MLB Player News

Triple-A Indianapolis placed Garcia on its 7-day injured list Friday due to lower-back tightness, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

After failing to win a spot on the Pirates' Opening Day roster coming out of spring training, Garcia slashed just .158/.186/.175 with a 28.8 percent strikeout rate over 59 plate appearances for Indianapolis before being shut down with the back issue. He lacks a clear timeline to return to action for the Triple-A club, but his injury isn't believed to be overly significant.

Friedl went 2-for-5 with a double, three RBI and a stolen base in Sunday's 7-4 extra-inning win over the Twins.

Friedl flipped the game in the top of the ninth inning, giving the Reds a 4-3 lead on a bases-clearing double. It was the first extra-base hit of the season for the 30-year-old, who entered the contest in an 0-for-10 slump across his previous three games. He's struggled overall so far, slashing .154/.267/.167 with four RBI and seven runs scored across 92 plate appearances, but has contributed four steals.

Alvarez went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Sunday's 7-5 extra-inning loss to the Cardinals.

Alvarez homered for the third time in as many games in the bottom of the eighth inning. He's in the midst of a six-game hit streak that includes seven-extra base hits, seven RBI and seven runs scored. The 28-year-old slugger leads the majors with 10 long balls to go along with a 1.261 OPS, 21 RBI, 19 runs scored and a steal across 104 plate appearances in the early going.

Barrosa went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 10-4 loss to the Blue Jays.

Barrosa entered the game as a defensive replacement for Corbin Carroll (back), but Carroll is expected to be fine for Tuesday versus the White Sox, per Alex D'Agostino of SI.com. As long as the Diamondbacks have their preferred outfield of Lourdes Gurriel, Alek Thomas and Carroll (from left to right) available, Barrosa is likely to be limited to a part-time role at best, though he could carve out some at-bats as a switch hitter. Barrosa's homer was his first of the season to go with five RBI, seven runs scored, seven doubles, one triple and a .243/.283/.480 slash line over 55 plate appearances.

Winn went 3-for-5 with a double, three RBI and one run scored in Sunday's 7-5 extra-inning win over the Astros.

Winn posted his first three-hit effort of the season, highlighted by what proved to be a game-winning bases-clearing double in the top of the 10th inning. The shortstop is in the midst of a six-game hit streak and has driven in seven runs across his past three contests. For the year, he's slashing .222/.338/.333 with one homer, eight RBI, nine runs scored and two steals across 74 plate appearances.

Nelson (1-2) allowed eight runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out one over one-third of an inning to take the loss Sunday versus the Blue Jays.

Nelson was on the hook for all of Toronto's barrage in the opening frame, as he allowed the first eight batters to reach. Three of the eight hits Nelson allowed were doubles. This was his worst outing of the season, and it's not great for Nelson that Brandon Pfaadt delivered 6.1 innings of one-run ball out of the bullpen. Those two pitchers are likely battling for one rotation spot, and while that battle has favored Nelson so far, he probably can't afford another bad outing. He's now at a 6.97 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 20:9 K:BB across 20.2 innings over five starts. He is tentatively lined up for a home start versus the Padres his next time out.

Guerrero went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 10-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

Guerrero is playing through a finger issue he suffered Friday, but it's not slowing him down from making contact. He's hit safely in 10 straight games, racking up five multi-hit efforts in that span. The first baseman had the Blue Jays' first run-scoring hit in this contest, delivering a two-run single as part of a barrage of offense in the first inning. For the season, Guerrero is batting .333 with an .865 OPS, one home run, five doubles, 10 RBI, nine runs scored and a stolen base over 21 games.

O'Brien (3-0) blew a save despite not being charged with a run and earned the win in Sunday's 7-5 extra-inning victory over the Astros. He allowed one hit and struck out two.

O'Brien entered with two outs and two men on in the eighth inning and allowed a game-tying single before rebounding with a scoreless ninth frame. It goes down as his first blown save of the season, but he has still to be charged with an earned run in 12 appearances. The 31-year-old is also 6-for-7 in save chances with a 0.41 WHIP and 14:0 K:BB across 12.1 innings.

Lukes went 3-for-5 with two doubles, three RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 10-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

The Blue Jays batted around in the first inning, with Lukes opening the onslaught with a single before adding a three-run double in his second at-bat of the inning. This was his second three-hit game in a row after taking a seat Friday in the series opener. He's had largely inconsistent results this season with a .214 average, .506 OPS and no home runs over 45 plate appearances. Lukes has added five RBI, four runs scored, no stolen bases and a 1:6 BB:K. Despite the flaws in his performance, he's been one of several players to fill the leadoff role against right-handed pitchers while George Springer (toe) is on the injured list.

Okamoto went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double, a walk, three RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 10-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

This was Okamoto's third multi-hit effort in his last six games, though he's also gone hitless six times over his last nine contests. The third baseman started the year with a six-game hitting streak, but that consistency has faded a bit. He's batting .221 with a .658 OPS, three homers, two doubles, eight RBI, seven runs scored and no stolen bases across his first 20 major-league contests. He was brought in as a power bat to fill a starting role at third base, and he's done that decently well so far, though his 8:29 BB:K is a notable concern in regards to plate discipline.