MLB Player News

Hoffman (1-2) took the loss Saturday against the Diamondbacks, allowing four runs on three hits and one walk in the eighth inning. He struck out two.

Summoned to keep the game tied at 2-2 in the eighth frame, Hoffman proceeded to allow three consecutive baserunners to reach before a grand slam by Corbin Carroll before escaping the frame. The right-hander's grip on Toronto's closer role continues to loosen, as he's produced a 7.71 ERA and 2.04 WHIP while converting just two of his five save opportunities through 9.1 innings. Louis Varland was warming up for the ninth had the game remain tied or if a save situation had arose, and he appears to be the next man up in the bullpen should the Blue Jays consider other alternatives for saves. However, manager John Schneider stated that Hoffman remains the team's closer following the game, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com.

Benintendi went 1-for-6 with a three-run home run in Saturday's 7-6 extra-innings loss to the Athletics.

After Colson Montgomery led off the top of the second inning with a solo homer, Benintendi capped the frame with a three-run shot off Luis Severino. It was Benintendi's first homer of the season, and he's now 4-for-12 with three extra-base hits, four RBI and three runs scored in the first two games of the weekend series against the Athletics. Benintendi is slashing just .200/.262/.367 across 65 plate appearances this season.

Realmuto aggravated a back injury during Saturday's 3-1 loss to Atlanta, Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic reports.

Realmuto went hitless in two at-bats before being lifted in the sixth inning Saturday, but according to Varnes, the catcher initially suffered the injury in Friday's series opener during a play at the plate. He is expected to be re-evaluated early Sunday, at which point the Phillies will have a better feel for whether the veteran backstop will require a stint on the the injured list.

Montgomery went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and a hit-by-pitch in Saturday's 7-6 extra-innings loss to the Athletics.

Montgomery got the scoring started in this one, taking Luis Severino deep for a solo shot to lead off the top of the second inning. The second-year shortstop continues to struggle to hit for average as an all-or-nothing type at the plate. Montgomery is slashing just .194/.310/.417 with four homers, 12 RBI, six runs scored, one stolen base and an 8:27 BB:K across 84 plate appearances. He's struck out at least once in 16 of 21 contests and has multiple strikeouts in eight games.

Carroll went 1-for-3 with a grand slam, a walk, a stolen base and an additional run scored in Saturday's 6-2 win over Toronto.

Carroll played the role of hero Saturday, smashing a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning off Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman to end a 12-game homerless streak. The All-Star outfielder is off to an outstanding start in 2026, slashing .309/.400/.618 with 12 extra-base hits, 16 RBI, 11 walks and two stolen bases over his first 80 plate appearances. The grand slam was the fourth of Carroll's career.

Allen was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's game against the Cardinals due to back spasms, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The severity of Allen's injury isn't clear, but he can be viewed as day-to-day until the Astros offer another update. Allen has logged just 22 plate appearances all season for Houston, though he had seen action in each of the previous three contests in the wake of Jeremy Pena's (hamstring) recent move to the injured list.

Scherzer took a no-decision Saturday against the Diamondbacks, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out one.

After yielding eight runs his last time out versus the Twins, Scherzer got back on track Saturday with his second quality start of the year and his first since his 2026 debut. It was also the veteran right-hander's first start of the season that he didn't serve up a home run. While Scherzer still has an ugly 7.16 ERA through his first 16.1 frames, he does hold a more palatable 1.29 WHIP and is set for a fairly soft matchup against the Guardians for his next start.

Iglesias was not available to pitch Saturday against the Phillies due to shoulder discomfort, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The positive news is that the injury isn't related to throwing, as Iglesias slept on his shoulder wrong. He could be available Sunday, though his status still isn't very clear. Robert Suarez picked up a save Saturday night in Iglesias's absence.

Murakami went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and three walks in Saturday's 7-6 extra-innings loss to the Athletics.

Murakami entered play Saturday with a putrid .063 average and 4:10 BB:K across 21 plate appearances against left-handed pitching. Facing lefty Hogan Harris in the top of the seventh inning, Murakami took him deep to center field. Both of his hits against left-handers this season are home runs, and overall the Japanese slugger is slashing .209/.386/.522 with seven homers, 14 RBI, 15 runs scored and a 20:29 BB:K across his first 88 major-league plate appearances. Murakami still needs to cut down on his 33 percent strikeout rate, but a 23 percent walk rate and his power have made up for the swing-and-miss thus far.

Gallen took a no-decision Saturday against the Blue Jays, allowing two runs on nine hits and no walks in 5.2 innings. He struck out three.

Gallen was aggressive in attacking the zone Saturday, perhaps to a fault, considering he gave up a season-high nine hits while pouring in 63 of his 88 pitches for strikes. Although the veteran right-hander has managed to limit the damage while posting a 3.51 ERA on the year, he hasn't been particularly effective at preventing traffic while logging a 1.48 WHIP over his first 25.2 innings. Gallen has also fanned fewer than five in four of his first five starts, so he'll be looking for more punchouts his next time out versus San Diego.