MLB Player News

Caissie drilled a grand slam and also added an additional solo shot to record his sixth career multi-homer performance. The -year-old outfielder pairs strong plate skills with a smooth left-handed swing, which should enable him to hit for both average and power at the highest level. He holds a strong .275/.375/.478 triple-slash line with 17 homers and nine steals across 114 games this season for Triple-A Iowa.

Stephenson struck out his other three times up, but one big hit can make up for that kind of thing. The homer was his fourth in 148 plate appearances. Statcast think she’s been rather unlucky, giving him a .406 xSLG versus an actual mark of .285 coming into the day. It gives some hope that he’ll eventually prove useful in two-catcher mixed leagues.

Lodolo enters the win column in his fourth start back after missing time with blister issues. He gave up a homer to Marcus Semien today, but the other five hits he allowed were singles and he walked none (though he did plunk Carson Benge twice). Lodolo has a 5.57 ERA since returning, but maybe today was a sign that he’s turned things around. He’s slated to face the Braves on Sunday.

McLean gave up two runs in the second, but it would have been one if Bo Bichette had made a better effort to start a double play. The Reds then got a solo homer in the third and opened the fourth with a walk, a double, a two-run groundball single past the drawn-in infield and a two-run homer. McLean was left in to get a groundout but then pulled after a HBP. McLean did strike out six, but it was a second straight poor outing for the 24-year-old, and in spite of his strong peripherals, he’s now 2-4 with a 4.40 ERA overall. He’ll probably be better against the Marlins this weekend.

Semien was coming off three straight hitless games, but he was able to turn around a Nick Lodolo fastball today. It was his 257th career homer, tying him Ian Kinsler for 17th most all-time among middle infielders. He should also overtake Chase Utley (259) and Derek Jeter (260) this year while jockeying for position with Jose Altuve (259).

Kelly turned in his fourth consecutive quality start, limiting San Francisco’s lineup to just four hits in his second straight outing against them. He finished with four strikeouts and only issued two walks, needing 96 pitches (64 strikes) to navigate seven frames. He’ll close out a two-start week with a challenging road tilt against the Mariners on Sunday.

Roupp finished with seven strikeouts, falling one shy of his previous season-high, and has now reached that mark five times through 11 starts. The 27-year-old largely kept Arizona in check, allowing only a Gabriel Moreno solo homer before things unraveled in the fifth inning. San Francisco’s defense didn’t do him any favors, as a leadoff error and a misplay in left field by Casey Schmitt helped spark a three-run frame that allowed the Diamondbacks to pull away for good. Roupp has been a strong fantasy option through the first two months, compiling a pristine 3.30 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 68/22 K/BB ratio across 60 innings. He’ll wrap up a two-start week with a difficult road matchup at high-octane Coors Field against the Rockies on Sunday.

It’s the first time Raleigh has done any baseball-related activities since hitting the injured list for the first time in his career with a right oblique strain back on May 14. The 29-year-old backstop figures to be ready to return in a couple weeks but remains without a definitive timeline.

Slater will test the free agent waters instead of sticking around as organizational depth with the Mets. The 33-year-old bench outfielder hit .250 (5-for-20) with one RBI during a nine-game stint with New York before they decided to move on last week.

Blach went unclaimed on waivers and has opted to explore the open market rather than stick around at Triple-A Iowa. There’s always a chance he’ll return on a new minor league pact. The 35-year-old lefty fired three scoreless frames during his lone appearance for the Cubs earlier this month.

Volpe’s hit was a clean liner to left off Lucas Erceg. He struck out twice and walked once in his three previous plate appearance. Volpe was making his first start in the three games since José Caballero rejoined the Yankees, as manager Aaron Boone picked him over Ryan McMahon and started Caballero at third today. That might well be the team’s best alignment right now, since McMahon has remained a bust offensively while also not playing quite as well as usual defensively this season. Volpe is hitting .231/.412/.308 with five RBI in 34 plate appearances since being recalled.