MLB Player News

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.

Betts went 4-for-6 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI in Wednesday's 11-2 win over the Nationals.

The 31-year-old continues to rake. Betts has had three or more hits three times in the last 10 games, batting .395 (17-for-43) over that stretch, and on the season he's already delivered a .365/.468/.625 slash line with six homers, five steals, 21 RBI and 26 runs in 26 contests. He hasn't produced a 30-30 campaign since 2018, but Betts seems intent on reaching that milestone again.

Lindor went 4-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI in Wednesday's win over the Giants.

Lindor provided most of the offense for the Mets on Wednesday, launching a two-run homer in the top of the third to put New York on the board before adding a second two-run shot in the ninth. The shortstop finished with season highs in hits and RBI, raising his average to .206 in the process. Lindor has gotten off to a slow start to begin the campaign but has now registered multiple hits in five of his last 10 games.

De La Cruz went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI, a run scored and three stolen bases in Wednesday's 7-4 win over the Phillies.

It's already the second three-steal game for De La Cruz this season -- he's up to a league-leading 15 stolen bases on the campaign. The 22-year-old shortstop has been sensational through the first month of the year, batting .313 with a 1.063 OPS, seven home runs, 23 runs scored and 18 RBI through his first 24 games.

Swanson went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Astros.

Swanson got the Cubs going early, hitting his big blast with two outs in the first inning to set the tone for the rest of the game. The shortstop, who is up to three home runs now for the season, has been off to a bit of a slow start overall with just a .235 batting average. However, Swanson will continue to see regular playing time, and he should be a strong fantasy asset the rest of the way.