MLB Player News

Lindor will start at shortstop and bat third in Friday's game against the Cubs.

It's the first time since Aug. 5 of last season that Lindor has batted anywhere other than leadoff. Rookie Carson Benge has been elevated to the leadoff spot as Mets manager Carlos Mendoza shakes up his lineup in hopes of ending an eight-game losing skid. Lindor is slashing only .184/.287/.289 in his first 19 contests this season.

Benge will start in right field and bat leadoff in Friday's game versus the Cubs.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza is shaking up his lineup as the club tries to halt an eight-game losing streak. Benge is slashing only .151/.237/.226 in the early going and has spent most of his time batting eighth this season. Usual leadoff man Francisco Lindor will bat third in Friday's series opener.

Lile went 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored in Thursday's extra-inning win over the Pirates.

After opening the campaign with a seven-game hit streak, Lile cooled off in early April, but he may be heating up again. The 23-year-old outfielder has three multi-hit performances in the last five games, pushing his slash line on the season back up to .277/.310/.337. Lile is still looking for his first homer of 2026 through 19 contests, but he has banged out five doubles while adding one steal, six RBI and 11 runs.

Hill went 1-for-2 before being replaced by a pinch hitter in the sixth inning of Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Rays.

Hill, who played four games with the White Sox last season, returned to the South Side this offseason and found himself in a bigger role than expected after the trade of Luis Robert -- Hill has seen action in 15 games so far in 2026. The 30-year-old's glove is his biggest asset, as he's tallied just 25 plate appearances to date with zero extra-base hits. He's also been caught stealing three times on six attempts, a dubious honor which currently leads the majors.

Polanco (Achilles) remains out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Cubs.

Polanco has battled nagging bursitis in his left Achilles and will miss a second straight start. The Mets have not ruled out placing the veteran on the injured list, but no move was made prior to Friday's afternoon contest at Wrigley Field. MJ Melendez will occupy the designated hitter slot and Brett Baty will play first base in the series opener.

Erceg (0-1) blew the save and took the loss Thursday against the Tigers. He allowed three runs on three hits and a walk while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning.

Erceg entered the ninth inning with a two-run lead but failed to secure the victory, as a two-out double from Riley Greene tied the game at 9-9 before Colt Keith delivered a walk-off single. Erceg had converted each of his first five save opportunities prior to Thursday, but this outing bloated his ERA from 2.70 to 6.14 and his WHIP from 1.05 to 1.50 WHIP across 7.1 innings and eight appearances. The 30-year-old stepped into the closer role after Carlos Estevez (foot) was placed on the injured list following his season debut, but with the incumbent expected to begin a rehab assignment soon, Erceg's time filling the ninth-inning role may not last much longer.

Nance (0-1) took the loss Thursday against the Brewers, giving up one run on one hit and two walks over two-thirds of an inning. He didn't strike out a batter.

The 35-year-old right-hander gave up a couple baserunners after replacing Patrick Corbin in the sixth inning with the score tied 1-1, but he was able to escape without giving up a run. Nance wasn't so lucky in the seventh -- a leadoff walk to Garrett Mitchell wound up leading to the game-winning run after three straight bunts by Milwaukee. Nance isn't part of Toronto's usual high-leverage crew, and while he does have a 9:4 K:BB through 7.2 innings to begin the season, that comes with a 7.04 ERA and 1.83 WHIP.

Hernaiz went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Thursday's loss to the Rangers.

With Max Muncy getting the day off, Hernaiz drew the start at the hot corner and swiped his second base of the season. Playing time has been tough to come by for the utility infielder, and the results have been lackluster when he's been called upon as he's slashing .200/.238/.200 in 21 plate appearances. Hernaiz figures to see occasional action as a fill-in option for Muncy, Jeff McNeil and Jacob Wilson, and he's already played at least three games at second base, third base and shortstop this season.

Atlanta selected Perez's contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.

Perez re-signed with Atlanta earlier this week after electing free agency, and he's slated to start Friday's game on the road in Philadelphia. The veteran left-hander holds a 3.14 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 6:4 K:BB across 14.1 innings during his time in the majors this season. Perez should make at least a couple more starts but will likely lose his rotation spot once Spencer Strider (oblique) is ready to return around the beginning of May.

Berrios (elbow) gave up five runs on five hits and a walk over 2.2 innings for Single-A Dunedin on Thursday, striking out three.

The final line was ugly, but most of the damage came in the first inning as the veteran right-hander began to clear off some rust in his first rehab start. More encouragingly, his velocity was up from last season -- per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, Berrios' average four-seam fastball velocity of 94.2 mph in the first two innings Thursday was 1.2 mph higher than his 2025 mark, while his sinker showed a similar bump. Berrios built up to 47 pitches in the outing as he works through a minor stress fracture in his pitching elbow, and he'll likely need one or two more minor-league starts before being an option for the Blue Jays' injury-depleted rotation.