MLB Player News

Merrill went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in Tuesday's 10-5 win over the Giants.

He's gone 8-for-17 (.471) over four contests in May, adding a home run, three RBI and two steals. Merrill was atop the lineup for just the second time all season, as Ramon Laureano was given the day off Tuesday. Merrill's recent hitting should help him turn his season around. Even with the hot stretch, he's at a .235 average and .673 OPS for the year. The outfielder has added four homers, seven steals, 18 RBI, 22 runs scored and seven doubles over 34 contests.

Bogaerts went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a second RBI and a walk in Tuesday's 10-5 win over the Giants.

Bogaerts has a pair of multi-hit efforts in May, but he's gone hitless in his other three games this month. The shortstop got the Padres on the board with his second-inning solo shot, which was his first extra-base hit since he homered April 28 versus the Cubs. He's batting a steady .270 with a .781 OPS, six long balls, 20 RBI, 16 runs scored and four stolen bases across 34 contests this season.

Buehler (2-2) allowed four runs on seven hits and struck out five without walking a batter over 5.1 innings to earn the win over the Giants on Tuesday.

Buehler worked into the sixth inning for just the second time this season. He's allowed exactly four runs in all three of his road starts, but the Padres gave him enough help Tuesday to get the win. This was also just the second time he's issued zero walks in a start this year. The 31-year-old is at a 5.64 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 29:12 K:BB through 30.1 innings over seven starts. Buehler is lined up for a home start versus the Cardinals over the weekend.

Okamoto went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Rays.

Okamoto wasted no time getting Toronto on the board, crushing a Drew Rasmussen four-seam fastball in the first inning for a 409-foot solo shot. Opposing pitchers continue to challenge the rookie with heaters, and he continues to make them pay, as he now owns a .654 slugging percentage against fastballs. The homer was his 10th of the season and his fifth in as many games, with the slugger going 8-for-21 with eight RBI during that stretch. Okamoto is now slashing .244/.327/.489 across 147 plate appearances.

Sulser earned the save Tuesday against the Blue Jays, retiring the side in order in the ninth inning.

Sulser entered with a one-run lead and efficiently handled Toronto's lineup, needing just 12 pitches to secure his second save of the season. After a rough start in which the right-hander allowed six earned runs over his first six appearances, he has completely turned things around, tossing 9.2 consecutive scoreless innings since. Sulser now owns a 2.75 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and a 15:8 K:BB across 19.2 innings. Bryan Baker leads the Rays with nine saves on the campaign and remains the team's primary closer, but he was presumably unavailable Tuesday after pitching each of the previous two days.

Chandler (1-4) allowed two runs on two hits and six walks while striking out four over five innings to take the loss versus Arizona on Tuesday.

Chandler has walked at least four batters in four of his seven outings so far, which has largely prevented him from pitching deep into games. He's worked into the sixth inning just twice so far. Arizona wasn't able to take full advantage of Chandler's struggles, as he continues to do a mostly decent job of limiting damage despite the flaws in his game. He has a 4.76 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 31:26 K:BB through 34 innings this season. Chandler is tentatively projected to make his next start over the weekend in San Francisco.

Rodriguez (3-0) allowed two hits and three walks while striking out seven over seven shutout innings to earn the win over Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

Rodriguez had faltered a bit with 10 runs allowed over his last 14.2 innings across three starts. He bounced back and put up one of his best outings of the season Tuesday, throwing 65 of 103 pitches for strikes in the dominant victory. He's now at a 2.50 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 29:19 K:BB through 39.2 innings over seven starts this season. Rodriguez's 6.6 K/9 is the lowest of his career, but he's making it work after struggling in his first two campaigns with Arizona. The southpaw is projected to make his next start at home over the weekend against the Mets.

Rasmussen did not factor into the decision Tuesday against the Blue Jays, allowing three runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out five over six innings.

Rasmussen ran into trouble early, surrendering a solo homer to Kazuma Okamoto in the first inning before allowing another run in the second via a trio of singles. The right-hander settled in from there and continued his workhorse-esque trend, now going at least five innings in six of his seven starts this season. One concern has been the long ball, as Rasmussen has already allowed six homers across those seven outings. Even so, he still owns a strong 2.95 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 37:6 K:BB on the year. The 30-year-old is next scheduled to face a Boston lineup that has struggled to consistently score runs lately.

Bader (hamstring) went 1-for-3 in Triple-A Sacramento's 4-0 loss to Reno on Tuesday.

Bader, who began experiencing hamstring tightness less than a week before Opening Day, was placed on the 10-day injured list in mid-April due to a left hamstring strain. He made his first rehab appearance Tuesday and recorded a single before being lifted in the sixth inning. The veteran outfielder is eligible to be reinstated from the injured list, though he'll likely require additional time to ramp up depending on how his hamstring responds following Tuesday's outing. In the meantime, Drew Gilbert will likely continue to see increased playing time for San Francisco.

Naylor went 2-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to Atlanta.

Naylor's bat has come around lately, and that's given him more opportunities to run. He's hit safely in 12 of his last 15 contests, a span that includes all six of his steals this season. The first baseman is batting .233 with a .645 OPS, four home runs, 17 RBI, eight runs scored and three doubles over 34 games. Naylor's a contact hitter, so he should be able to continue rebounding closer to his career norms as he gets some distance from his slow start to the year.