MLB Player News

Harris (hand) is starting in left field and batting seventh Friday against the Yankees, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Harris was held out of the lineup Wednesday against the Guardians after suffering a hand contusion Tuesday, but he's good to go after Thursday's team off day. Since being claimed off waivers April 18, Harris has gone 0-for-6 with a walk and two runs in three games with the Astros.

Vaughn (hand) began hitting on the field Friday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Vaughn was cleared to begin swinging a bat earlier in the week, and he has now started to hit for the first time since undergoing surgery in late March to address a fractured hamate bone. He's slated to visit a doctor Tuesday, at which point he could be cleared to begin a rehab assignment and remain on track for an early-to-mid-May return.

Pasquantino is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Angels.

Pasquantino went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and a solo homer Wednesday against Baltimore to bust out of an 0-for-16 slump, and he'll hit the bench Friday for the first time this season. Salvador Perez will shift to first base while Elias Diaz picks up a start behind the plate.

Melendez was released by the Diamondbacks on Thursday, Aaron Hughes of SI.com reports.

Melendez has produced a .222 average with two home runs, eight RBI and four runs scored over 45 at-bats in 12 contests with Triple-A Reno so far this season. He will now look for a new home in an attempt to potentially make his major-league debut down the road.

Torkelson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Brewers.

Torkelson went without a home run in his first 23 games of the season, but he's now gone deep on consecutive days. The slugger also struck out two more times Thursday, and his strikeout rate is now a tick below 30 percent. Torkelson has always been known as player with plenty of swing-and-miss in his game who can also hit homers in bunches, and that seems to be the case once again in 2026.

The Twins designated Wagaman for assignment Thursday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of waiver claim Christian Roa. Wagaman came up short in his bid for an Opening Day roster spot for the Twins and has hit only .159/.284/.254 early on at Triple-A St. Paul.

Olson went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's win over the Nationals.

Atlanta racked up eight runs and four homers in the first four innings of the contest, all off Zack Littell, with Olson's fourth-inning blast capping the offensive eruption. The first baseman is up to seven long balls in 25 games on the season to go along with a .265/.348/.582 slash line, 20 runs and 22 RBI.

Higgins went 0-for-2 with an RBI in Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Rays.

Higgins' run-scoring sacrifice fly was all the Reds could do against former teammate Nick Martinez. The RBI was the first for Higgins, who is 2-for-10 since being called up to replace Jose Trevino (back). Reports indicate Trevino will be activated Sunday, which should end Higgins' current stay in the majors.

Pasquantino went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a double, an additional run scored and a walk in Wednesday's loss against the Orioles.

Pasquantino reached base three times, highlighted by a solo homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. It marked the third long ball of the season for the first baseman, who has struggled out of the gate in 2026, slashing .160/.248/.298 through 25 contests. His power has shown signs of life of late, which is encouraging, though improvement in the batting average department for the career .260 hitter would be a positive.

Kurtz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional run scored and a walk in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Mariners.

Kurtz delivered a clutch solo blast off Andres Munoz in the top of the ninth inning to tie the game, though the Mariners responded with a Josh Naylor walk-off in the bottom half. After a relatively slow start to the year, Kurtz is finding his footing, slashing .375/.559/.792 with three homers, eight RBI and six runs over the past seven games. His season OPS now sits at .849 through 24 contests as the 23-year-old looks to follow up a tremendous rookie campaign with a strong sophomore season.