MLB Player News

Soto put the Yankees on the board in the first inning with a solo blast off Spencer Arrighetti. He drove in another run with a single in the second, then plated a run with a groundout in the sixth. Soto made it five RBI on the day with a base hit in the eighth. The 25-year-old star outfielder is hitting an outstanding .333/.434/.583 with nine homers 26 runs scored, 32 RBI, and four steals across 173 plate appearances.

He’ll replace the injured Zac Gallen (hamstring) on the team’s active roster. It’s unclear if the Diamondbacks plan to have Cecconi take Gallen’s spot in the rotation, or if he’s just there to provide depth and length in the bullpen for a few days while they sort out their rotation plans. Either way, he can be avoided for fantasy purposes.

Not long after manager Torey Lovullo said he remained hopeful that Gallen would avoid a trip to the injured list, the club officially placed the right-hander on the 15-day IL. It sounds like the Diamondbacks are hopeful that it will be a minimum stay there, but we’ll see how he progresses over the next two weeks. Slade Cecconi was recalled from Triple-A Reno in a corresponding move.

The 29-year-old slugger sat out Thursday’s contest due to lat soreness, but it appears to have been only a minor issue. Raley will start in left field and bat eighth against Angels’ right-hander Jose Soriano on Friday evening in Seattle. On the season, he’s slashing .260/.299/.394 with four homers, 12 RBI and four stolen bases in 134 plate appearances across 45 ballgames.

Angels’ manager Ron Washington told Adell this week not to worry about his recent struggles and that the team’s right field job is still is. It’s not a bad idea to give him a night off though to clear his head. Adell is mired in a 1-for-30 slump with a 14/0 K/BB ratio during that stretch. Kevin Pillar will cover right field and bat fifth for the Angels on Friday night against Bryan Woo and the Mariners.

The 27-year-old infielder is considered day-to-day for the time being. Dylan Carlson will take his place in the Cardinals’ lineup and will bat eighth against Aaron Nola and the Phillies while Matt Carpenter slides up to the leadoff spot in the team’s batting order.

Kotsay also said that they expect Erceg to resume throwing “sooner than later” and noted that they feel like they dodged something much worse. It sounds like he’ll be shelved for a couple of weeks, but should be able to ramp back up quickly and rejoin the A’s bullpen before the month of June is through.

The 28-year-old hurler left Thursday’s start after just one batter due to a right hamstring strain. He’s still being evaluated and the Diamondbacks are holding out hope that he’ll be able to avoid a trip to the injured list while accepting the fact that it’s still a very real possibility. Be sure to check back prior to Saturday’s game to see if they do decide to make a roster move.

Espinal hit for Will Benson against lefty Drew Smyly in the seventh and drove the first pitch he saw 385 feet to left-center. It would have been a homer in nine out of the 30 ballparks, says Statcast, Espinal is now batting .202/.261/.303 in 137 plate appearances for the Reds.

Ashcraft’s velocity was down again today. He’s averaged 96 mph with his cutter in some of his starts this season, but he came in at 95.3 and 94.8 mph in his previous two starts and 94.1 mph today. His ERA has climbed from 3.63 to 4.76 over his last five outings, so the Reds could turn to Nick Martinez in his spot or give Carson Spiers a shot.

Díaz got lucky when a pitch that hit both Nick Madigal’s hand and the knob of his bat was ruled a foul ball and was then fortunate again when Madrigal, as the tying run, was thrown out at home plate trying to score on Seiya Suzuki’s double. Díaz has a 5.91 ERA this season. He’s walked 15 and hit three batters in 21 1/3 innings. He’s simply not worthy of trust right now, but since he’s blown only two saves and the Reds don’t have anyone else they’re really wanting to turn to, he’ll probably remain in the closer’s role for now. Lucas Sims is likely still second in line, even if Fernando Cruz is the more interesting reliever these days.