MLB Player News

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.

Irvin didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 8-7 extra-inning win over the Reds, surrendering six runs (five earned) on four hits and four walks over three innings. He struck out four.

The right-hander got ambushed for five runs in the bottom of the first inning, with most of the damage coming on a Tyler Stephenson grand slam, but the Nationals immediately struck back for four runs in the top of the second in what proved to be a wild affair. Irvin managed only 44 strikes among his 86 pitches as he failed to complete at least five innings for only the second time in nine starts, but he also has yet to last six innings in any outing. Irvin will carry a 5.91 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 45:20 K:BB through 42.2 frames into his next start, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Mets.

Vargas went 1-for-5 with two RBI in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to Texas.

Vargas' two-run single in the ninth inning gave the Diamondbacks a 5-3 lead, but closer Paul Sewald couldn't convert the save. It was the second consecutive two-RBI game for Vargas, who has knocked in seven runs over the last nine games despite batting just .189 (7-for-37) during that stretch. When given RISP opportunities, Vargas has delivered a .343 average and .743 slugging percentage. He leads Arizona with 28 RBI.

Arenado went 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Rangers.

It was a frustrating night for the Diamondbacks, who were 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position when Arenado came to the plate in the ninth inning with runners at the corners. His RBI double tied the game. A two-run single by Ildemaro Vargas followed, and Arizona was in position to overcome the RISP futility but closer Paul Sewald blew the save. Arenado has been good with runners in scoring position and is slugging .710 in those situations. His 20 RBI are tied for second on the team.