MLB Player News

Riley went 2-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI in Friday's 9-0 win over the Phillies.

The third baseman went 18 games without a long ball to begin the season, but Riley has now gone yard three times in the last two contests after he launched a couple opposite-field homers Friday -- a three-run shot off a Taijuan Walker cutter in the third inning, and a solo blast on a Chase Shugart fastball in the ninth. Riley also has five multi-hit performances in the last nine games, a stretch in which he's slashing .316/.381/.632 with three doubles, two steals, 10 runs and 11 RBI.

Perez (1-1) picked up the win Friday, allowing four hits and two walks over six scoreless innings in a 9-0 rout of the Phillies. He struck out four.

On paper at least, it's been a hectic week for the veteran southpaw. Perez started for Atlanta last Saturday, was DFA'ed on Sunday as the team scrambles to patch together its staff in the wake of injuries, elected to become a free agent Tuesday, re-signed a minor-league deal with the club Wednesday and was added back to the 26-man roster Friday to make his next start. The transactional shenanigans didn't faze Perez at all, as he tossed 59 of 94 pitches for strikes while delivering his first quality start of 2026. Through four outings (three starts) he's produced a 2.21 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 10:6 K:BB through 20.1 innings, but his hold on a rotation spot is precarious as the organization clearly views the 35-year-old as expendable. He's set to make his next trip to the mound on the road next week against the Nationals, but with Spencer Strider (oblique) having begun a rehab assignment and top prospects Didier Fuentes and JR Ritchie both pitching well at Triple-A Gwinnett, any Perez start could be his last for Atlanta.

Helsley walked one and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his sixth save of the season in a 6-4 win over the Guardians.

The right-hander continues to get the job done as the Orioles' closer, and Helsley has converted all six of his save chances to begin the season. Last year's homer issues also have yet to resurface -- after he served up nine long balls over 56 innings in 2025 between the Cardinals and Mets, leading to a 4.50 ERA, Helsley has yet to be taken deep over 8.1 innings in 2026 while producing a 2.16 ERA.

After tossing a scoreless inning of relief in Friday's 1-0, 10-inning loss to the Red Sox, Finnegan is now up to nine consecutive scoreless appearances this season.

Finnegan has managed to keep the opposition off the board so far this year, but there are some signs for concern. He only has three strikeouts across nine innings and has walked eight batters, which has contributed to a 1.33 WHIP that is a jump up from the 1.11 WHIP he posted for the Nationals and Tigers last year. Finnegan should remain locked into a key setup role for Detroit, though he'll need to flip the strikeouts and walks around if he wants to sustain his early success.

Criswell (elbow) will face live hitters over the weekend and begin a rehab assignment shortly thereafter, MLB.com reports.

Criswell is recovering from Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2025 season. Assuming the final steps in his recovery go as planned, Criswell is expected to be activated in late April or early May.

Horwitz went 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a walk Friday against the Rays.

Horwitz opened up the scoring with an RBI double in the second inning and proceeded to get on base three additional times. He has started every game against right-handed pitchers this season, and he's gone 9-for-26 with one home run, two RBI and five runs scored across his last 10 games.

Griffin went 1-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and a stolen base Friday against the Rays.

Griffin singled in the second inning for a potential RBI, but Spencer Horwitz was thrown out at home. Griffin continued to make an impact on the game in the sixth and eighth innings, stealing a base in the former while walking and scoring a run in the latter. After a slow start to his rookie season, Griffin now has at least one hit in each of his last four starts, going 6-for-16 with two extra-base hits, two RBI and four runs scored.

Tawa started in left field and went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double and an RBI in Friday's 6-3 win over the Blue Jays.

Tawa's run-scoring double in the eighth inning snapped an 0-for-16 skid and produced just his second RBI in 13 games. A season-opening slump (4-for-35, .114) has cost him playing time and makes Tawa a logical candidate to be removed from the roster if Lourdes Gurriel (knee) is activated as expected this weekend. Jorge Barrosa can cover left field while Gurriel adjusts to game action as a DH in the majors.

Smith underwent surgery to remove bone chips from his left elbow Thursday, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

The bone chips were the cause of the inflammation that Smith began experiencing during spring training. A timeline for his return was not given, but he's currently on the 60-day injured list and can't be reinstated until May 29.

Santana allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one in the ninth inning in Friday's win over the Rays.

The Pirates were up by two runs at the start of the eighth inning but tacked on two runs in the home half of the frame. That meant Santana didn't work in a save situation, though he's now pitched the ninth inning or 10th inning in six consecutive appearances -- five of which were to end the game. Santana looks to be the Pirates' preferred closing option for the time being, though Gregory Soto will likely mix in occasionally.