MLB Player News

Rice went 2-for-5 with a home run, a double and three total RBI in an 8-2 win over Miami on Friday.

Rice logged most of his production late in the contest, cranking a solo homer to right field in the seventh inning and adding a two-run double in the eighth. The powerful first baseman is off to a great start this season, slashing .409/.500/.864 with two homers while leading the Yankees in both runs (seven) and RBI (eight). He's started six of New York's seven games so far, with one of those starts coming as the DH, and even with Paul Goldschmidt in the mix at first base, it seems likely that manager Aaron Boone will get Rice's bat in the lineup nearly every day.

Freeman went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run against Washington in a 13-6 win Friday.

It's been a frustrating start to the season for Freeman, who is batting just .214 through seven games despite consistently hitting the ball hard and posting a .268 xBA. However, the star first baseman seems to be turning things around, as he's homered in two straight games and collected a hit in three consecutive contests. Freeman hasn't posted an OPS below .850 since the 2015 season, so the expectation should be for his current .731 mark to jump up considerably over the course of the long campaign.

Manager Alex Cora said Saturday that Casas (knee) will begin a swinging progression Monday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Cora added that Casas' intercostal strain isn't as significant as the team initially believed, so it shouldn't have too much of an impact on his return timeline while he recovers from patellar tendon surgery. The Red Sox haven't moved him to the 60-day injured list yet, so the door remains open for Casas to return sometime before late May.

Naylor went 2-for-5 with two RBI in Friday's 3-1 win over the Angels.

Naylor entered play Friday with one hit and zero RBI across 30 plate appearances, so his two-run single in the 10th inning to plate Cole Young and Julio Rodriguez had to have felt good for the first baseman. Naylor struggled through the spring and World Baseball Classic with Team Canada, but perhaps Friday's two-hit, two-RBI game will help him get on track. He's slashing .094/.171/.094 through eight games.

Olson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-0 win over Arizona.

Olson went back-to-back with Ozzie Albies in the ninth inning to produce the lone runs of the game. This was Olson's second long ball in as many days after he hit his first homer of the year in Thursday's 17-2 win over Arizona. The first baseman has hit at least 29 homers in each of the last seven full-length seasons, and he has played in all 162 regular-season games in four straight years, offering reliable power and availability. This season, he's batting .313 with two homers, six RBI, six runs scored and four doubles over eight contests, though he's also racked up 11 strikeouts.

Steer went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 5-3 win over the Rangers.

Steer opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the second inning before adding a double in the ninth. It was a much-needed effort for the 28-year-old, who entered Friday just 1-for-17 through five games. While he dropped from 25 steals in 2024 to seven last season, Steer has tallied 20-plus homers in each of his three full campaigns and should see consistent playing time between the outfield and first base.

Manager Carlos Mendoza said Friday that Polanco suffered a setback in his recovery from left Achilles tendinitis Thursday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Polanco has been working primarily as a DH to begin the season while playing through an Achilles injury, but he reported discomfort Thursday and was absent from the starting nine Friday. The Mets may place him on the injured list to give him as much time as he needs to properly recover, though no decision has been made just yet. If the 32-year-old were to land on the IL, Mark Vientos, Brett Baty and Jared Young would stand to benefit from additional reps.

Polanco is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Giants.

Mark Vientos will be rewarded with another start, this time at DH, after homering in Thursday's win. Brett Baty gets the nod at first base. Polanco is off to a slow start to begin his Mets career with a .582 OPS through 28 plate appearances.

Hoskins is absent from the lineup for Friday's game against the Cubs.

The Guardians have faced all right-handers so far, but Hoskins has still been in the lineup four times in eight tilts. Kyle Manzardo will cover first base Friday and Chase DeLauter is getting a start at designated hitter.

Clemens went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs scored Thursday's 5-1 win against the Royals.

Clemens showed out at the plate, reaching base three times after having gotten on in just two of his first 10 plate appearances entering Thursday. The 29-year-old added insurance in the ninth inning with his first home run of the season, a 391-foot solo shot off Steven Cruz that extended the Twins' lead to three runs. Thursday's performance seemed to reinforce the confidence that Clemens built during his 2025 breakout campaign, when he posted a .715 OPS with 19 home runs across 386 plate appearances.