MLB Player News

The 28-year-old outfielder smacked a two-out single in the fifth inning but wound up getting stranded there. He then plated the Giants’ lone run with an RBI double in the seventh inning. Encarnacion has had a solid spring at the dish, hitting .308 (12-for-39) with a homer and six RBI.

Crawford is currently on the injured list due to right shoulder inflammation, and the belief is that it’ll be a short stint for the 31-year-old. He should return to starting at shortstop in the next few weeks — if not sooner — if there’s no setback.

McGonigle will get his first start in the big leagues at shortstop. The 21-year-old has been sensational over his first two games of the year; going 5-for-8 with one of his outs being a robbed homer by Jackson Merrill. With McGonigle at short, Javier Báez will begin Saturday’s game on the bench.

Wetherholt also had a single and a stolen base earlier in the contest. He committed an error that played a small role in the Cardinals blowing a four-run lead in the ninth; he tried to glove flip the ball on a weak grounder from the speedy Chandler Simpson and missed badly, allowing Jonathan Aranda to score on what was correctly ruled an infield single (plus the error). Still, he more than made up for it with his own grounder an inning later. It looked like first baseman Aranda would have had a shot at it, but he retreated in the hopes that second baseman Ben Williamson would make the play. Instead, the ball went into right, allowing both the tying and winning runs to score. Wetherholt is 3-for-9 with a homer through two games.

Junior Caminero ended the no-hit bid immediately after Riley O’Brien replaced McGreevy to start the seventh. Still, it was a 4-0 game going into the bottom of the ninth, when Matt Svanson and Ryne Stanek combined to give up four runs and cost McGreevy the win. McGreevy’s velocity was down all spring and actually down a little further today — his 90.7 mph average with his sinker was 2.3 shy of his 2025 mark — but he obviously made it work. He got 21 called strikes for a decent 28% CSW and only five of his 14 balls in play were hit hard. Those five well-struck actually produced two 390-foot flies and had xBAs of .940, .870, .750, .540 and .360, but all were handled by the Cardinals defense. We’re still not very optimistic about McGreevy offering mixed-league value, especially without that extra two mph on his heater.

After Riley O’Brien and Jojo Romero worked scoreless seventh and eighth innings, respectively, Stanek was expected to get the ninth. However, the Cardinals expanded their lead from two runs to four in the bottom of the eighth, causing the team to sit him down and get up Svanson. Svanson went on to allow a single, a walk and another single while getting two outs. Stanek took over then and gave up hits to Carson Williams and Nick Fortes to tie the game before retiring Ben Williamson to finish the inning. For the optimist, it’s good that Stanek was the Cardinals’ preferred closer for the second straight game, and the blown save was more about Svanson’s performance than Stanek’s. Still, Stanek is probably the Cardinals’ third-best reliever at best — he posted a 5.09 ERA the last two years — and it’s not like he has a history of closing that somehow should provide him with an edge here. Probably half the reason he was the first choice in the ninth is because the Cardinals hope it will get them a better prospect in return when they try to move him in July.

Boyle struck out four and walked none, throwing 52 of his 75 pitches for strikes. It’s just the second time in 23 starts as a major leaguer that Boyle has gone without a walk. As tough as he is to hit, Boyle would likely be a useful mixed-league SP with a league-average walk rate. That’s probably still too much to ask for at this point, and he might be bumped from the rotation when Pepiot returns from the IL. Still, he’s one to keep an eye on.

Definitely not the kind of first weekend Jax drafters were hoping for. After pitching in the sixth and giving up a homer in the opener, he was unable to protect a one-run lead with the automatic runner on in the bottom of the 10th today. He opened with a bad four-pitch walk to Jordan Walker, at which point the Cardinals sacrificed to advance both runners. JJ Wetherholt followed with a grounder perfectly rolled between the first and second basemen. It’s probably not going to be held overly much against Jax that he couldn’t convert today, but two blown saves in two games just isn’t what anyone wants to see.

The Rays just don’t have anyone to bat behind Junior Caminero in the cleanup spot as long as they want Yandy Díaz and Jonathan Aranda hitting first and second. Mullins is apparently their top choice against righties, but he’s 0-for-8 so far. Up with two on and one out in the ninth today after a Caminero walk, he popped out harmlessly to third base. He probably should be batting in the bottom-third of a major league lineup at this point, but that can be said about two-thirds of Tampa Bay’s current lineup.

That according to Atlanta manager Walt Weiss. Murphy is still working his way back from hip surgery, but it’s encouraging that he’s resumed activities, and Weiss suggested that it’s possible he could begin a rehab assignment soon. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Murphy is back with Atlanta by the beginning of May.

Muncy will sit again with southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez getting the nod for the D-backs Saturday evening. Santiago Espinal will draw the start at the hot corner and hit seventh. Alex Freeland is also out of the lineup, with Miguel Rojas hitting ninth and lined up at the keystone.