MLB Player News

Since Joey Votto returned from the IL, Encarnacion-Strand has started just one of four games. On Thursday, Votto is back at first base with Spencer Steer playing third so that Nick Martini can play RF against right-hander Reese Olson. In 50 games this season, Encarnacion-Strand is hitting .263/.321/.406 with six home runs, 18 runs scored, and 22 RBI. Meanwhile, Joey Votto is hitting .202/.304/.466 through 53 games. On the surface, it seems like it should be a much more even playing time split.

Semien came through with an RBI single off of Tyler Mahle in the first inning that increased the Mets’ early lead to 2-0. He then clobbered a 407-foot (101.7 mph EV) two-run blast off of Mahle in the fourth that made it 4-0. With the two-hit effort, the 35-year-old infielder is now hitting .214/.303/.357 with one homer, five RBI and zero stolen bases in his first 33 plate appearances.

The hard-hitting backstop tagged Giants’ starter Tyler Mahle for a 415-foot (106.1 mph EV) solo shot in the fifth inning that increased the Mets’ lead to 5-0. He then victimized JT Brubaker for a 401-foot (107.0 mph EV) after an eight-pitch battle to open the seventh inning. He has been a productive option for fantasy purposes thus far, hitting .286 (6-for-21) with three long balls and three RBI.

The rookie right-hander punched out four batters on the evening while issuing a pair of free passes. All of the damage done against him came in the sixth inning as Willy Adames delivered an RBI double and Patrick Bailey scampered home on a passed ball. McLean got 10 whiffs on 93 pitches in the contest, posting a middling CSW of 26 percent. He’ll tote a terrific 2.61 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 12/4 K/BB ratio (10 1/3 innings) into Thursday’s matchup against the Diamondbacks.

Adames, working out of the leadoff spot once again, smacked an RBI double off of Nolan McLean in the sixth inning to finally get the Giants on the board. That would be his lone hit in the ballgame. For the season, the 30-year-old shortstop is off to an underwhelming .226/.273/.387 start with one home run, three RBI and zero stolen bases in his first 33 plate appearances.

Mahle punched out four batters on the night while issuing a pair of walks. The Mets scratched out a pair of runs against him in the opening inning, then broke it open with three more in the fourth on a two-run blast by Marcus Semien and a solo shot by Francisco Alvarez. The 31-year-old right-hander got eight swings and misses on 91 pitches in the game, posting a CSW of 32 percent. Now 0-2 on the season, he’ll look to improve upon his unsightly 7.00 ERA and 1.78 WHIP when he squares off against the Phillies at home on Wednesday.

Butler gave the A’s the lead with a two-out RBI single in the third inning, then raced around to score on Max Muncy’s two-run double. He then crushed a first-pitch fastball from Roddery Munoz for a 354-foot (96.2 mph EV) three-run shot in the fourth inning that made it 9-1. Hopefully this is just the type of big game that the dynamic 25-year-old outfielder needed to get his bat going. Even with the three hits, he’s hitting just .235/.278/.412 with one homer, four RBI and zero swipes in his first 18 plate appearances.

Muncy smacked a two-out single off of Cristian Javier in the second inning and scored the game’s first run on Denzel Clarke’s RBI knock. He then delivered a two-out, two-run double in the third that increased the A’s advantage to 4-1. He capped off his three-hit attack with a 404-foot (101.7 mph EV) solo shot off of Roddery Munoz in the fourth that made it 10-1. He’s off to a solid start to the 2026 season, slashing .269/.296/.615 with a pair of homers, five RBI and a stolen base in 27 plate appearances, though he has struck out 10 times.

The 33-year-old southpaw allowed just two hits and one walk on the evening. The lone tally against him came on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Yordan Alvarez in the third inning. Aside from that, he was brilliant. Springs got 12 whiffs on 103 pitches on the night — four each on his fastball and changeup — while posting a CSW of 31 percent. He’ll tote an impressive 2.38 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and a 9/4 K/BB ratio (11 1/3 innings) into a tough matchup against the Yankees in New York on Thursday.

Diaz reached on an infield single to start the third inning and scored the Astros’ first run on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Yordan Alvarez. He then drove in a run of his own with an RBI double off of J.T. Ginn in the ninth inning that pulled the Astros to within seven runs at 11-4. With his two-hit attack, he’s now hitting .227/.280/.273 with zero homers, four RBI and a 6/2 K/BB ratio through his first 25 plate appearances on the season.

The 29-year-old right-hander also issued five walks on the night while recording a pair of strikeouts. The A’s scratched out a run against him in the second inning and added three more in the third — including a two-run double by Max Muncy. They added another pair in the fourth before Javier was mercifully lifted from the game. He got 10 swings and misses on 82 pitches on the night, posting an uninspiring CSW of just 23 percent. He has now allowed six runs in each of his first two starts and will carry a miserable 12.96 ERA and 2.28 WHIP into a brutal matchup against the Rockies at Coors Field on Wednesday. He shouldn’t be anywhere near any fantasy lineups.