MLB Player News
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Merrill Kelly SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Tosses complete game
Kelly (3-3) tossed a complete game in Friday's win over the Rockies, allowing one run on four hits while striking out three without a walk over nine innings.
Kelly needed 100 pitches to record 27 outs Friday, and while he didn't overpower hitters, he looked in control all game long. He had outstanding run support, as the Diamondbacks erupted for six runs in the first inning and never looked back. Kelly has won his last two starts, posting a 9:3 K:BB while allowing two runs across 16 innings in that stretch. Kelly will try to extend his run of good results in his next start, scheduled for next week at home against the Giants.
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Gordon Graceffo RP | STL
Cardinals' Gordon Graceffo: Earns win in relief Friday
Graceffo (3-1) earned the win in relief Friday against the Royals after tossing a scoreless 10th inning. He issued one walk.
Graceffo only tossed seven of his 14 pitches for strikes, and he walked the first batter he faced, but the righty emerged from the inning unscathed and ended up getting the win after the Cardinals won the game in the bottom of the 11th inning. Graceffo hasn't provided a lot of fantasy value out of the Cardinals' bullpen. He hasn't recorded a strikeout in his last five outings, a stretch in which he's issued three walks while allowing three earned runs and two homers across 5.1 frames.
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Tejay Antone RP | CIN
Reds' Tejay Antone: Logs save
Antone allowed one run on one hit over one inning, recording the save in Friday's 7-6 win over the Guardians.
It was an unlikely save opportunity for Antone and the Reds, who upped a lead to 6-1 in the eighth inning before the bullpen fell apart. Graham Ashcraft and Brock Burke combined to give up four runs on five walks and one hit in the bottom of the eighth to make this contest a closer-than-it-should-have-been affair. Cincinnati's closer has been unsettled since Emilio Pagan (hamstring) landed on the injured list, and Antone could be one of several arms trotted out in the ninth inning.
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Ildemaro Vargas 1B | ARI
Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Four hits in win
Vargas went 4-for-5 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 9-1 win over the Rockies.
Vargas got the rout started with a run-scoring single in the first inning and logged hits in his first four plate appearances. It was his third consecutive game with two RBI, giving him 30 over his first 36 games. That's one shy of the career-high 31 he had across 86 games for the Nationals in 2023. It's been an unprecedented year for the utility infielder, who entered 2026 batting .249 and averaging 16 RBI across nine MLB seasons. Just when it looked like he was regressing, he's responded by going 7-for-14 with six RBI over the last three contests.
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Pavin Smith 1B | ARI
Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Ramping up activity
Smith (elbow ) has begun a throwing program, MLB.com reports.
Smith, who began taking dry swings earlier this month, has added another baseball activity in his recovery from elbow surgery. He underwent a procedure to remove loose bodies April 16. The Diamondbacks have not yet offered an estimated timetable for Smith's return. He's currently on the 60-day injured list and eligible to return May 29.
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Carson Kelly C | CHC
Cubs' Carson Kelly: Plates four in Friday's win
Kelly went 3-for-5 with a double and four RBI during Friday's 10-5 win over the White Sox.
Kelly gave the Cubs a 2-1 lead with an RBI single in the fourth inning, and his second hit in the seventh plated another run to break a 4-4 tie. He completed the hat trick with a ground-rule double in the eighth that scored Alex Bregman and Seiya Suzuki, concluding a 10-run outburst from the Cubs' offense. Kelly is now batting .281 since the beginning of May, but his .636 OPS in that span and inconsistent playing time both work to limit his fantasy appeal.
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Edward Cabrera SP | CHC
Cubs' Edward Cabrera: Takes no-decision Friday
Cabrera didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 10-5 victory over the White Sox, giving up three earned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out two batters in 4.2 innings.
The Cubs' offense gave Cabrera a 4-1 lead to work with heading into the fifth inning, but the right-hander walked the first two batters he faced, both of whom eventually came around to score. He was taken out of the game after issuing his third free pass of the inning to Sam Antonacci, giving Cabrera his first start of the season with less than five innings pitched. Since starting the campaign with 11.2 consecutive shutout innings, the 28-year-old has surrendered at least three earned runs in each of his last seven starts and owns a 5.26 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in that span. His next chance to right the ship is expected to come at home against the Brewers.
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Trevor Megill RP | MIL
Brewers' Trevor Megill: Collects fifth save
Megill struck out one batter in a perfect ninth inning to earn the save in Friday's 3-2 win over the Twins.
Megill's ninth-inning opportunity came after manager Pat Murphy elected to use Abner Uribe in the eighth. Both relievers have struggled with consistency this season and own an ERA above 4.60, so it's unlikely the Brewers are ready to abandon their closer-by-committee approach.
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Teoscar Hernandez LF | LAD
Dodgers' Teoscar Hernandez: Ends homer drought
Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 6-0 win over the Angels.
Hernandez snapped a 23-game homerless drought with his long ball in the sixth inning. He hit a poor .229 with a .603 OPS over 23 games during the power outage, with just four of his 19 hits going for extra bases in that span. He has logged four multi-hit efforts over his last five games, so it looks like his bat is coming around. Hernandez is batting .269 with a .761 OPS, five homers, 20 RBI, 21 runs scored, seven doubles and a stolen base over 40 contests this season. He hasn't missed the 25-homer mark in a full-length season since 2018, but he'll have to pick up the pace if he's to get back to that level this year.
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Max Muncy 3B | LAD
Dodgers' Max Muncy: Pops homer in Friday's win
Muncy went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two total runs scored in Friday's 6-0 win over the Angels.
Muncy has three homers over his last five games, adding five RBI and six runs scored in that span. The third baseman has remained a reliable strong-side platoon hitter, though he's also gotten into the lineup versus left-handed pitchers six times. His splits are not as extreme this year as they were last year -- he's posted a .948 OPS versus right-handers and an .890 OPS against southpaws in 2026. Overall, he's maintained a .275/.372/.563 slash line with 12 homers, 18 RBI, 31 runs scored, five doubles and no stolen bases across 164 plate appearances.