MLB Player News

Marte (knee) is throwing and doing upper-body work at the Diamondbacks' spring training facility Saturday, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said Marte will add hitting to his rehab next week. The second baseman was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday and could rejoin the club Aug. 31, when the Diamondbacks open a homestand against the Phillies.

Merrill went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a second RBI and a walk in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Twins.

Merrill had gone 0-for-4 over his previous three games, accumulating nine strikeouts in that span. He put an end to the slump with his 20th homer of the season, going deep in the second inning. Merrill was limited to 16 long balls in 115 regular-season contests last year. The outfielder is batting .241 with a .704 OPS, 65 RBI, 66 runs scored, 24 steals, 20 doubles and two triples over 127 games this year.

Miller struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Twins.

Miller retired the side on 10 pitches (eight strikes) to pick up his 32nd save of the season. This was his third perfect inning in his last three appearances, though he has pitched consecutive days and may be unavailable Sunday if a save chance arises. Miller has maintained a superb 0.83 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 99:19 K:BB through 54.1 innings this season as arguably the most reliable closer in the majors.

Tawa went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 11-5 loss to the Reds.

Tawa has gone 12-for-38 (.316) with two homers and six RBI over his last 10 games. The utility man has found a home at first base lately, and it looks like he'll stay there while Ildemaro Vargas fills in for Ketel Marte (knee) at second base. Tawa is hitting .245 with a .707 OPS, eight homers, seven stolen bases, 32 RBI, 25 runs scored and 10 doubles over 73 contests, but he's been a little better lately, batting .266 since the All-Star break.

Arenado went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and three total runs scored in Saturday's 11-5 loss to the Reds.

Arenado is up to 21 homers this season, including seven over 17 games in August. He's hitting .254 (16-for-63) with 15 RBI this month. The third baseman is batting .243 with a .768 OPS through 121 contests. Arenado battled an intercostal injury earlier in the week, but he looks set to play through it with little impact on his performance -- he's hit safely in three straight games since he returned from missing two contests due to the injury.

Soroka (8-4) allowed six runs on six hits, three walks and a hit batsman while striking out three over 3.1 innings, taking the loss Saturday versus the Reds.

This was Soroka's worst start in three outings since he returned from a strained glute. He didn't give up a home run, but the Reds' top half of the order was able to collect two doubles and a triple off of him. Soroka is now at a 3.40 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 91:24 K:BB through 95.1 innings over 18 starts this season. This was just the fourth time he's allowed four or more runs, so consider it a blip on the radar. Soroka has a good chance to bounce back since his next start is projected to come in San Francisco.

Stewart went 3-for-6 with one RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 11-5 win over the Diamondbacks.

The Reds' first four hitters in the lineup all had multi-hit efforts, going a combined 13-for-22 with eight RBI. Stewart was the only one of the quartet who didn't have an extra-base hit in this contest, but it was still a strong game. He's batting .293 (24-for-82) in August and is up to a .262 average, .809 OPS, 27 home runs, 97 RBI, 72 runs scored, 24 doubles and 12 stolen bases over 130 games this season.

McLain went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and a second RBI in Saturday's 11-5 win over the Diamondbacks.

McLain has homered three times among nine hits over his last nine games, adding seven RBI and two steals in that span. The second baseman is inching closer to the Mendoza Line -- he's now hitting .198 with a .658 OPS on the year. He's added 13 homers, 35 RBI, 47 runs scored, 17 doubles and 15 stolen bases over 106 contests.

Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk, a hit-by-pitch and two total runs scored in Saturday's 11-5 win over the Diamondbacks.

The seventh-inning homer was Rodriguez's first in the majors. This was also his first multi-hit effort, as his career has gotten off to a bit of a slow start. Over 13 games, he's batting .162 with three RBI and a 4:9 BB:K. He's seeing time as a strong-side platoon option in right field.

De La Cruz went 4-for-6 with a solo home run, a double and four total runs scored in Saturday's 11-5 win over the Diamondbacks.

De La Cruz's output at the plate Saturday matched his hit total from the previous nine games combined. Even with a big performance, he's struggled in August, batting just .188 (15-for-80) over 21 contests this month. For the year, he's hitting .263 with an .819 OPS, 21 homers, 58 RBI, 75 runs scored, 20 doubles, five triples and 22 stolen bases over 111 games.