MLB Player News

Benson isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Angels.

Benson will retreat to the bench Saturday after going 0-for-7 with two walks and four strikeouts over his last four contests. Spencer Steer, TJ Friedl and Noelvi Marte will form Cincinnati's outfield trio while Benson sits.

McLain isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Angels.

McLain will step out of the starting nine Saturday after going 0-for-4 to begin the series Friday. His absence will move Sal Stewart to second base while Nathaniel Lowe starts at first, batting sixth.

Winn (leg) expressed optimism Friday about returning to the lineup for Saturday's game against the Red Sox, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Winn was forced to exit Friday's contest with a bruised left leg after being hit by a pitch, but he escaped serious injury and doesn't expect to miss any starts. If the Cardinals elect to hold Winn out for a bit as a precaution, Thomas Saggese is likely to fill in at shortstop.

De La Cruz went 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk in Friday's loss to the Angels.

The Reds couldn't muster a lot of offense, though De La Cruz managed to launch his fourth homer of the season in the bottom of the eighth when Cincinnati was already down by nine runs. De La Cruz has been seeing the ball well to start the season and has hit safely in all but three of his 14 games, batting .236 with a .796 OPS, four homers, seven RBI, 10 runs scored, three steals and a 7:18 BB:K across 62 plate appearances.

Burns (1-1) was tagged with the loss Friday against the Angels after allowing five runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out two through 5.1 innings.

Burns was coming off a quality start on the road against the Rangers last time out, but he didn't have his best stuff in this one. He tossed only 57 of his 92 pitches for strikes and also gave up two homers -- a two-run shot to Zach Neto and a solo homer to Josh Lowe. Burns had allowed just one earned run through 11 innings in his previous two starts, so some regression was inevitable. He'll hope to bounce back in his next scheduled start against the Giants at home next week.

Poulin (1-0) pitched a perfect eighth inning Friday to record his first win of the season in the Nationals' 7-3 victory over the Brewers.

The game was tied 3-3 when Poulin took the mound, and the southpaw kept it that way with three groundouts before Washington erupted for four runs in the top of the ninth off Milwaukee closer Trevor Megill. Poulin has been seeing fairly consistent high-leverage usage early in the season but has been erratic at best, posting a 4.70 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 6:7 K:BB over eight appearances and 7.2 innings while picking up three holds in addition to Friday's win.

Pena went 2-for-5 with a double, a solo home run and a second run scored for Single-A St. Lucie on Friday.

The long ball was the first of the season for Pena as he begins his first stateside campaign after spending last year in the Dominican Summer League. Still only 18 years old, Pena has hit safely in his first six games for St. Lucie, batting .400 (10-for-25) with three doubles, Friday's homer, five steals in five attempts and a 2:3 BB:K. He'll rocket up prospects lists quickly if he keeps dominating pitchers two or three years older than him.

Soto (calf) could return for the start of the Mets' next homestand April 21, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

New York won't rush its star outfielder back, but the organization seems confident that Soto's calf strain isn't a serious issue. The 27-year-old is currently swinging a bat and playing catch but hasn't yet resumed a running program. Once he does, a clearer timeline for his return should come into focus.

Snelling struck out 12 batters over five scoreless innings for Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday, allowing two hits and four walks.

The 22-year-old southpaw tossed 94 pitches (57 strikes) in a dominant performance, and efficiency may be the final hurdle for Snelling to clear as he pushes for a promotion to the majors. Through three starts and 13 innings to begin the season for Jacksonville, he's posted a 2.77 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 22:8 K:BB, but he's lasted at least five innings only once. With Janson Junk pitching well in the Marlins' rotation, the organization likely isn't in a rush to bring Snelling up for his MLB debut, but he could be first to get the call should an injury open up a spot.

Lee went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double and a strikeout in Friday's win over the Orioles.

Lee launched his first homer of the season in the seventh inning off reliever Nick Raquet, and this was also just his second multi-hit game of the season. It has been a disappointing start to the season for the outfielder, who has gone just 8-for-46 in his first 14 contests, translating to a .174 average and a subpar .571 OPS. It's still early in the season, but the early returns for managers who drafted Lee have been underwhelming to say the least.