MLB Player News

Lopez went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Monday's win over the Nationals.

After a brief 0-for-11 skid over the prior three games, Lopez put together another multi-hit performance to boost his batting average on the season back up to a league-leading .333. Since the beginning of May, the 27-year-old shortstop is slashing .345/.368/.440 with eight doubles, one homer, five steals, 12 RBI and 13 runs in 30 contests.

Thomas went 3-for-5 with a grand slam, a double and an additional run scored in Monday's win over the Reds.

Thomas launched a two-out grand slam in the bottom of the first inning, giving the Royals a nice cushion they'd never relinquish. This was Thomas' second homer of the season, and it's worth noting that he also ended just a triple away from the cycle. The 30-year-old has hit .320 with a .930 OPS, a homer, three doubles, six RBI, two runs scored and a 5:2 K:BB over his last nine games.

Church (shoulder) has begun a throwing program and has been taking batting practice, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Church has been sidelined for nearly two weeks while dealing with a left shoulder strain. He will likely need a rehab assignment before activation from the 10-day injured list and appears close to being game-ready. With Lars Nootbaar (heels) expected to return before him, Church's best chance at playing time once he makes it back could be unseating Victor Scott in center field.

Stowers went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday's win over the Nationals.

The 28-year-old outfielder took Cole Henry deep in the ninth inning to wrap up the scoring in a 7-3 victory. Stowers has struggled to begin the season, but he seems to have at least found his power stroke over the last few weeks. Through 62 plate appearances since May 16, he's slashing .246/.295/.509 with three of his four homers on the year, along with six doubles, eight runs and 10 RBI. That production comes with a worrying 37.1 percent strikeout rate, however.

Hernandez went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Monday's win over the Nationals.

Entering the game for Owen Caissie as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning, Hernandez ripped a Richard Lovelady slider down the left-field line to tie the game at 3-3, before Connor Norby gave the Marlins the lead for good later in the frame with an RBI double. Hernandez has been making an impact in a part-time role since coming back up to the majors in early May, and through his last 36 plate appearances dating back to May 7, the 26-year-old is slashing .294/.306/.559 with all three of his homers on the season, along with 11 RBI, three runs and a steal.

Avila (1-2) earned the win Monday against the Reds after tossing five innings of one-run ball, allowing two hits and four walks while striking out five.

Avila entered the rotation after Cole Ragans (elbow) suffered a setback in his recovery process that will force him to remain on the 15-day injured list, but the 24-year-old right-hander was up to the task Monday and earned the win despite his command issues. In fact, the lone run he allowed came on a solo homer from JJ Bleday in the bottom of the first inning. It remains to be seen whether Avila will make another start, but if he stays in the rotation, he'd be lined up to go against the Twins on the road over the weekend. Avila has made two starts and 11 appearances this season, posting a 4.44 ERA and 1.71 WHIP across 26.1 innings.

Hicks went 1-for-4 with a home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Monday's win over the Nationals.

Hicks blasted his 12th long ball of the year in the ninth inning off reliever Cole Henry, putting the game even more out of reach for Miami. Hicks snapped a seven-game home-run drought with this long ball, but he doesn't bring much else to the table outside of his power numbers and a solid on-base rate. Over his last 10 games, he's hitting .216 with a .356 on-base percentage, .842 OPS, three homers and a solid 4:8 K:BB.

Roupp admitted Monday's 16-2 loss to Milwaukee that he pitched through back discomfort during his start, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Roupp was charged with eight runs on eight hits and five walks and needed 96 pitches to cover his four innings. The righty's velocity dipped significantly during the start, going from 95 mph to 90.8 mph in the fourth inning. Roupp said the back issue is "definitely less serious" than the one that cost him three months of the minor-league season in 2023, and he thinks he'll be "fine." The 27-year-old is lined up to take on the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Saturday in his next outing, but he'll need to get through a between-starts bullpen session first before being cleared to pitch in Chicago.

Cavalli didn't factor into the decision Monday against the Marlins after allowing two runs on five hits and three walks across five innings. He struck out six.

Cavalli was at 89 pitches after the first five innings, and while he ended just three outs shy of a quality start, he still delivered a solid outing. This was his third straight outing in which Cavalli gave up two or fewer earned runs, and he also has three quality starts over his last four appearances, so he's trending in the right direction. The right-hander, who owns a 3.44 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across 34 innings since the beginning of May, is slated to make his next start over the weekend on the road against the Diamondbacks.

Alcantara (4-4) earned the win Monday against the Nationals after allowing three runs on seven hits across seven innings, striking out five.

This was far from Alcantara's best outing of the season, but it was a step in the right direction after giving up eight runs with a 4:1 K:BB across 5.2 innings against the Blue Jays last week. Alcantara has been wildly inconsistent of late, and even though he has three quality starts over his last five appearances, he also sports a 5.58 ERA with a 1.34 WHIP over that stretch, albeit with a 21:3 K:BB. Alcantara is scheduled to make his next start over the weekend at home against the Rays.