MLB Player News

McLain isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Angels.

McLain will step out of the starting nine Saturday after going 0-for-4 to begin the series Friday. His absence will move Sal Stewart to second base while Nathaniel Lowe starts at first, batting sixth.

Winn (leg) expressed optimism Friday about returning to the lineup for Saturday's game against the Red Sox, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Winn was forced to exit Friday's contest with a bruised left leg after being hit by a pitch, but he escaped serious injury and doesn't expect to miss any starts. If the Cardinals elect to hold Winn out for a bit as a precaution, Thomas Saggese is likely to fill in at shortstop.

Okamoto isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Minnesota.

Okamoto will get a chance to regroup Saturday after going 0-for-8 with a strikeout over his last two games. Ernie Clement will slide over to third base as a result, opening up the keystone for Davis Schneider.

Collins isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the White Sox.

Collins will grab a seat on the bench after going 1-for-6 with a walk through the first two games of the series. Michael Massey will fill in as Kansas City's left fielder and bat eighth.

De La Cruz went 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk in Friday's loss to the Angels.

The Reds couldn't muster a lot of offense, though De La Cruz managed to launch his fourth homer of the season in the bottom of the eighth when Cincinnati was already down by nine runs. De La Cruz has been seeing the ball well to start the season and has hit safely in all but three of his 14 games, batting .236 with a .796 OPS, four homers, seven RBI, 10 runs scored, three steals and a 7:18 BB:K across 62 plate appearances.

Burns (1-1) was tagged with the loss Friday against the Angels after allowing five runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out two through 5.1 innings.

Burns was coming off a quality start on the road against the Rangers last time out, but he didn't have his best stuff in this one. He tossed only 57 of his 92 pitches for strikes and also gave up two homers -- a two-run shot to Zach Neto and a solo homer to Josh Lowe. Burns had allowed just one earned run through 11 innings in his previous two starts, so some regression was inevitable. He'll hope to bounce back in his next scheduled start against the Giants at home next week.

Soler went 2-for-5 with a grand slam, a double, an additional run scored and two strikeouts in Friday's win over the Reds.

Soler continues to play every day since he's appealing the seven-game suspension he was handed after participating in a brawl against Atlanta on Tuesday, and the veteran slugger hasn't slowed down despite the threat of the suspension. Soler is riding a six-game hitting streak, but perhaps more impressive is the fact that he's gone yard in three straight contests dating back to Tuesday. Soler is hitting .400 with a 1.378 OPS, three homers, nine RBI and six runs scored during his hitting streak, although he's also posted a 1:7 BB:K in that span.

Neto went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Friday's win over the Reds.

Neto blasted his fifth long ball of the season in the top of the fourth inning, and the star shortstop continues to be a driving force on offense for the Angels. This two-hit performance extended his hitting streak to six games, and he's hit safely in all but one of his appearances since the beginning of April. In eight April contests, Neto is slashing .294/.333/.588 with a double, three homers, five RBI, six runs scored and a 2:11 BB:K across 36 plate appearances.

The Twins placed Laweryson (forearm) on the 15-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to Thursday.

Laweryson's trip to the injured list will open up a handful of high-leverage opportunities, but there will still be plenty of competition in Minnesota's bullpen, as four other relievers have all notched one save apiece so far this year. Andrew Morris was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move.

Kochanowicz (2-0) earned the win Friday against the Reds after allowing one run on two hits and four walks while striking out two across seven innings.

Kochanowicz tossed only 53 of his 95 pitches for strikes, which might explain his 2:4 K:BB, but he limited the damage to just one run while posting his first quality start of the season. Kochanowicz allowed six runs (five earned) across four innings in his season debut at Houston on March 29, but he's bounced back admirably -- he's allowed just one run in 12.2 innings over his last two starts while posting a 0.95 WHIP despite the 4.3 BB/9. The 26-year-old righty should face a tougher matchup in his next start, which is tentatively scheduled for next week against the Yankees.