MLB Player News

Harper went 3-for-5 with two doubles and one RBI in Friday's win over the Nationals.

After opening the season with a tough 0-for-11 streak, Harper has come alive this week, with both doubles Friday coming off left-hander Patrick Corbin. With seven hits in the last three games, Harper has boosted his batting average to .292 (7-for-24) with three homers and seven RBI.

Rooker went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Tigers.

Rooker got Oakland on the board with two outs in the sixth inning, launching a two-run homer off Tarik Skubal to cut the Tigers' lead to 3-2. It's the first home run of the season for Rooker after he broke out with 30 long balls in 2023. After going 0-for-11 in his first three games this year, Rooker now has four hits in his last three games. While the 29-year-old offers impressive power, making consistent contact is still an issue for him -- he's struck out 14 times against just one walk in 25 plate appearances.

Ohtani went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer, a double and an additional run scored in Friday's 9-7 loss to the Cubs.

Ohtani cut the Dodgers' deficit to 6-4 with a long ball off Kyle Hendricks in the fifth inning that stayed just inside the right-field foul pole. After going eight games without a home run to start his Dodgers tenure, Ohtani has now gone yard in back-to-back games. He's 12-for-42 with six RBI, nine runs scored and a stolen base so far this season.

Jimenez was placed on the 10-day injured list by the White Sox on Friday with a left adductor strain, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Jimenez suffered the injury Sunday, but the White Sox had kept him on the active roster in hopes that he could be ready to play this weekend. Clearly, that didn't happen, though Jimenez will be eligible to return in a week since the roster move is retroactive to Tuesday. Gavin Sheets will continue to fill in at designated hitter against righties, and Robbie Grossman has assumed Jimenez's roster spot.

Bell went 1-for-5 with a two-run homer in Thursday's 8-5 loss to the Cardinals.

Bell put the Marlins ahead 3-1 in the fifth inning with a two-run shot off Lance Lynn, his first homer of the season. The 31-year-old Bell entered the day with just one RBI through his first seven games. He's now 7-for-31 to start the campaign after slashing .247/.325/.419 with 22 home runs and 74 RBI in 150 games between Miami and Cleveland last year.

Jimenez (adductor) isn't in the White Sox's lineup for Thursday's game against Kansas City.

Manager Pedro Grifol previously stated that Jimenez has avoided a move to the IL up to this point because there is still a possibility that he could play against the Royals over the weekend. However, with Jimenez still out for the series opener, a trip to the injured list is looking increasingly likely. Gavin Sheets will continue filling in for Jimenez as Chicago's DH and cleanup hitter.

The Cardinals placed Carpenter on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a right oblique strain, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Carpenter's move to the injured list is retroactive to Tuesday, so he will be eligible to return beginning April 12. The 38-year-old has played in just three of St. Louis' seven games so far, but losing him is another hit to the Cardinals' depth, as the team is already dealing with a handful of injuries to begin the year. Pedro Pages was recalled from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move.

The Astros claimed Hummel off waivers from the Giants on Thursday, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

The versatile Hummel is capable of catching and also playing the corner outfield spots. He has collected a .551 OPS over 76 games in parts of two seasons in the majors. Hummel has a minor-league option remaining, so Houston should report to Triple-A Sugar Land rather than stick around at the big-league level.

Soler went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and two total runs scored in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Soler has powered up with homers in back-to-back games, and he has an RBI in each of the last three contests. The slugger is 7-for-25 (.280) with a 5:6 BB:K through seven games this season. Soler displayed better plate discipline with a 24.3 percent strikeouts rate and an 11.6 percent walk rate in 2023, but it's possible he could build on those marks in 2024. His playing time as the Giants' designated hitter has been steady, so he should continue to be heavily involved in run production.

Kjerstad went 5-for-7 with two home runs, two doubles, 10 RBI and two additional runs Wednesday in Triple-A Norfolk's 26-11 win over Charlotte.

The Norfolk roster features four of the top position prospects in baseball in Kjerstad, Jackson Holliday, Connor Norby and Coby Mayo, and the quartet lived up to its billing Wednesday in a rout of Charlotte. Kjerstad led the way with five hits and 10 RBI, but Holliday, Norby and Mayo combined for 11 hits and six RBI while No. 5 batter Kyle Stowers chipped in two home runs and seven RBI of his own. On the heels of his blistering performance at the dish, Kjerstad now owns a monstrous 1.785 OPS over five games for Norfolk on the season.