MLB Player News
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Oneil Cruz CF | PIT
Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Slugs 12th homer
Cruz went 1-for-3 with a walk, a home run and two RBI on Friday against the Twins.
Cruz drove in a run in the first inning and then blasted a solo home run in the third frame. He has 12 homers on the season, and two in his last six starts. Cruz has hit .333 with four RBI and three runs scored in that span, continuing his breakout campaign.
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Jackson Merrill CF | SD
Padres' Jackson Merrill: Ends homer drought
Merrill went 1-for-4 with a walk and a two-run home run in Friday's 7-5 win over the Nationals.
The center fielder took Mitchell Parker deep in the seventh inning for what proved to be the game-winning hit -- Merrill's first long ball since May 4 and his first of the season against a left-handed pitcher. During his 19-game homer drought, he slashed a paltry .162/.250/.235 with five doubles, three RBI and four runs, but he did chip in four steals. Friday's clutch blast could be a sign he's beginning to find his rhythm at the plate.
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Ryan Feltner SP | COL
Rockies' Ryan Feltner: Set to return Saturday
Feltner (elbow) is expected to start Saturday's game against the Giants, MLB.com reports.
Feltner has been sidelined since April 24 but is ready to return after making two rehab appearances. He worked five innings in his last outing with Triple-A Albuquerque, so he should be able to handle a relatively normal workload. The Rockies will still need to activate Feltner before Saturday's contest to make the move official.
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Mason Miller RP | SD
Padres' Mason Miller: Battles control in 17th save
Miller walked two and struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings Friday to record his 17th save of the season in a 7-5 win over the Nationals.
The flame-throwing righty needed 30 pitches (17 strikes) to get the job done, and Miller got a little lucky when a Luis Garcia line drive nearly got over Ramon Laureano's head in left field for what could have been a game-tying double in the eighth inning. Miller remains perfect in closing situations on the season, having converting 17 straight save chances in 2026 and 19 straight dating back to Aug. 6 of last year, and through 25 innings he sports a 0.72 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 49:11 K:BB.
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Michael Busch 1B | CHC
Cubs' Michael Busch: Tallies three hits in loss
Busch went 3-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Cardinals.
Busch has at least one hit in five of his last six games, and during that time, he's slashing .348/.500/.609 with two home runs and six RBI. Overall, the first baseman has a more subdued .238/.372/.388 slash line, but he's been trending in the right direction recently after a slow start to the season. Busch should also continue to see ample playing time as the Cubs don't have a natural replacement for him at first on their roster.
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Lucas Giolito SP | SD
Padres' Lucas Giolito: Gets early hook Friday
Giolito came away with a no-decision in Friday's 7-5 win over the Nationals, surrendering four runs on five hits and four walks over 2.2 innings. He struck out one.
Facing the team he made his big-league debut with back in 2016, Giolito struggled right from the jump, serving up homers to Curtis Mead in the first inning and Keibert Ruiz in the second before getting lifted after 77 pitches (41 strikes). Giolito won his first two starts of the year after not signing with the Padres until late April, but through his first 12.2 innings in 2026 he's stumbled to a 4.97 ERA, 1.74 WHIP and 6:12 K:BB. The veteran righty will try to rebound in his next outing, which is set to come on the road next week in Philadelphia.
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Edouard Julien 2B | COL
Rockies' Edouard Julien: Two straight starts
Julien went 1-for-4 with a stolen base Friday against the Giants.
Julien had slipped into a reserve role in the last week, but he started his second consecutive game Friday. He helped the Rockies take a 1-0 lead in the second inning, reaching base on a single and then executing a double steal with Ezequiel Tovar. Julien is hitting only .204 across 155 plate appearances, and his playing time will likely slip further once Mickey Moniak (ankle) is able to return.
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Konnor Griffin SS | PIT
Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Swipes two bags in win
Griffin went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two stolen bases in Friday's 6-5 win over the Twins.
The 20-year-old rookie is up to 14 steals in 15 attempts through his first 50 big-league games. Griffin is more than holding his own at the plate as well, and through 24 contests in May he's slashing .301/.359/.452 with nine extra-base hits including two homers, nine RBI and 19 runs.
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Bryan Reynolds LF | PIT
Pirates' Bryan Reynolds: Slugs walk-off homer Friday
Reynolds went 1-for-3 with two walks, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Friday's 6-5 win over the Twins.
The veteran outfielder didn't get much to hit earlier in the game, but he came through when it mattered most, launching a walk-off homer with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning against Taylor Rogers. Reynolds has hit safely in seven straight games, batting .500 (12-for-24) over that span with four doubles, two home runs, one steal, five RBI and seven runs.
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Tyler Freeman RF | COL
Rockies' Tyler Freeman: Four-game hitting streak
Freeman went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a walk Friday against the Giants.
Freeman has gotten more consistent playing time with Mickey Moniak (ankle) sidelined, starting nine straight games. Freeman has hit .265 with two RBI and three runs scored in that span, and he's also in the midst of a four-game hitting streak. Freeman has occupied the second spot in the lineup in four of the last five contests, giving him some run-scoring upside if he continues to reach base at a strong clip.