MLB Player News

Vientos went 2-for-4 with two walks, a three-run home run and three additional runs scored in Monday's 19-5 rout of the Nationals.

Hitting ahead of Brandon Nimmo -- who tied a Mets record with nine RBI on the day -- paid dividends for Vientos, but the third baseman also capped the team's offensive eruption in the ninth inning with his third homer of the season. Vientos has hit safely in six straight games and 12 of his last 13, slashing .320/.364/.600 over that stretch with all three of his long balls, 11 runs and 13 RBI.

Waddell could get called up for a spot start or bulk-relief outing during the Mets' series against the Diamondbacks this week, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The 30-year-old southpaw has had a strong start to the season for Triple-A Syracuse, posting a 1.54 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 21:7 K:BB through five starts and 23.1 innings, and Waddell's schedule lines up with the Arizona series -- he last pitched Friday, so he could slot into the rotation Wednesday. Waddell would need to be added to the 40-man roster before getting a promotion, however. He last pitched in the majors in 2021, spending the last three seasons in Korea and China.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker had no update on Acuna (knee) after Monday's win over the Rockies, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The superstar outfielder was cleared to ramp up activities a couple weeks ago, but as yet Atlanta hasn't announced any plans to have him begin a rehab assignment. The team had already indicated it would take things slowly with Acuna in his recovery from his latest knee surgery, but late May is beginning to look like the most optimistic target for him to make his 2025 debut. When he does kick off a rehab stint, expect Atlanta to use the full 20 days to give Acuna the maximum time to shake off rust and get back up to speed.

Allen went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Monday's win over the Rockies.

The 26-year-old led Atlanta in hits on a night when the team took advantage of Coors Field to rack up 14 knocks in total. Allen remains a glove-first shortstop, but he's provided more offense than expected this season to supplant Orlando Arcia as the starter, slashing .292/.352/.338 through 21 games with four steals, four RBI and seven runs.

Verdugo went 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI in Monday's win over the Rockies.

Every Atlanta starter had at least one hit as the team began a series at Coors Field, but Verdugo tied Nick Allen for the team lead in times on base. The veteran outfielder has had a sizzling start to his season since being added to the big-league roster April 17, batting .350 (14-for-40) through nine games with five doubles, six runs and six RBI. Ronald Acuna (knee) has yet to begin a rehab assignment, so Verdugo figures to continue occupying the leadoff spot for at least a few more weeks.

Cincinnati manager Terry Francona spoke to Candelario on Monday about a reduced role due to an early-season slump, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "We tried to explain to him, too, that you can't chase hits. That's a hard way to play," Francona said.

This move was a long time coming and forecasted over the last week. Candelario, who is batting .113 with a .411 OPS over 22 games, managed to avoid being benched earlier while the Reds navigated injuries. Now that the roster is in better shape -- Spencer Steer is back playing the field following a bout of shoulder inflammation, Noelvi Marte is ripping it up since his promotion, and Gavin Lux no longer needs to cover left field since Austin Hays was activated off the injured list -- Candelario will have to take advantage opportunities when presented to him to climb back into a rotation at first base, third base or DH.

McLain went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Monday's 3-1 win over the Cardinals.

McLain's seventh-inning single was his first hit in a week. It ended an 0-for-21 stretch that dropped his average to .157. He's had bad luck early on, as McLain is in the top tier in barrel (18.6 percent, 94th percentile) and hard-hit (53.5, 90th) rates through 20 games. Over time, results begin to correct, which suggests McLain is due for a productive stretch.

Myers went 2-for-2 with a grand slam in Monday's extra-inning loss to the Dodgers.

Myers began the game on the bench for the second straight day, but that didn't prevent him from making a big impact. He pinch hit for Matt Mervis in the sixth inning and tied the game with one swing of the bat, launching a 405-foot grand slam to center field. Myers added a single in his other trip to the plate, giving him his first two-hit performance since April 20. He entered Monday having gone 1-for-10 with five strikeouts over his previous four games.

Ohtani went 1-for-2 with a run, three walks and a stolen base in a 7-6 extra-inning victory versus Miami on Monday.

The Marlins largely pitched around Ohtani in the contest, putting him on base via walk three times. The superstar slugger was able to make the most of his lone hit by following his first-inning single with a steal of second base before coming around to score on a Freddie Freeman base knock. Ohtani hasn't homered in his past seven contests, but he's picked up a pair of thefts in that span while going 8-for-27 (.296 batting average) at the plate.

Hernandez went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in a 7-6 extra-inning win against the Marlins on Monday.

Hernandez homered for the third straight game when he popped a two-run blast off the top of the left-field wall in the fifth inning. The veteran slugger is up to nine homers on the season -- among major-leaguers, only Cal Raleigh (10) and Eugenio Suarez (10) have gone deep more times. Hernandez is also tied for third in the league with 27 RBI and is slashing a solid .274/.291/.585 through 110 plate appearances.