MLB Player News

Walker went 0-for-4 in Friday's 5-1 loss to Milwaukee.

Walker was in the starting lineup for first time in three games when Arizona faced a right-handed starter. Manager Torey Lovullo had inserted Pavin Smith at first base against the previous two righties, which had not been a normal practice. Walker is down to .167 (12-for-72) with a .447 OPS against same-sided pitchers in 2021, although he has not exhibited worrisome splits in the past.

Cabrera entered as a pinch hitter and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in Friday's 5-1 loss to the Brewers.

Cabrera was activated from the injured list Friday, beating the worst-case prognosis by a week. The most-recent report indicated the infielder was running at 70 to 80 percent, but manager Torey Lovullo told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that Cabrera is "ready for this." The obvious question is how much playing time the 35-year-old will get on a team that owns the worst record in baseball. He was playing steadily before the injury, although never more than two consecutive days, but that was before Arizona lost 20 of 23 contests.

Mountcastle went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and two strikeouts in Friday's 3-1 win over Cleveland.

Mountcastle put the Orioles on the board with his two-run blast in the seventh inning that proved to be the difference in Friday's low-scoring contest. The 24-year-old has been dominant across the last four games, as he's gone 6-for-16 with three home runs, a double and seven RBI during that time.

Blandino left Friday's game against the Cardinals in the bottom of the fifth inning with an apparent hand injury, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Blandino was hit by a pitch on his hand to begin the fifth inning, and Mike Freeman took his place at first base in the bottom half of the frame. The severity of his injury isn't yet known.

Smith isn't starting Friday against the Padres, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Smith will get a breather after he went 4-for-9 with a three-run home run, two walks and two strikeouts across his last three games. Kevin Pillar will shift to left field while Billy McKinney starts in right.

Vaughn (undisclosed) was seen taking batting practice prior to Friday's game against the Tigers, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Vaughn is currently on the COVID-19 injured list, but manager Tony La Russa said earlier Friday that the rookie could return as soon as Saturday. Given his participation in Friday's batting practice, a Saturday return now appears even more likely.

Flores (hamstring) isn't starting Friday against the Cubs, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Flores left Thursday's win over the Cubs due to hamstring tightness, but he'll be available off the bench Friday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. LaMonte Wade will start at first base and lead off.

Cabrera (hamstring) was activated from the 10-day injured list Friday.

Cabrera was expected to face a four-week absence when he landed on the injured list in mid-May, but he beat that timeline for his return. He hit quite well before suffering a hamstring injury, posting a .289/.393/.474 slash line. Cabrera isn't in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Brewers, but he should feature regularly moving forward. Seth Frankoff (forearm) landed on the injured list in a corresponding move.

Hiura is not in the starting lineup Friday against Arizona.

Despite Kolten Wong (oblique) landing on the 10-day injured list earlier Friday, Hiura will remain out of the lineup against right-hander Matt Peacock. Luis Urias will play second base and bat leadoff.

Dalbec is out of the lineup Friday against the Yankees, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Dalbec is 2-for-23 with 15 strikeouts over his past eight games and will head to the bench Friday. Marwin Gonzalez will start at first base in the series opener at New York.