MLB Player News

Stephenson went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional RBI and an additional run scored during Thursday's 4-0 win over the Pirates. He also struck out once.

Stephenson opened the scoring with an RBI single in the second and extended the Reds' lead to 2-0 with a solo shot in the fourth. Over his last three games, Stephenson has eight hits, seven RBI and four runs scored.

Smith went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, a run and three RBI in Thursday's loss to the Phillies.

Smith was a big part of a Dodgers comeback from a 7-1 deficit that ultimately came to nothing, doubling in two runs in the sixth inning and driving home another with a single in the eighth. The three-hit performance was the first for the backstop this season, and this was the fourth time he has driven in multiple runs in a contest. Smith is slashing .260/.365/.397 with two homers, 16 RBI, 13 runs and an 11:15 K:BB across 85 plate appearances on the campaign.

Manager Buck Showalter said McCann is being held out of the lineup for Thursday's game in Washington due to a sore left wrist, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.

The injury explains why McCann is on the bench for a second straight day while Tomas Nido picks up another turn behind the dish. Showalter didn't seem too concerned about the injury to McCann's non-throwing wrist, and the Mets believe the backstop will be ready to resume catching duties during the team's upcoming weekend series with the Mariners.

McCann is out of the lineup for Thursday's game in Washington, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

McCann will sit for the second game in a row and may have fallen into a timeshare at catcher with Tomas Nido at this stage. Though both catchers' defensive abilities is valued more than what they contribute at the plate, the Mets likely expected better from McCann than the career-worst .552 OPS he's provided through 64 plate appearances this season.

Ruiz went 2-for-4 with a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 8-3 win over the Mets.

The young backstop reached on a single in the first inning and promptly stole second base, an event New York catcher Tomas Nido likely didn't see coming considering Ruiz hadn't stolen a base at any level since he was a 16-year-old in the Dominican Summer League. Ruiz has five multi-hit performances in his last 10 starts, boosting his slash line on the season to .275/.309/.374 with one homer, seven runs and 10 RBI through 97 plate appearances.

Contreras went 2-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and three runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Padres.

Contreras has heated up this month, as he's now batting .458 in May with two home runs, three RBI and six runs scored. For the season, he's up to a robust .935 OPS with four total home runs, as he's been the Cubs' best offensive player. The Chicago catcher should remain a strong fantasy asset as long as he stays healthy.

Stephenson went 3-for-5 with two doubles, four RBI and two runs during Wednesday's 14-11 win over Milwaukee.

Stephenson started the scoring with an RBI double during the the opening frame, and he hit another double in the second to put the Reds up 7-0. It's his seventh multi-hit game and second three-hit effort of the campaign. The 25-year-old has a .322/.397/.559 slash line with three home runs, five doubles, 17 RBI and 11 runs through 20 games.

Contreras went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, three runs and a walk in the victory over the Padres on Wednesday.

Contreras launched a solo shot off Nick Martinez in the first inning and later singled and walked, coming around to score in both instances. He now has four long balls on the season and two in his last five games. The catcher has notched four multi-hit performances in his last five contests, raising his average from .227 to a team-best .304 over that stretch. Contreras continues to operate as one of the best fantasy catchers in 2022, also contributing a .935 OPS with 10 RBI and 19 runs over 92 at-bats in 25 games this year.

Ruiz will start at catcher and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Mets, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Ruiz was on the bench for the Nationals' last two games, but his absence from the lineup in Tuesday's 4-2 loss was likely just a byproduct of Washington's pitching schedule. Manager Dave Martinez wanted to keep Riley Adams in a battery with Patrick Corbin, who followed up an eight-inning effort May 4 in Colorado by blanking the Mets over five innings. Adams and Corbin should continue to work in a tandem moving forward, but Ruiz still profiles as the Nationals' clear No. 1 catcher and should pick up the lion's share of the work behind the dish.

McCann isn't starting Wednesday against the Nationals.

McCann went 1-for-3 with an RBI in Tuesday's win over Washington, and he'll be out of the lineup for the second time in the last three games. Tomas Nido will start behind the dish and bat ninth.