MLB Player News

Diaz, who's slashing .167/.359/.167 through his first 39 plate appearances of 2020, has seen a drop in several key batted-ball metrics thus far this season, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

The entire Rays offense has scuffled of late, scoring a total of 14 runs during a just-concluded five-game road trip. However, Toribio points out Diaz is one of the poorest performers at present, and the reasons for his struggles seem to at least partly lie in a lack of authority when making contact. The 28-year-old, who broke out for a career-best 14 home runs in 79 games last season, has an average exit velocity of 82.1 mph, a sharp drop from a figure of 91.7 mph in 2019. Diaz's hard-contact rate has also tumbled from 42.4 percent to 36.0 percent year over year, all factors which certainly seem to be playing a role in an unusually low .200 BABIP. Diaz has yet to log an extra-base hit after lacing 35 last season, but perhaps his 3-for-8 tally over the last two games is a sign a resurgence is imminent.

Olson went 1-for-3 with an RBI single, three walks and a run in a win over the Mariners on Monday.

As his line implies, Olson was a constant thorn in the side of Mariners pitching all night. The productive outing was an especially welcome sight for the slugger, for whom things had steadily gone downhill following a game-winning grand slam on Opening Night. Olson had come into Monday's game mired in an 0-for-14 slump that encompassed the previous four games, and even factoring in his production during Monday's rout, the 26-year-old's average and slugging percentage sit at an anemic .152 and .242, respectively.

Abreu went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Monday's 6-4 win over the Brewers.

With the White Sox down 4-2 in the seventh, Abreu took Corbin Burnes deep to tie the score. The veteran slugger hasn't been fazed by the unusual circumstances of the 2020 season, hitting .295 through his first 10 games with two homers and seven RBI.

Wade was optioned by the Twins on Monday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Wade made the team's Opening Day roster but played a very insignificant role in the early going, appearing in just a single game as a defensive replacement and failing to receive a plate appearance. The Twins will add an extra reliever, Caleb Thielbar, in a corresponding move.

Voit is not starting Monday against the Phillies.

Voit sits for just the second time this season. He's hit a modest .240 through his first seven games but has already homered three times, so there's no reason his playing time should dip too much in the near future. Mike Ford will get the start at first base in his absence.

Voit went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 9-7 win over the Red Sox.

Voit's fifth-inning blast was one of many counter-punches in the back-and-forth battle between the teams. The first baseman is up to three homers, six RBI and four runs scored in seven games this season. He's also struck out 10 times in 27 plate appearances.

Cron is out of the lineup for Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader against the Reds.

Cron batted cleanup during the matinee and went 0-for-2 with a run scored and a walk. The 30-year-old is in the midst of a 1-for-18 slump over his last six games. Jordy Mercer is starting at first game in the second game of the twin bill.

O'Hearn is out of the lineup Sunday against the White Sox.

O'Hearn is usually a fixture in the lineup against righties like Chicago's Dylan Cease, but he'll exit the lineup to make room for Salvador Perez, who is getting a day off behind the plate and starting at first base instead. Since being activated from the COVID-19 injured list Monday, O'Hearn has gone 6-for-18 with two doubles, a walk, two runs and five RBI.

O'Hearn isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the White Sox.

O'Hearn had started in three of the past four games, but he'll take a seat Friday after generating an RBI in Thursday's contest. Ryan McBroom will take over at first base and bat sixth.

Voit went 2-for-4 with a grand slam Thursday against the Orioles.

Voit came to the plate in the first inning with the bases loaded and didn't miss his chance by launching an offering from John Means just over the left-field fence. It was his second home run of the season. However, besides his power production, Voit has struggled at the dish, collecting just one additional hit while striking out in six of 15 plate appearances.