MLB Player News

Ballesteros went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Saturday's 12-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Ballesteros continued his strong start to the season, as he's now batting .397 with a 1.136 OPS and four home runs through 24 games. The 22-year-old has emerged as Chicago's top DH option due to his strong offensive production, though the team is still rotating other players into that spot, particularly when facing left-handed starters.

Amaya went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 12-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Amaya lifted his second home run of the season in the fifth inning against Roki Sasaki. This was the catcher's 18th appearance of the year through 27 team games, while Carson Kelly has played in 21 contests so far. Kelly has also been a bit better offensively with a .900 OPS compared to a .728 OPS for Amaya, so it doesn't appear as if their playing time split will change any time soon.

Hinds is out of the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Tigers.

Hinds has gone 4-for-28 with 14 strikeouts in his first eight games of the season and finds himself on the bench Sunday for the third time in Cincinnati's past four contests. The 25-year-old may not have much more time to get his bat on track before potentially heading back to the minors. JJ Bleday is picking up a start in the outfield Sunday for the Reds.

The Reds reinstated Trevino (back) from the 10-day injured list Sunday, and he's starting behind the plate and batting eighth against the Tigers.

The 33-year-old has been sidelined for about three weeks due to a back strain, but he's back on the active roster after going 2-for-2 with a walk and two runs in one rehab game with High-A Dayton. Trevino went 1-for-11 with a walk in three games prior to going down with the injury. Now that he's healthy, he should operate as the backup catcher to Tyler Stephenson.

Assad surrendered six earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out two batters across 2.1 innings of relief in Saturday's 12-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Assad made his second consecutive appearance out of the bullpen, after he had started in each of his first three outings of the season and yielded 10 earned runs over 15.2 innings. Following Matthew Boyd's recent return from the injured list, the Cubs opted to keep Colin Rea in the rotation over Assad as their fifth starter, but Assad ended up being thrust into action Saturday in long relief of Rea, who was chased midway through the fourth inning. Assad didn't fare any better while mopping up behind Rea and now holds a 7.58 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 11:6 K:BB across 19 innings on the campaign.

De La Cruz went 1-for-3 with two walks, a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 9-2 win over Detroit.

De La Cruz's blast in the second inning extended Cincinnati's lead to 6-1. It was his third homer in the last four contests and ninth of the season, which is tied for fourth in MLB. De La Cruz has hit safely in 22 of 27 games and has yet to go consecutive games without getting on base.

Lowe served as the designated hitter and went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Saturday's 9-2 win over the Tigers.

Lowe followed Sal Stewart's three-run homer in the first inning with a solo shot. It was the second consecutive game in which Lowe had gone deep. He should see the bulk of his at-bats at DH against right-handers while Eugenio Suarez (oblique) is on the 10-day injured list.

Vargas started at first base and went 1-for-4 with a run scored in Saturday's 6-4 loss to the Padres.

Vargas extended his season-opening hit streak to 19 games (.351/.368/.649) with a second-inning single. He later moved to shortstop when Geraldo Perdomo (ankle) was removed in the seventh inning. Either Vargas or Jose Fernandez could fill in for Perdomo, if the injury prevents him from playing Sunday.

Gurriel started in left field and went 0-for-4 in Saturday's 6-4 loss to San Diego.

Gurriel returned to the lineup after getting a two-day breather (including an off-day for Arizona), but his bat remained cold. The outfielder, who was 1-for-16 before the break, extended a hitless run to 13 consecutive at-bats. He's yet to barrel up a pitch and owns a 13.3 hard-hit percentage, suggesting he doesn't have his swing timing down.

Thomas went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 6-4 loss to the Padres.

Thomas finished off the Diamondbacks' four-run second inning to take an early lead, but the offense was shut down the rest of the way. It was the second home run in three games for Thomas, who is not known for his power. He did, however, knock an extra-base hit for a sixth consecutive game, during which Thomas is 8-for-22 with four doubles, two home runs and five RBI.