MLB Player News

McCarthy is not in the lineup for Thursday's tilt in Pittsburgh.

The Pirates are going with a left-handed opener in Mason Montgomery before turning things over to a righty bulk reliever in Carmen Mlodzinski. McCarthy could enter mid-game once Mlodzinski comes in, but he'll begin the contest on the bench.

Torrens is absent from the lineup for Thursday's tilt against the Tigers.

Torrens is set to serve as the Mets' primary catcher while Francisco Alvarez (knee) is sidelined, but he'll take a seat for Thursday's matinee after catching Wednesday night. Hayden Senger will be behind the plate and bat ninth as the Mets go for the sweep.

Soto (foot) will start at designated hitter and bat third in Thursday's game versus the Tigers.

Soto had to be pulled from Wednesday's contest after fouling a ball off his ankle, but X-rays came back negative and he will not have to miss a start. The 27-year-old has been scuffling at the plate in May, sporting just a .502 OPS with one home run and a 5:10 BB:K.

Ruiz is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in Cincinnati.

Ruiz started at catcher in the first two games of the series, so he'll take a seat in Thursday's afternoon tilt. Drew Millas will be behind the dish and bat ninth for the Nationals.

Santillan (1-2) took the loss Wednesday as the Reds fell 8-7 to the Nationals, allowing two runs (one earned) on one hit in the 10th inning.

After Graham Ashcraft has worked a scoreless ninth to get the game to extras, Santillan got the call in the top of the 10th but served up a game-winning two-run homer to Daylen Lile. Santillan has fallen apart in May with the Reds' closer role there for the taking while Emilio Pagan (hamstring) is on the shelf -- he's served up long balls in four straight appearances and has been tagged for runs in all five of his outings this month, seeing his ERA inflate from 1.98 at the end of April to a ghastly 5.82.

Stephenson went 1-for-4 with a walk and a grand slam in Wednesday's 8-7 extra-inning loss to the Nationals.

The backstop gave the Reds a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when he crushed an elevated Jake Irvin sinker over the left-field fence, but the game went sideways for Cincinnati from there. It was Stephenson's third career grand slam and also his third long ball of 2026 as he struggles to deliver consistent offense. Through 35 games, he's slashing just .187/.285/.308 with seven runs and 11 RBI despite plenty of red on his Statcast page -- Stephenson's 85th percentile average exit velocity of 91.9 mph would be a career high, and it comes with an 82nd-percentile hard-hit rate, 81st-percentile barrel rate and 93rd-percentile chase rate.

Steer went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 8-7 extra-inning loss to the Nationals.

Steer thought he hit a game-tying, two-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning but had to settle for an RBI double after the original call was overturned due to fan interference. While that may be a disappointment to Steer's fantasy managers, the outfielder/infielder has been rolling the last two weeks. Steer's hit safely in 14 of the last 15 games, slashing .309/.377/.509 with three home runs, eight RBI and eight runs scored during that stretch.

Lodolo came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 8-7 extra-inning loss to the Nationals, coughing up five runs on six hits and three walks over four innings. He struck out six.

The left-hander looked dialed in to begin the game, striking out the side in the first inning on just 12 pitches, but Lodolo cooled down as the Reds batted around and racked up five runs in the bottom of the frame. Once he re-took the mound, he couldn't quite hit his spots, and the Nats immediately struck back for four runs before tying it up in the third. Lodolo got the hook after 87 pitches (54 strikes), and over two starts since his belated season debut due to a blister issue, he's stumbled to an 8.68 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 8:4 K:BB over 9.1 innings. He'll try to find that first-inning form and make it last in his next trip to the mound, which is set to come on the road early next week in Philadelphia.

Lile went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Wednesday's 8-7 extra-inning win over the Reds.

The Louisville native is playing the first series of his career up Interstate 71 in Cincinnati, and he's putting on a show for his family and friends. After going yard twice Tuesday in the series opener, Lile added a third long ball Wednesday in timely fashion, as he took Tony Santillan deep in the top of the 10th inning to break open a 6-6 tie. Lile has hit safely in six straight games, a stretch in which he's batting .435 (10-for-23), and the surge has boosted his slash line on the season to .269/.333/.443 with six homers, three steals, 22 RBI and 27 runs in 42 contests.

Poulin gave up an unearned run on a hit and a walk in the 10th inning Wednesday to record his second save of the season in an 8-7 win over the Reds. He struck out one.

Gus Varland worked a scoreless ninth to get the game to an extra frame, and while Poulin did allow the phantom runner to score in the bottom of the 10th, his two-run cushion proved to be enough. The southpaw has found himself in the high-leverage mix for Washington somewhat by default, and through 20 innings this season Poulin sports a 3.15 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 15:12 K:BB with three wins and three holds over 21 appearances in addition to his two saves.