MLB Player News

Benintendi went 1-for-1 with a grand slam in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Yankees.

Benintendi delivered the game's defining moment in the eighth inning. Entering as a pinch hitter for Randal Grichuk in a tie game with the bases loaded, the veteran outfielder launched a 393-foot grand slam off Camilo Doval to break the game open and give Chicago all the offense it would need. The homer continued a recent power surge for Benintendi, who has now gone deep three times in his last 17 plate appearances. After a slow start to the season, he has raised his production to a .242 batting average and .741 OPS across 66 games.

Ballesteros was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, Elias Schuster of SI.com reports.

Ballesteros will head to Iowa after struggling to a .128 average with one home run, seven RBI, four runs scored and a stolen base over 94 at-bats in his last 34 contests. The 22-year-old will look to hit the reset button at the Triple-A level and then get another shot with the major-league roster down the road this year.

Springer went 0-for-3 with two stolen bases in Wednesday's win over the Red Sox.

The Blue Jays evidently liked seeing Mickey Gasper working behind the plate for Boston, as they went 5-for-5 on steal attempts against him during the game. Springer's thefts both came in the third inning after he was hit by a Jake Bennett pitch, but he was left stranded at third base by a Kazuma Okamoto groundout. Springer has just six stolen bases on the season to go along with a .212/.308/.369 slash line, seven home runs, 19 RBI and 22 runs in 52 contests, but three of those steals have come in the last two games.

Ozuna went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 12-4 win over the Athletics.

Prior to Wednesday's start, Ozuna hadn't gotten into a game since last Thursday. While he has gone 11-for-41 (.268) over his last 12 contests, just two of his hits in that span have gone for extra bases, and he also has a 1:14 BB:K. Ryan O'Hearn most often works as the designated hitter, leaving Ozuna as a bench bat. For the season, Ozuna is batting .198 with a .595 OPS, six homers, 24 RBI, 16 runs scored, five doubles and no stolen bases over 213 plate appearances.

Canzone went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and a second RBI in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Orioles.

Canzone's strong June continued with his fifth multi-hit effort of the month. He's also clubbed four homers while going 18-for-43 (.419) over 15 contests this month. While the injuries are piling up in the Mariners' outfield, Canzone continues to primarily work as the designated hitter, though he started the previous two games in right field. He's now batting .293 with a .940 OPS, 11 homers, 31 RBI, 26 runs scored, 12 doubles, one triple and one stolen base over 189 plate appearances.

Eldridge went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 7-5 win against Atlanta.

Eldridge continued his hot streak with a homer to center field in the second inning, going back-to-back with Luis Arraez to give the Giants a 5-0 advantage. The 21-year-old Eldridge is batting .400 with three doubles, four home runs and 12 RBI through 15 contests in June and is in the midst of an eight-game hit streak.

Yelich went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, two RBI and an additional run scored during the Brewers' 9-4 win over the Guardians on Wednesday.

Yelich launched an opposite-field leadoff homer off Gavin Williams for his fifth long ball of the season. It was Yelich's first home run since May 25, but he still batted .284 during that 17-game power drought. The 2019 NL MVP is slashing .276/.346/.429 with five homers, 24 RBI, 34 runs scored, five stolen bases and a 17:53 BB:K across 163 at-bats this season.

Ohtani (7-2) earned the win against the Rays on Wednesday, allowing four runs on seven hits and one walk with five strikeouts over six innings.

Ohtani allowed a season-high four earned runs, all of which came across in the fifth inning, but still managed a winning effort despite pitching through left knee inflammation. It ends a streak of three straight quality starts for the two-way superstar, though he has still completed at least six frames in 11 of 12 outings this season. He'll carry a microscopic 1.47 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 78:22 K:BB across 73.2 innings into a road matchup against the Twins next week.

Ballesteros is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies.

Left-hander Sean Sullivan will start for the Rockies, so the Cubs will send the left-handed Ballesteros to the bench and swap a righty bat (Matt Shaw) into the lineup. The Cubs have gone out of their way to shield Ballesteros from lefties this season, with the 22-year-old having logged just eight of his 175 plate appearances against same-handed pitching.

Benintendi is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees.

Left-hander Carlos Rodon is starting for the Yankees, so the left-handed-hitting Benintendi will be given a night off as the White Sox stock up on some extra right-handed bats. Randal Grichuk will step in for Benintendi as Chicago's designated hitter.