MLB Player News

Stott is batting leadoff and starting at second base Thursday against the Reds.

He batted eighth against Marlins lefty Jesus Luzardo on Tuesday but is hitting atop the order Thursday versus the Reds and Nick Lodolo. Stott has quickly taken on a prominent role this year for the defending NL champions while slashing .420/.431/.500 with three stolen bases across his first 12 games. He's hit leadoff in three of the last four, with Trea Turner occupying the No. 2 hole.

Alu (hamstring) joined up Thursday with Triple-A Rochester following a rehab assignment, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

Alu began the season on Rochester's injured list, but he is good to go now following a four-game stint with High-A Wilmington. The 26-year-old had a strong showing in the upper minors last summer, batting .299/.365/.506 with 20 home runs, 81 RBI, 15 stolen bases and 81 runs scored in 132 games between Double-A and Triple-A.

NcNeil went 0-for-1 with three walks and a stolen base in Wednesday's win over the Padres.

Blake Snell and Brent Honeywell issued seven free passes in 6.2 innings between them, and McNeil was more than happy to take advantage. The steal was the first of the season for the 31-year-old, but McNeil hasn't really caught fire at the plate yet, slashing .250/.389/.341 through 13 games with four doubles, three runs and five RBI.

Rojas went 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 7-3 win over Milwaukee.

Rojas continues to rake. This was his fourth three-hit game in nine starts, and he leads the team with 14 hits and a .412 batting average. The key for Rojas, who was benched several times last year for shoddy defense, is maintaining a dependable glove. He's done that thus far, albeit in a small sample size, and is currently tied for the most outs above average among third basemen, per Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic.

Estrada went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run in a loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Estrada's ninth-inning homer had little impact on the game since the Dodgers were up 10-4 at the time, but they count all the same in fantasy. It was the infielder's second long ball of the campaign and marked the third time this year he's reached base three times in a contest. Estrada has been pretty productive so far this season, complementing the pair of long balls with seven runs, five RBI, two thefts and a .341/.386/.537 slash line through 44 plate appearances.

Gorman went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 7-4 win over the Rockies.

For the second game in a row, Gorman delivered a late-inning, go-ahead homer. He took reliever Justin Lawrence deep for a two-run blast in the eighth inning Wednesday. Gorman has hit safely in eight of 10 games, slashing .313/.436/.750 with four long balls, 10 RBI, five runs scored, two doubles and a 7:8 BB:K through 39 plate appearances.

Garcia (hamstring) is hitting sixth and playing second base Wednesday against the Angels.

Garcia returns to the lineup for the first time since leaving Friday's game with tightness in his hamstring. Michael Chavis will retreat to the bench with Garcia back in action.

Villar went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Dodgers.

With one out and one on in the bottom of the eighth, Villar smacked an Evan Phillips offering 403 feet to center field to give the Giants some extra cushion heading into the final inning. The home run ended a relative lull at the dish for Villar, who had reached base at a .409 clip over his prior six games but batted just .188 with one extra-base hit (a double) during that stretch.

Albies went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's win over the Reds.

His fourth-inning blast off Luis Cessa tied the game at 4-4. Albies has hit safely in four straight games but hasn't had a multi-hit performance since Opening Day, and the 26-year-old is slashing .229/.255/.354 to begin the season with two homers, three runs and six RBI. After stealing 20 bags in 2021 but only three in 64 games (on eight attempts) last season, Albies has yet to attempt a steal in 2023.

Kim is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets.

Kim will get a breather for just the second time through the Padres' first 13 games, paving the way for Rougned Odor to pick up a start at the keystone. In Tuesday's 4-2 win over New York, Kim went 1-for-3 with his first stolen base of the season.