeks, so it's encouraging to hear he's back to progressing in some capacity. The 21-year-old top prospect has been plagued by a lower-back injury since February, and his return to action still doesn't seem to be particularly close. The Phillies are likely to continue taking a cautious approach with Miller's recovery going forward.

Tatis went 2-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Tatis has gone 2-for-4 on steal attempts over the last four games. The 27-year-old picked up his first multi-hit effort over the last six contests. He's still struggling to hit for power -- he has no home runs this season and hasn't recorded an extra-base hit since his May 5 double versus the Giants. He's batting .237 with a .585 OPS, 12 steals on 18 attempts, 15 RBI and 17 runs scored across 47 contests.

Andujar went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Andujar is up to five homers this season, three of which he's hit during his eight-game hitting streak. In that span, he's gone 11-for-32 (.344) with seven RBI and six runs scored. The 31-year-old has made himself a key part of the Padres' lineup this season, batting .299 with an .846 OPS, 17 RBI, 15 runs scored, one stolen base, 11 doubles and two triples through 139 plate appearances. He's batted second in each of the last three contests as San Diego attempts to capitalize on his hot bat higher in the order.

Machado went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Machado provided a quick response to Freddie Freeman's two-run blast in the top of the first inning, answering in the home half of the frame. It's been 15 games without a multi-hit effort for Machado, who has gone 5-for-56 (.089) with two homers and four RBI in that span. The third baseman is batting just .182 with a .616 OPS, seven homers, 22 RBI, 25 runs scored, five doubles and a stolen base over 46 contests. Machado has never hit under .250 or posted an OPS lower than .739 in a season, so he should be able to turn things around eventually.

Johnson threw a scoreless seventh inning in Tuesday's win over the Phillies to pick up his fourth hold of the season. He struck out two while allowing a walk.

Meanwhile, the Reds turned to Sam Moll to pitch the eighth, and then Tony Santillan pitched a clean ninth inning to get the save. Johnson had given up a homer in his most recent outing Saturday, perhaps taking him out of consideration for this save chance. He now has a 3.72 ERA and 1.34 WHIP over 19.1 innings for the season.

Pagan (hamstring) is throwing from his knees in order to keep throwing while not putting stress on his strained hamstring, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox19.com reports.

Naturally, Pagan is eager to return, but we've seen plenty of setbacks from players trying to return from muscle injuries like this one. The Reds' bullpen has been cratering without Pagan, so the Reds will have to straddle their desire to get him back, his desire to return and his need to fully heal.