MLB Player News

Betts went 3-for-5 with a triple, a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Blue Jays.

The 31-year-old extended his current hitting streak to seven games with his fourth straight multi-hit performance, and he also swiped a bag for the third straight contest. Betts is having a monster start to the season, slashing .391/.489/.661 through 115 plate appearances with six homers, eight steals, 23 RBI and 29 runs, and while it's early, he's firmly on pace for the second 30-30 campaign of his career.

Cruz isn't in Pittsburgh's lineup Saturday against the Giants after tweaking his ankle during Friday's game, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Cruz hurt his ankle after sliding into third base during the ninth inning of Friday's game, and it is apparently bothering him enough to warrant a day off Saturday. While he recovers, Alika Williams will start at shortstop and bat ninth.

Arcia went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-2 win over the Guardians.

The shortstop crushed a Pedro Avila two-seamer over the fence in left-center field, giving Atlanta its last offense of the night in the eighth inning. Arcia has both his homers on the year in the last nine games, and he's slashing .311/.340/.478 through 97 plate appearances with nine RBI and 12 runs as he proves his 2023 resurgence was no fluke.

De La Cruz went 0-for-2 with two walks, stole two bases and scored a run in Cincinnati's loss to Texas on Friday.

Despite not being able to tally a base hit during Friday's game, De La Cruz was able to make his presence felt by drawing a walk in the first inning and eventually stealing home to score Cincinnati's first and only run of the game. He walked again and stole second base in the fifth inning, giving him an MLB-best 17 thefts on the season. Along with his exceptional baserunning, the 22-year-old infielder has been outstanding at the plate, slashing .299/.419/.621 with seven homers and 18 RBI through his first 105 plate appearances.

Newman started at shortstop and went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-1 loss to Seattle.

Newman homered for the second time in the last three games. He's started four straight and six of the last seven, more opportunities than had been expected for him when his contract was selected earlier this month. A combination of Geraldo Perdomo's knee injury and a Blaze Alexander's brief hamstring absence contributed to the spike in play. Alexander returned to action Wednesday and should get the bulk of starts at shortstop until Perdomo is ready, although Newman's defense has been better than Alexander's thus far. Newman is batting .186 (8-for-43) with a walk, two doubles, two homers and eight RBI over 14 games.

Winn is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Mets, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Winn started the previous nine games but will take a seat Friday after he posted a .208/.394/.292 slash line during that stretch. Brandon Crawford will receive a start at shortstop in the series opener at New York.

Abrams went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base in Thursday's loss to the Dodgers.

The 23-year-old shortstop saw a nine-game hitting streak end on Wednesday, but he wasted no time getting going again. Over his last 14 contests since returning from a minor finger injury, Abrams is slashing .293/.349/.638 with four of his six homers and two of his five steals on the season.

Betts went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, a run and a stolen base against the Nationals in Thursday's 2-1 victory.

Betts scored the decisive run in the contest by walking, swiping second base and crossing the plate on a Freddie Freeman double in the eighth inning. Betts seems to be running more frequently so far this season -- the stolen base was his sixth of the campaign through 27 contests, putting him well on pace to reach 20 steals for the first time since 2018. That has to be sweet music to his fantasy managers' ears, and Betts is paying huge dividends in other areas as well, slashing .374/.477/.636 with six homers, 21 RBI and 27 runs.

Kim went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run against Colorado in a loss Thursday.

Kim's third-inning blast gave San Diego a short-lived three-run lead. The long ball was his fourth of the season and just his second extra-base hit over his past eight contests. Kim has added 17 RBI, 17 runs, seven steals and a .238/.339/.436 slash line through 119 plate appearances.

Fitzgerald went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 8-2 loss to the Mets.

Fitzgerald got the Giants on the board in the seventh inning. He has often found his way into the lineup versus southpaws while also serving as a right-handed bench bat. The utility man is batting .269 with a homer, four stolen bases, three RBI, five runs scored, two doubles and a triple over 28 plate appearances.