MLB Player News

Backhus will work as Philadelphia's opener Wednesday against the Cubs, Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic reports.

Backhus has made seven appearances for the Phillies this season, giving up four earned runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out nine batters in 6.2 innings. He'll be making his first start in the majors Wednesday and is likely to pitch an inning or two before handing the game over to Taijuan Walker, who is expected to work in bulk relief.

Dollander (2-2) took the loss against the Padres on Tuesday, allowing one run on three hits and one walk while striking out nine across six innings.

Dollander followed Jimmy Herget on Tuesday, with Herget setting the tone by striking out the side in the first inning. Dollander was dominant himself for most of his outing, fanning six consecutive batters at one point, before he ran into trouble in the sixth and walked in a run with the bases loaded. While that was the only run he gave up, Dollander didn't get enough support from his teammates to avoid the loss. After giving up four earned runs and three homers in his first outing of the season against the Blue Jays on March 30, Dollander has posted a 1.71 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 27:5 K:BB over his last five games (over 21 innings). His next appearance is tentatively slated for this weekend on the road against the Mets, and it seems likely that he'll follow an opener for that contest.

McLain went 2-for-6 with an RBI double, a stolen base and one run scored in Tuesday's 12-6 win over the Rays.

After a big spring training, McLain has struggled at the plate to begin the 2026 campaign. Tuesday marked his first multi-hit game since April 9, and the second baseman is still looking for his first home run. He's hit safely in three straight games now and has doubled in both contests against the Rays to begin the week. McLain is slashing .198/.330/.256 with five doubles, four RBI, 10 runs scored, four stolen bases and a 15:25 BB:K across 103 trips to the plate. He's remained in the two hole in the Cincinnati lineup despite the early-season struggles.

Bowlan (groin) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday, per MLB.com.

Bowlan is recovering from a right groin strain, which forced him to the 15-day injured list last week. The right-hander, who holds a solid 3.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 8:1 K:BB across seven innings this year, is first eligible to come off the IL ahead of the April 28 series opener versus San Francisco and could be ready to return by then.

Myers went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, three walks and four runs scored in Tuesday's 12-6 win over the Rays.

Myers went back-to-back with Ke'Bryan Hayes in the top of the second inning against lefty Steven Matz, as both hitters swatted their first homers of the season. Myers has been seeing regular playing time against left-handed pitching and hit leadoff for the second time this season Tuesday. The 30-year-old is slashing .258/.395/.355 with the one homer, three RBI, seven runs scored, one stolen base and a 6:6 BB:K across 38 plate appearances. Myers has at least one hit in three of his five starts.

Stewart went 2-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and three RBI in Tuesday's 12-6 win over the Rays.

Stewart walked and stole his sixth base of the season in the top of the first inning. He later singled home a pair and had a sacrifice fly, driving in his league-leading 24th run of the season. Stewart has gone 4-for-8 with one home run, five RBI, two steals and two runs scored in two games against the Rays to begin the week. He now has eight multi-hit games this season and is slashing .299/.394/.632 with eight homers, 24 RBI, 17 runs scored, six stolen bases and a 5:18 BB:K across 104 plate appearances.

O'Hearn went 1-for-4 with an RBI single during the Pirates' 5-1 loss to the Rangers on Tuesday.

O'Hearn was responsible for the Pirates' lone run scored Tuesday, when his single to center field brought home Oneil Cruz. O'Hearn is up to 16 RBI on the season, third most on the team behind Cruz (19) and Brandon Lowe (18). O'Hearn is also sporting a .324 batting average (over 88 plate appearances), which is tied with Liam Hicks for sixth best in the majors.

Cruz went 1-for-4 with a steal and a run scored during the Pirates' 5-1 loss to the Rangers on Tuesday.

Cruz showed off his speed early by stealing second base in the first inning, and after moving to third on a Danny Jansen throwing error, Cruz was brought home by an Ryan O'Hearn single to center field. Cruz is up to 10 steals (on 11 attempts) this season, tied with Nasim Nunez for second most in the majors behind Jose Ramirez (11). Cruz is off to a strong start to the 2026 season with a .897 OPS, six home runs and 19 RBI over 103 plate appearances.

De La Cruz went 3-for-6 with two home runs, five RBI, one stolen base and three runs scored in Tuesday's 12-6 win over the Rays.

De La Cruz's fingerprints were all over this offensive outburst for Cincinnati. Batting right-handed, he smacked a two-run homer off Steven Matz in the first inning. De La Cruz stole his sixth bag of the season in the sixth and later took position player Ben Williamson deep from the left side of the plate in the ninth. De La Cruz hit five homers off left-handed pitching all of last season and has already matched that total in 2026. The 24-year-old is slashing .276/.343/.571 with eight home runs, 18 RBI, 21 runs scored, six stolen bases and a 10:31 BB:K across 108 plate appearances.

Mlodzinski (1-1) took the loss against the Rangers on Tuesday, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out six across 4.1 innings.

Mlodzinski worked in a long-relief role in his previous outing behind opener Mason Montgomery, but Mlodzinski was on the mound from the get-go in Tuesday's contest. He appeared to settle in after giving up two runs in the second inning, but Mlodzinski was unable to escape the fifth, giving up three runs in the frame while recording just one out. It was the first time this season that he gave up more than two runs in a game, and through five outings this season, he sits at a 3.28 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 26:10 K:BB across 24.2 innings. Mlodzinski will look to bounce back in his next start, which is tentatively slated for this weekend on the road against the Brewers.