MLB Player News

McKinstry is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the White Sox.

McKinstry will get a chance to catch his breath after going 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored in Friday's series opener. Andy Ibanez will take over at the hot corner and bat sixth.

Candelario went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double and an RBI in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Brewers.

Candelario rapped his first extra-base hit of the season to deliver the second run of Cincinnati's two-run eighth inning, the first runs the Reds scored in 35 innings. He's batting .214 (6-for-28) as part of a team-wide batting malaise to the start the season. Other than the 14-run outburst Monday against the Rangers, the Reds have averaged 1.71 runs per game over seven contests.

McKinstry went 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored in Friday's 7-4 win over the White Sox.

It was a productive evening for McKinstry and it continued his impressive start to the season. The utility player is slashing .280/.379/.360 through seven contests, and he's seen time at five different positions already. McKinstry's .739 OPS would be a new career high, but it remains to be seen if the 29-year-old can sustain this level of production over the course of the year.

Espinal started at second base and went 2-for-3 with a walk in Friday's 3-2 loss to Milwaukee.

Espinal filled in for an injured Matt McLain (hamstring), who was available as a pinch hitter. That McLain entered the game suggests he might be ready to go Saturday. Espinal has appeared in six games this season while seeing time at second base, third base, left field and right field.

Smith went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Friday's 5-2 win over the Rays.

The utility infielder took Zack Littell deep in the seventh inning to account for the game's final run. Smith was getting the start at third base and batting seventh, and he figures to see the bulk of the playing time at the hot corner while Josh Jung (neck) is sidelined. Through seven appearances this season, Smith is batting .250 (4-for-16) with a homer, a steal, two RBI and three runs.

Garcia went 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored, three RBI and a stolen base in Friday's 8-2 win over Baltimore.

The steal was his first of the season, while the RBI doubled his total to begin the year. Garcia is off to a flying start to his campaign, batting .381 (8-for-21) through seven games with three doubles, two homers and four runs scored.

Ramirez went 3-for-4 with a walk, three home runs and four RBI in Friday's 8-6 win against the Angels.

The seven-time All-Star entered the contest with one run scored and two RBI through five games this season, but he padded those totals Friday by homering in the first, fifth and ninth innings. It's the second three-homer game of Ramirez's career and his 26th multi-homer performance, with the latter mark tying Cleveland's franchise record, per Sarah Langs of MLB.com. The power display boosted his season slash line to .381/.440/1.048 in 25 plate appearances.

Moncada was removed from Friday's game against Cleveland due to right thumb irritation, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Moncada missed roughly two weeks at the end of spring training due to problems with his right thumb, and the injury seems to have resurfaced during Friday's contest. It's unknown if his second bout of thumb trouble is severe enough to warrant a trip to the injured list, though the Angels may err on the side of caution this time around.

Polanco went 3-for-5 with a home run, four RBI and one walk in Friday's 10-9 extra-innings loss to the Giants.

Polanco is batting .450 (9-for-20) with two homers, eight RBI and two runs scored over his first five games of the season. He missed three contests while on the paternity list, but the time away with his growing family didn't slow him down when he returned to action Friday. He had a pair of RBI singles and a two-run homer in this high-scoring game. He looks to be a regular in the lineup as the Mariners' starting third baseman, and he won't be challenged in that role as long as his bat stays hot. He's looking to rebound from his career-worst season in 2024, when he was limited to a .213/.296/.355 slash line over 118 games.

Chapman went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional RBI and two walks in Friday's 10-9 extra-innings win over the Mariners.

Chapman was one of five Giants with multiple hits in the contest, earning his first multi-hit effort of the season. The third baseman is batting .280 with two homers, six RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base over seven contests. He's added a 5:9 BB:K as well. Chapman should continue to handle a near-everyday role after topping 150 games played in three of the previous four seasons. He is locked in as the Giants' cleanup hitter so far.