MLB Player News
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Elly De La Cruz SS | CIN
Reds' Elly De La Cruz: Electrifying in win
De La Cruz went 4-for-4 with a double, an RBI, three runs scored and four stolen bases in Thursday's win over the Dodgers while also drawing a walk.
De La Cruz was a force to be reckoned with, reaching base five times and swiping at least one bag following each of his first three plate appearances. Those steals would lead to him scoring three runs, marking the third time this season he's accomplished that feat. It was also the star shortstop's first four-hit game on the campaign and his third game with three or more hits. De La Cruz has a whopping 30 stolen bases on the season following his first four-steal performance, sitting 13 ahead of the next closest player, Tampa Bay's Jose Caballero.
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Trea Turner SS | PHI
Phillies' Trea Turner: Goes through another workout
Turner (hamstring) went through a workout at Citizens Bank Park for the second straight day Thursday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Turner went through agility drills and took grounders on the field and also hit in the indoor batting cage. While the Phillies are not ready to say the shortstop is progressing from his left hamstring strain ahead of schedule, it sure seems like he might be. Turner is less than two weeks into a projected six-week recovery timetable.
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Thomas Saggese SS | STL
Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: Slow start at Triple-A
Saggese is slashing .243/.325/.397 with five home runs and four steals in 36 games for Triple-A Memphis.
He is now slashing .232/.309/.381 with six home runs and five steals in 49 career games at Triple-A, dating back to last year, which is subpar for a player whose bat is going to have to carry the day. Saggese has played 27 games at shortstop, five games at second base and five games at third base. It's worth noting that Saggese is the sixth-youngest qualified hitter at Triple-A, and the five who are younger are Jackson Holliday, Junior Caminero, James Wood, Owen Caissie and Jonatan Clase, so patience is probably warranted in dynasty leagues.
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Spencer Schwellenbach SP | ATL
Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Sharp in Double-A debut
Schwellenbach threw six scoreless innings for Double-A Mississippi on Wednesday, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out nine.
It was an impressive Double-A debut for the 23-year-old right-hander, who earned his promotion by posting a 2.25 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 34:9 K:BB over 32 innings for High-A Rome. Schwellenbach was a second-round pick in 2021 but didn't make his pro debut until last year due to Tommy John surgery, and he's still learning the nuances of pitching after being a two-way player in college. Atlanta will keep a close eye on his workload this year as he threw only 65 innings in 2023, but it wouldn't be a huge surprise if he climbs to Triple-A by the end of the campaign.
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Francisco Lindor SS | NYM
Mets' Francisco Lindor: Notches two steals in loss
Lindor went 0-for-3 with a walk, a run and two stolen bases Wednesday in a loss to Philadelphia.
Lindor failed to record a hit for his third straight game, though he scored New York's first run following a hit-by-pitch in the first inning and swiped a pair of bags after walking in the third. The shortstop stole a career-high 31 bases last year but had been quiet in that category coming into Wednesday with just four thefts through 41 games. That's been part of a slow start overall for Lindor, who is slashing a meager .200/.276/.376 across 185 plate appearances.
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Trea Turner SS | PHI
Phillies' Trea Turner: Goes through agility drills
Turner (hamstring) went through agility drills and fielded grounders at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Turner is less than two weeks removed from suffering a left hamstring strain, so it would seem to be a positive development that he's already working out on the field. Phillies manager Rob Thomson insisted Wednesday that "there is no timeline" for Turner's return, but it's possible the shortstop has a shot to beat the initial six-week recovery timetable he was projected for upon being placed on the 10-day injured list May 4.
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Elly De La Cruz SS | CIN
Reds' Elly De La Cruz: Receives first day off
De La Cruz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game in Arizona.
For the first time all season, De La Cruz will exit the starting nine for what looks to be a routine maintenance day before the Reds continue their road trip Thursday in Los Angeles. Santiago Espinal will step in at shortstop in place of De La Cruz, who has slowed down a bit at the plate of late with two hits and six strikeouts in 14 at-bats over his last three games.
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C.J. Abrams SS | WAS
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Getting rare day off
Abrams is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
The lefty-hitting Abrams started in both ends of Tuesday's doubleheader and the White Sox are bringing a lefty (Garrett Crochet) to the hill for Wednesday's series finale, so Nationals manager Dave Martinez likely decided that Abrams could benefit from a game off. With Abrams out of the lineup for the first time since April 8, lightly used Rule 5 pick Nasim Nunez will pick up a rare start at shortstop.
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Termarr Johnson SS | PIT
Pirates' Termarr Johnson: Hitting below Mendoza Line
Johnson is hitting .172 with a .390 OBP, one home run and four steals in 31 games for High-A Greensboro.
Johnson was touted by some evaluators as the best prep hitter since Joe Mauer or Ken Griffey Jr. when he was drafted fourth overall in 2022, so it's a bit jarring to see his career average sitting at .227. His career OBP is .409, and that's the area of his game he has leaned into thus far, as he is swinging less than 45 percent of the time and making contact less than 65 percent of the time. Once his luck on balls in play (.242 BABIP) stabilizes, his season line should look a bit better, but it's certainly been a disappointing return trip to the Sally League for Johnson, who turns 20 in June.
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Ezequiel Tovar SS | COL
Rockies' Ezequiel Tovar: Homers and doubles in win
Tovar went 2-for-5 with a solo homer, a double and two runs scored in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Padres.
Tovar doubled to lead off a five-run sixth for the Rockies and then homered to kick off the seventh. He continued his recent hot streak at the plate and now has at least a hit in eight straight games, slashing .343/.361/.686 with two homers, five RBI and five runs scored over that span. The 31.1 strikeout rate is a bit alarming, but Tovar continues to hit toward the top of the lineup and is still making solid contact with a .275 average over 180 plate appearances thus far.