MLB Player News

Mervis is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Rays.

Mervis started the previous four games but will sit Friday after going 1-for-9 with a walk and three strikeouts during that stretch. Eric Wagaman will take over at first base for the series opener versus Tampa Bay.

The Pirates will activate Horwitz (wrist) from the 10-day injured list during their weekend series in Philadelphia, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

He will not be activated Friday, perhaps because the Phillies are starting left-hander Ranger Suarez. Instead, Horwitz will return from the IL later this weekend. Horwitz has been working his way back from February surgery to repair an extensor tendon in his right thumb that was causing pain in his wrist. The 27-year-old posted just a .677 OPS in 13 rehab games, but he was heating up at Triple-A Indianapolis, going 6-for-13 with one home run over his last three contests. Horwitz is set to serve as the Pirates' primary first baseman.

Villar went 1-for-2 with a run scored and two walks in Wednesday's 8-7 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Villar started at first base Wednesday, collecting two free passes for the first time this season. Additionally, the 28-year-old hit an infield single in the fourth inning before coming around to score his first run since April 22. The infielder has made five appearances in May, slashing .222/.462/.222 with a 3:2 BB:K across 13 plate appearances.

Triolo went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run Wednesday against the Mets.

Triolo recorded his first home run of the season Thursday and has at least one hit in five of his last six games. He's scored four runs in that span and has surprisingly tallied four total extra-base hits. Despite the slight uptick in production, Triolo is hitting just .167/.233/.308 across 87 plate appearances.

Gorski went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run Wednesday against the Mets.

Gorski was in the lineup rarely with Derek Shelton managing the Pirates, but he has started five of six games since Don Kelly took over. He's struck out nine times in 19 plate appearances in that span while collecting only four hits, though he did manage a two-run homer in the second inning Wednesday, providing what proved to be the winning runs for Pittsburgh.

Steer went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double during Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the White Sox.

Steer broke the Reds' scoring slump in the seventh inning by swatting a solo home run off Davis Martin. The long ball was Steer's fourth of the campaign. The 27-year-old also notched a double for a third straight contest. On the year, Steer is slashing .199/.271/.333 with 21 runs scored and 12 RBI.

Toglia went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 8-3 loss to Texas.

Toglia has now recorded at least one hit in five of his last six games, and he added his third home run in the month of May. The switch hitter now has six multi-hit efforts in 2025, and he's batting .281 with three long balls, two doubles and five RBI over his last 32 at-bats (nine games). Toglia's fantasy appeal gets a considerable boost when he plays at home, as evidenced by his .886 OPS across 75 at-bats at hitter-friendly Coors Field this year.

Hoskins went 4-for-4 with a walk, a double, a home run, five total RBI and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 9-5 victory over the Guardians.

The first baseman launched a two-run homer during the seventh inning and also delivered three runs on singles in the sixth and ninth frames to match Cleveland's run production by himself. Hoskins went 0-for-3 to snap a modest seven-game hit streak Tuesday, but he's gone 14-for-45 (.311 average) with five doubles, two homers, 11 RBI and five runs through 13 contests in May, which has boosted his OPS for the season to .858.

Rodriguez (finger) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday.

Rodriguez has been shelved for the past month with a laceration on his right index finger but has been cleared to test himself in a game setting. The switch hitter shouldn't require too many at-bats in the minors before being activated from the 10-day injured list.

The Pirates transferred Valdez (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.

The transaction clears room on the 40-man roster for waiver pickup Michael Helman and ensures that Valdez won't be available for the big club until around the All-Star break. The Pirates initially deactivated Valdez on May 9 due to left shoulder inflammation, but his move to the 60-day IL could suggest that he's dealing with a more significant injury. Before getting injured, Valdez had been seeing regular reps at first base, but playing time could be difficult to come by for him once he's activated since Spencer Horwitz (wrist) is poised to beat him back from the IL.