MLB Player News

Swanson went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Monday's 5-1 win over the Phillies.

Swanson took advantage of a sinker left over the middle by Aaron Nola, blasting it over the center-field wall to extend the Cubs' lead in the second inning. It marked the shortstop's fifth homer of the season, and he owns a respectable .733 OPS despite a .192 batting average through 22 games. A career .250 hitter, improvement in the batting average department would help boost Swanson's overall fantasy value.

The Marlins activated Acosta (oblique) from the 10-day injured list Monday and optioned him to Triple-A Jacksonville.

A left oblique strain delayed Acosta's start to the season. He's now recovered and has played three rehab games, but the Marlins have elected to keep him at Jacksonville where he can play every day.

Perez (2-1) earned the win Sunday against the Brewers, allowing one unearned run on three hits and one walk while striking out seven over six innings.

Perez turned in a strong performance, cruising through five scoreless innings, including striking out the side in the second, before running into minor trouble in the sixth. After issuing a leadoff walk to David Hamilton, a throwing error by catcher Liam Hicks allowed the latter to reach third, and he later scored on a groundout. The outing was a much-needed correction after Perez allowed 15 runs over his first 20 innings of the season. The right-hander now owns a 4.15 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and a 27:12 K:BB across 26 innings, and he will look to build on this performance in his next scheduled start against a Giants lineup that has struggled offensively this year.

Johnson started in right field and went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a stolen base in Sunday's victory over the Angels.

Johnson drew a rare start, with Fernando Tatis shifting to second base. The former made the most of the opportunity, notching two hits and driving in a key run in the seventh inning to extend the lead to 2-0 in a 2-1 win for the Padres. In 18 plate appearances this season, Johnson owns a .669 OPS and figures to continue seeing limited playing time in a loaded San Diego outfield that regularly features Ramon Laureano, Jackson Merrill and Tatis.

Brannigan (nose) has gone 3-for-19 (.158 average) with a 1:13 BB:K in five games for Double-A Altoona since being reinstated from the 7-day injured list Tuesday.

Shelved to begin the season after fracturing his nose in his lone Grapefruit League game Feb. 22, Brannigan was cleared to begin a rehab assignment April 3 and went 6-for-21 with a pair of solo home runs in six games between stops at Single-A Bradenton and High-A Greensboro. He struck out at a 43.5 percent clip during his rehab assignment, and making consistent contact has remained an issue for the 25-year-old since he reported back to Altoona. Brannigan was added to the Pirates' 40-man roster over the winter, but he doesn't appear likely to get a look with the big club anytime soon.

Winn went 3-for-5 with a double, three RBI and one run scored in Sunday's 7-5 extra-inning win over the Astros.

Winn posted his first three-hit effort of the season, highlighted by what proved to be a game-winning bases-clearing double in the top of the 10th inning. The shortstop is in the midst of a six-game hit streak and has driven in seven runs across his past three contests. For the year, he's slashing .222/.338/.333 with one homer, eight RBI, nine runs scored and two steals across 74 plate appearances.

Miller (back) is nearing a return to swinging a bat, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Miller has been "doing everything except for swinging," according to Phillies manager Rob Thomson, including fielding ground balls. The team is hoping to get the 21-year-old back swinging a bat this week as he continues to work his way back from lower-back soreness, which has plagued him since February.

Perdomo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

It's the first game off of the season for Perdomo, who has a .229/.325/.314 slash line though 21 contests. The veteran shortstop went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Saturday's victory, though overall it was an up-and-down performance as he was thrown out on the bases twice and also had a key defensive miscue. Manager Torey Lovullo said that Perdomo's absence from the lineup Sunday isn't a punishment but simply an opportunity to get him a much-needed day off, per Alex D'Agostino of SI.com. Perdomo could still make an appearance off the bench.

Tovar is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

Tovar will hit the bench for only the second time in the Rockies' first 22 games. Willi Castro (hand) will return to the starting nine following a three-game absence, filling in for Tovar at shortstop.

Castro (hand) will start at shortstop and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

Castro will re-enter the starting nine for the first time since Wednesday, after a right hand contusion had limited him to a bench role over the Rockies' previous three contests. The Rockies have deployed Castro primarily at second base this season, but he'll cover shortstop Sunday while Ezequiel Tovar receives the afternoon off.