MLB Player News

Walker went 1-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in Tuesday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the Nationals.

The 23-year-old slugger took PJ Poulin deep for a solo shot in the seventh inning, kicking off a late Cardinals rally from a 5-2 deficit. It's the third homer in the last four games for Walker, a stretch in which he's racked up seven hits and eight RBI as he begins to convert his potential into real production. Through 11 contests to begin the season he's slashing .300/.364/.650 two doubles, four homers, nine runs, 11 RBI and a steal.

Machado is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in Pittsburgh.

Machado will receive his first day off of the season after slashing .206/.400/.353 with one home run and an 11:11 BB:K over his first 45 plate appearances. The Padres will roll with Miguel Andujar at third base in Wednesday's rubber match.

O'Brien allowed an unearned run while striking out two in the 10th inning Tuesday to record his third save of the season in a 7-6 win over the Nationals.

The right-hander couldn't stop the phantom runner from coming around to score on a groundout and a wild pitch, but O'Brien fanned CJ Abrams and Nasim Nunez to lock down the victory. He's now picked up the Cardinals' last three saves and is emerging as the top option in the bullpen, with JoJo Romero and Ryne Stanek in setup roles. Through six appearances this season, O'Brien has a 0.00 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and 7:0 K:BB in 6.1 innings, adding a win and two holds to his ledger.

Liberatore didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the Nationals, giving up four runs on nine hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out six.

The southpaw was tagged for homers by James Wood in the third inning and Curtis Mead in the fifth and exited the game with the Cardinals in a 4-2 hole, but the offense bailed him out late. Liberatore tossed 59 of 92 pitches for strikes and has lasted at least five innings in all three of his starts to begin the year, posting a 3.38 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 10:5 K:BB over 16 frames. He'll look for his first win of 2026 in his next trip to the mound, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Guardians.

Matsui (groin) has turned in two scoreless rehab appearances at Triple-A El Paso, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Matsui got a late start to the season due to a groin strain that caused him to miss the entire Cactus League slate, but he's looked sharp on his rehab assignment thus far. It's unclear what the Padres' target date is for Matsui's activation from the 15-day injured list, but it could come any day now.

The Phillies will hold Realmuto (foot) out of the starting nine for Wednesday's game in San Francisco, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

After being struck in the right foot by a foul tip while catching in the bottom of the first inning in Tuesday's 6-0 loss to the Giants, Realmuto was lifted from the game when his turn in the lineup came up in the top of the second. Fortunately for Realmuto, X-rays came back negative, but he'll receive at least one game off while he contends with bruising and soreness to the foot. Rafael Marchan will draw the start behind the dish Wednesday, but with a team off day on tap Thursday, Realmuto could be ready to resume catching in Friday's series opener versus the Diamondbacks.

The Diamondbacks re-signed Ross to a minor-league contract Tuesday.

Ross elected free agency earlier this week after being removed from the Diamondbacks' 40-man roster, but he's now back in the organization on a new deal. The veteran swingman allowed eight runs on seven hits and four walks over 3.2 frames during his brief time with the big club.

Griffin signed a nine-year, $140 million contract extension with the Pirates on Wednesday.

Per Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the 19-year-old Griffin's deal is the richest in franchise history and includes a $12 million signing bonus and an additional $10 million in salary escalators. The first teenage position player to debut in the majors since Juan Soto achieved the feat in 2018 with the Nationals, Griffin has gone 3-for-17 (.176 average) with two walks and four strikeouts through his first five games with Pittsburgh. With the long-term deal now finalized, Griffin will be under club control through the 2034 season.

Patrick is slated to make his next start Friday against the Nationals at American Family Field, Hunter Baumgardt of Fox Sports 920 Milwaukee reports.

After Patrick last pitched Saturday in Kansas City in Game 1 of a doubleheader, Milwaukee had previously been listing the right-hander as its starter for Wednesday's series finale in Boston. However, rather than having Patrick pitch on three days' rest against the Red Sox, the Brewers will turn to the newly recalled Shane Drohan to start Wednesday in his MLB debut. Through two outings on the season, Patrick has gone 1-0 while striking out seven and allowing one earned run on nine hits and four walks across 9.1 innings.

Soto struck out one without allowing a baserunner across one inning of work to earn a hold Tuesday against the Padres.

Soto entered Tuesday's game in the eighth inning with the Pirates holding a one-run advantage. He continued his strong start to the season and has now allowed only one earned run across 7.1 innings. Dennis Santana was likely to work the ninth inning of Tuesday's game before the Pirates scored five runs in the home half of the eighth, eliminating the save opportunity.