MLB Player News

Lowe went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in a loss to the Phillies on Saturday.

The first baseman connected for his first homer of the year, a two-run shot with the Nationals down 11-3 in the eighth inning. Lowe added an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth, but it was too little, too late. In 2022, Lowe blasted 27 home runs for the Rangers, but his power numbers dipped to 17 and 16 in the two seasons that followed. Now with a new team, he'll hope to find his power stroke again in 2025.

Freeman went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and two RBI in a 7-3 win against the Tigers on Saturday.

Freeman put the Dodgers on the board with a 418-foot solo homer in the first inning and added a run-scoring double in the seventh. The star first baseman has gone deep in each of his past two games and has four RBI over that span. Freeman appears to be well past the rib issue that kept him out of Los Angeles' first two games of the campaign in Tokyo during mid-March.

Encarnacion-Strand went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Giants.

Encarnacion-Strand put the Reds ahead in the sixth inning with a solo shot off reliever Spencer Bivens. The 25-year-old earned the starting first base job after posting an .899 OPS over 56 plate appearances this spring. He's carried that momentum into the regular season, delivering back-to-back multi-hit performances to open 2025.

Smith isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game versus the Cubs.

Left-hander Shota Imanaga will toe the slab to begin Saturday's contest, so Smith and his career .600 OPS against lefties will remain on the bench. Randal Grichuk will serve as Arizona's designated hitter instead and bat fourth.

Mervis isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Pirates.

The Marlins will load up their lineup with right-handed bats against southpaw Bailey Falter, so Mervis will begin Saturday's contest in the dugout. Eric Wagaman will fill in as Miami's first baseman and bat fourth.

Wade isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Reds, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The left-handed bat of Wade will take a seat on the bench Saturday with fellow left-hander Nick Lodolo slated to start on the bump for Cincinnati. Wilmer Flores will shift to first base as a result, allowing Casey Schmitt to serve as San Francisco's designated hitter while batting eighth.

Freeman went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 8-5 victory against the Tigers.

The Dodgers were shut out by Jack Flaherty until the sixth inning, when Freeman tagged his former teammate for a two-run homer to center field. The blast was the first hit of the season for Freeman, who sat out Los Angeles' two-game, season-opening set against the Cubs in Tokyo due to an injury to his ribs. The veteran first baseman appears to be fine now and has been relatively durable in recent campaigns, as he hasn't missed time due to an injured-list stint since 2017.

Smith started at designated hitter and batted fifth in Friday's 8-1 win over the Cubs, going 3-for-5 with two doubles, one RBI and two runs scored.

Smith was on the bench for Thursday's season opener against a lefty but made his first start Friday with a righty on the mound. The lefty hitter is coming off an encouraging season in which he achieved career highs in slugging, hard-hit and barrel rates. Smith will be given the chance to hold down the strong side of a platoon at DH, while Randal Grichuk should be in the lineup against lefties.

Black will be sidelined 6-to-8 weeks after suffering a fractured right hamate bone, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

It's an injury that typically requires surgery and often results in a loss of power initially upon a return to action. In all likelihood, Black won't be an option for the Brewers until at least June. He managed just a .561 OPS during his time with the big club last season.

Eldridge (wrist) has resumed playing in games at the Giants' spring facility in Arizona, but the organization hasn't decided whether he'll begin the season at Triple-A Sacramento or Double-A Richmond, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Eldridge missed some time in spring training with a sore left wrist, and while the fact that he's resumed playing in simulated games in camp suggests he's healthy again, the Giants still want to be cautious with the 20-year-old. As a result, the team may prefer to have the first baseman stockpile at-bats in a controlled setting for the time being. Eldridge saw action at four different minor-league levels in 2024, but the vast majority of his playing time came at Single-A San Jose and High-A Eugene, with whom he combined to hit 22 home runs over 444 plate appearances. He logged just 75 plate appearances in 17 games between Richmond and Sacramento.