MLB Player News

Pratto isn't in the Royals' lineup Friday against the Nationals.

The Nationals will begin Friday with lefty Patrick Corbin on the mound, so the left-handed Pratto will retreat to the bench. In his place, Edward Olivares will start in left field and bat sixth.

Diaz (personal) is back in the lineup for Friday's contest against the Dodgers, Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Diaz rejoined the Rays on Thursday after missing two games while tending to a personal matter, but this is his first start since Monday. He's batting leadoff and playing first base against Noah Syndergaard.

France (wrist) went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs and a third run scored in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Athletics.

France missed Wednesday's game with a bruised left wrist, but he doesn't look any worse for wear. His pair of solo shots erased a two-run deficit, and he added the go-ahead run after reaching in the eighth inning on a fielder's choice. The first baseman has hit five homers this year, including three over his last two games. For the season, he's slashing .266/.344/.415 with 23 RBI, 30 runs scored and a stolen base through 49 contests.

Torkelson went 2-for-3 with two walks, an RBI and a run scored in Thursday's win over the White Sox.

Torkelson and Riley Greene had identical stat lines from the third and fourth spots in the lineup. While Greene seems to be breaking out in his sophomore campaign, Torkelson hasn't seen the same level of success, as he's batting only .242 with a .681 OPS. Both figures are up from last year, however, and the 23-year-old has the talent to keep trending upward through the summer months. He also has multiple hits in three of his last six games.

Raley went 0-for-2 with two walks, two runs scored and two stolen bases Thursday against the Blue Jays.

Raley didn't have a big game at first glance, though his pair of stolen bases gives him six on the campaign. He entered the season having failed to even attempt a stolen base across 144 career plate appearances. Raley is also a significant source of power production with 10 home runs and is a regular in the Rays' lineup against right-handed pitchers.

France (wrist) is starting at first base Thursday against Oakland.

France took a pitch to the wrist Tuesday, which forced him to miss Wednesday's game. He will return to Seattle's lineup looking to build on his recent success, as he is 3-for-6 with a homer and three runs scored over his last two games.

Pasquantino went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a walk in Wednesday's 6-4 loss to the Tigers.

Pasquantino had gone 11 games without a multi-hit effort entering Wednesday, a span in which he hit an awful .095 (4-for-42) with two home runs and a 3:9 BB:K. In terms of breaking out of a slump, Wednesday was a solid first step for Pasquantino, who was one of the Royals' most consistent hitters early in the season. He's still slashing .262/.347/.481 with nine homers, 24 RBI, 22 runs scored and 14 doubles through 50 contests.

Diaz (personal) returned to the Rays on Thursday but is not in the starting lineup for their series finale against the Blue Jays, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Diaz was excused from the club Wednesday for a private family matter. The hot-hitting 31-year-old should be available off the bench Thursday and be back in a starting role this weekend against the Dodgers. Luke Raley is playing first base and batting seventh in Thursday's matinee.

Moiuntcastle went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Wednesday's 9-6 win over the Yankees.

His solo shot off Nestor Cortes in the fourth inning got the Orioles on the board. Mountcastle has 11 homers on the season, including three in the last eight games, but after a hot start to May he's batting only .146 (6-for-41) over the last 11 contests.

Lowe went 2-for-4 with a walk, double and run scored in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Pirates.

Lowe extended a hit streak to six games with a first-inning single. He later doubled and now is 12-for-23 (.522) with four walks, three doubles and seven runs scored during that stretch. The 27-year-old is putting together another fine season and ranks fifth in MLB among first basemen with 1.4 fWAR.