MLB Player News

Rutschman (ankle) went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 6-5 loss to the Royals.

Rutschman made his presence felt in his return from the 10-day injured list, launching homer No. 1 on the season. The switch-hitting catcher is off to an impressive start at the dish following a disappointing 2025, when he posted a career-worst .673 OPS across 90 games. Over 43 plate appearances so far in 2026, Rutschman is slashing .316/.395/.553 with seven extra-base hits, five RBI, five walks and four runs scored.

Aranda went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, three RBI, two walks and two runs scored in Tuesday's 12-6 loss to the Reds.

After Chase Burns had breezed through five shutout innings, Aranda saw the right-hander for the third time Tuesday and took him deep on a slider. It snapped Aranda's 12-game homerless drought, and it was just his second extra-base hit since April 7. The first baseman is now slashing .229/.356/.422 with four homers, 19 RBI, 13 runs scored and an 18:3 BB:K across 104 plate appearances.

Morejon earned the save in Tuesday's 1-0 win over the Rockies, striking out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning.

Although Mason Miller and the Padres had an off day Monday, manager Craig Stammen opted to go with Morejon to close things out for Tuesday's low-scoring contest. That was likely due to Edouard Julien and Mickey Moniak -- both left-handed batters -- being the first two up to the plate in the frame, and the southpaw Morejon ended up striking out both before getting Hunter Goodman to fly out to center field. Morejon has not yielded a run or a hit in any of his last four outings, striking out seven batters while issuing just one walk over that five-inning span. It's been a nice turnaround from how he opened the season (10.80 ERA and 2.40 WHIP over 6.2 innings).

Backhus will work as Philadelphia's opener Wednesday against the Cubs, Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic reports.

Backhus has made seven appearances for the Phillies this season, giving up four earned runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out nine batters in 6.2 innings. He'll be making his first start in the majors Wednesday and is likely to pitch an inning or two before handing the game over to Taijuan Walker, who is expected to work in bulk relief.

Matz (3-1) took the loss Tuesday against the Reds, allowing four runs on four hits and four walks with four strikeouts across three innings.

Matz didn't have it Tuesday, as he was shelled for three homers in the first two innings while walking a season-high four batters before being yanked after needing 77 pitches to record nine outs. Matz had gone at least five innings in each of his previous four starts to begin the 2026 campaign. The left-hander now owns a 4.81 ERA and 25:10 K:BB across 24.1 innings. Matz's return to starting has gone pretty well for the most part through the first month of the season.

Martinez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 8-5 win over the Astros.

Martinez lofted a home run in the second inning and later scored as part of the Guardians' six-run eighth inning. His playing time has taken a slight hit since George Valera was activated off the injured list, but Martinez's .275/.324/.788 slash line with three home runs and 10 RBI over 71 plate appearances (22 games) keeps him relevant.

Dollander (2-2) took the loss against the Padres on Tuesday, allowing one run on three hits and one walk while striking out nine across six innings.

Dollander followed Jimmy Herget on Tuesday, with Herget setting the tone by striking out the side in the first inning. Dollander was dominant himself for most of his outing, fanning six consecutive batters at one point, before he ran into trouble in the sixth and walked in a run with the bases loaded. While that was the only run he gave up, Dollander didn't get enough support from his teammates to avoid the loss. After giving up four earned runs and three homers in his first outing of the season against the Blue Jays on March 30, Dollander has posted a 1.71 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 27:5 K:BB over his last five games (over 21 innings). His next appearance is tentatively slated for this weekend on the road against the Mets, and it seems likely that he'll follow an opener for that contest.

McLain went 2-for-6 with an RBI double, a stolen base and one run scored in Tuesday's 12-6 win over the Rays.

After a big spring training, McLain has struggled at the plate to begin the 2026 campaign. Tuesday marked his first multi-hit game since April 9, and the second baseman is still looking for his first home run. He's hit safely in three straight games now and has doubled in both contests against the Rays to begin the week. McLain is slashing .198/.330/.256 with five doubles, four RBI, 10 runs scored, four stolen bases and a 15:25 BB:K across 103 trips to the plate. He's remained in the two hole in the Cincinnati lineup despite the early-season struggles.

Bowlan (groin) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday, per MLB.com.

Bowlan is recovering from a right groin strain, which forced him to the 15-day injured list last week. The right-hander, who holds a solid 3.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 8:1 K:BB across seven innings this year, is first eligible to come off the IL ahead of the April 28 series opener versus San Francisco and could be ready to return by then.

Myers went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, three walks and four runs scored in Tuesday's 12-6 win over the Rays.

Myers went back-to-back with Ke'Bryan Hayes in the top of the second inning against lefty Steven Matz, as both hitters swatted their first homers of the season. Myers has been seeing regular playing time against left-handed pitching and hit leadoff for the second time this season Tuesday. The 30-year-old is slashing .258/.395/.355 with the one homer, three RBI, seven runs scored, one stolen base and a 6:6 BB:K across 38 plate appearances. Myers has at least one hit in three of his five starts.