MLB Player News

The Reds placed Santillan on the 15-day injured list Friday with an oblique strain, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

It's unclear when he was hurt, but Santillan last pitched Monday versus the Brewers. The right-hander had stabilized the Reds' closer job of late, turning in a 1.13 ERA and 6:1 K:BB over his last eight innings while notching three saves. Though he will be eligible for activation July 8, Santillan could be held out until after the All-Star break, given the nature of the injury. Emilio Pagan (hamstring) is on a rehab assignment and is likely to retake the Reds' closer job before Santillan returns from the IL.

Crews went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in Thursday's loss to the Phillies.

The 24-year-old may finally be showing signs of living up to his draft billing after being the second overall pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft. Crews has four multi-hit performances in the last six games, batting .400 (10-for-25) over that surge with two doubles, a homer, a steal, three RBI and eight runs. Crews also has a 0:7 BB:K during that stretch, and a 2:28 BB:K in 128 MLB plate appearances this season as plate discipline remains his biggest hurdle.

Chaparro went 0-for-3 with a run scored in Thursday's loss to the Phillies.

Getting the start at first base and batting third, Chaparro crossed the plate in the first inning after getting hit by a pitch, but it was his only contribution in a 10-5 loss. Since returning to the majors in mid-May, Chaparro is slashing just .172/.368/.241 with zero homers in 38 plate appearances, but for now he'll continue to operate as a short-side platoon partner for Luis Garcia.

Mead went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Phillies.

The 25-year-old went deep for the second straight game and the third time in the last four, ripping a Cristopher Sanchez first-pitch sinker over the left-field fence in the first inning. Mead is still having trouble stringing together base hits -- his last multi-hit performance came June 10, and he's batting just .146 (6-for-41) over 12 contests since then -- but he's already popped for career-best power numbers with 14 home runs and 39 RBI in 237 plate appearances this season.

Young went 1-for-1 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Cubs.

The 30-year-old replaced Mark Vientos in the top of the seventh inning and led off the bottom of the frame with his sixth homer of the season, driving a Phil Maton curveball over the right-field fence. Young has gone yard twice in the last three games despite getting only five plate appearances as he handles a strong-side platoon role, and over 20 games in June he's managed a lopsided .210/.269/.484 slash line with five home runs and 10 RBI.

Mauricio went 1-for-5 with a double in Thursday's loss to the Cubs.

Called up earlier in the day when Marcus Semien (hip) landed on the IL, Mauricio produced the Mets' only extra-base hit off southpaw Matthew Boyd. The 25-year-old infielder got the start at shortstop while Francisco Lindor got the day off, but with Semien on the shelf and Bo Bichette shifted back to third base, Mauricio could end up seeing most of his playing time at the keystone, where he'll compete with Brett Baty for starts. Over 37 big-league plate appearances this season, Mauricio's batting .216 (8-for-37) with a 0:13 BB:K.

Ewing went 1-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base in Thursday's extra-inning loss to the Cubs.

The rookie center fielder swiped his eighth bag of the season, and his first since June 5, in the seventh inning with the game tied 3-3, but he was left stranded and the Mets never scored again. Ewing's enjoying a productive June, slashing .280/.353/.453 over 22 contests with seven doubles, two homers, four steals, eight runs and nine RBI.

Rodriguez is slashing .391/.481/.717 with four home runs and three doubles over his last 11 contests at Double-A Springfield.

Rodriguez was promoted from High-A Peoria to Springfield in mid-May and needed an initial adjustment period, hitting only .182 with one long ball in his first 21 games. The top prospect has now found his rhythm, and he's one of the hottest hitters in the Texas League at just 19 years of age. Between the two levels this season, Rodriguez boasts a .284/.394/.463 line with nine home runs, a 13.1 percent walk rate and a 22.6 percent strikeout rate.

The Cubs optioned Ferguson to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday.

Ferguson served as the team's 27th man during Wednesday's doubleheader versus the Mets, tossing two scoreless innings in the first game. He could get another chance in the majors later this summer but for now will rejoin the bullpen at Iowa.

Gastelum has put together a 19-inning scoreless streak at Triple-A Memphis and boasts a 25:2 K:BB over that stretch.

Gastelum had one rocky outing back in mid-May during which he allowed six runs in two-thirds of an inning, but despite that appearance he still boasts a 2.45 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 44:14 K:BB over 40.1 innings overall for Memphis. The 24-year-old right-hander sits in the low-90s with his fastball, but he's known for a devastating changeup that he's used to log a 31.2 percent strikeout rate in the minors. Gastelum is not on the Cardinals' 40-man roster, but is pushing hard for a chance to prove himself in the majors sooner rather than later.