MLB Player News

Nardi struck out two in a perfect inning of relief Friday to record his seventh hold of the season in a win over the Mets.

With the Marlins ahead 2-1, Nardi took the ball from Eury Perez with one out in the seventh inning and got Juan Soto to ground out before fanning Mark Vientos and Tyrone Taylor. Nardi's seven holds lead Miami, a benefit of being the top southpaw in the bullpen, and over nine appearances in May he's delivered a 3.00 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 11:2 K:BB through nine innings.

Benson isn't in the lineup for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals.

After going just 1-for-20 over his last 11 games, Benson will pick out a seat on the bench to begin the opening half of Saturday's twin bill. While he rests, JJ Bleday, Dane Myers and Blake Dunn will form the Reds' outfield trio.

Petersen gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless two-thirds of an inning Friday to record his fifth hold of the season in a win over the Mets.

The right-hander got the final two outs in the eighth inning with the Marlins clinging to a 2-1 lead, before he handed the ball off to closer Pete Fairbanks for the ninth. Petersen's five holds are second on the team behind lefty Andrew Nardi's seven, and Petersen has a 3.93 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 19:7 K:BB through 18.1 innings on the year over 17 appearances.

Friedl isn't in the lineup for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals.

The first half of Saturday's twin bill will mark Friedl's third straight absence from the starting lineup. The 30-year-old has gone just 1-for-17 with eight strikeouts over his last six games, so he may have fallen down the depth chart as a result of his struggles. JJ Bleday, Dane Myers and Blake Dunn will start across the outfield while Friedl sits.

McLain isn't in the lineup for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against St. Louis.

McLain will begin Saturday's festivities on the bench after going just 1-for-14 with five strikeouts during Cincinnati's last series against the Phillies. Spencer Steer will shift to second base in McLain's stead, opening up first base for Nathaniel Lowe.

Holliday went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer, one walk and two runs scored in Friday's 7-4 win over the Tigers.

After batting seventh and then eighth in the order in his first two games of the season Tuesday and Wednesday, Holliday was in the nine hole Friday. He logged his first two hits of the 2026 campaign, singling and scoring in the third inning before popping a two-run homer off Jack Flaherty in the fourth. Through three contests, Holliday is 2-for-7 at the plate with a 1:3 BB:K across eight plate appearances.

Kirk (thumb) will be evaluated by the Blue Jays training staff this weekend as he prepares to take the next step in his rehab, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The backstop has been catching bullpens and taking live BP at the team's spring training complex in Dunedin. Assuming Kirk's surgically repaired thumb checks out OK, he could be cleared for a rehab assignment. The 27-year-old has been sidelined since April 3, and his return to the big-league lineup appears to be drawing close. Brandon Valenzuela and Tyler Heineman will continue to split duties behind the plate until Kirk is activated from the IL.

Alonso went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer, a sacrifice fly, four RBI and one walk in Friday's 7-4 win over the Tigers.

Alonso took Jack Flaherty deep for his 10th home run of the season in the bottom of the third inning, sending a 93-mph fastball to the opposite field for a three-run blast. After a brutal April, Alonso appears to be coming around with the bat this month, as he's hitting .276 with six homers, 19 RBI, 12 runs scored and a .900 OPS since the beginning of May. On the year, Alonso is slashing .229/.312/.448 with 10 long balls, 32 RBI, 29 runs scored, two stolen bases and a 23:53 BB:K across 218 plate appearances. He's in the 97th percentile in hard-hit rate and the 99th percentile in average exit velocity.

The Twins designated Garcia for assignment Saturday.

Garcia has found little success across his nine appearances for the Twins, allowing 10 earned runs and posting a 2:4 K:BB in just 8.2 innings, and he'll now be cast off the active and 40-man rosters to make room for Taj Bradley's (pectoral) return from the IL. The 39-year-old Garcia is a candidate to be released by the organization if he clears waivers.

Henderson went 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored in Friday's 7-4 win over the Tigers.

It was Henderson's second straight three-hit game after he posted a four-hit day last weekend. His bat appears to be heating up with the weather, as Henderson is 13-for-31 (.419) with three doubles, one homer, three RBI and three runs scored over his last seven games, raising his average 32 points. On the year, Henderson is slashing .229/.278/.425 with 10 long balls, 24 RBI, 26 runs scored, six stolen bases and a 14:64 BB:K across 230 plate appearances. Henderson's strikeout rate (27.8 percent) and walk rate (6.1 percent) are the worst marks of his career.