
Kansas City Royals star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 8-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Witt provided the Royals only run by smashing a shot off Tomoyuki Sugano over the left field wall during the bottom of the sixth inning. His homer had an exit velocity of 105.2 mph at a distance of 399 feet. It was Witt's first home run of the season. Overall, the 24-year-old is slashing .242/.324/.394 with a homer, four RBI, five runs, and three stolen bases over the eight games of the season. Witt has collected a hit in seven of his last eight games and will look to build on Saturday's performance in the series finale against the Orioles on Sunday.

Cincinnati Reds reliever Alexis Diaz (hamstring) might not return to the closer role when activated from the injured list, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Diaz struggled with command issues this spring and was placed on the injured list with hamstring inflammation. The 28-year-old began a rehab assignment on Friday and pitched a scoreless inning for Triple-A Louisville but walked two of the first three batters he faced. It's unclear if Diaz will return as the Reds closer right away once activated as the Reds are expected to ease him back into action. "I think he would want to put him in the right spots early and maybe not throw him to the wolves right away," said Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson. "But you never know. Just trying to get him back here is the most important part." The Reds will likely continue to use a bullpen by committee for saves with Emilio Pagan, Tony Santillan, Graham Ashcraft, and Scott Barlow until Diaz is healthy and ready to reclaim the closer role.


New York Mets catcher Luis Torrens (forearm) was scratched from Saturday's lineup against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays at Citi Field, and the team is saying he's dealing with a bruised right forearm. Hayden Senger got the start behind the dish with Torrens injured and went 0-for-2 at the plate with a strikeout. However, the 28-year-old Torrens entered the game late as a pinch-hitter and picked up a base hit, so his injury must not be all that serious. It's good news, but it still wouldn't be a surprise to see the Mets hold Torrens out of the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against Toronto. Based on the fact that the Venezuelan was able to pinch-hit, he should be ready to go for the start of next series on Monday at home against the division-rival Miami Marlins. Torrens came into Saturday's game with five hits in his first 19 at-bats of the year with a homer and two RBI as the primary catcher with Francisco Alvarez (hand) on the injured list.

Updating a previous report, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that outfielder George Springer (back) suffered lower-back spasms after crashing into the wall in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the New York Mets. The Blue Jays don't have plans for an MRI exam or further tests on Springer, but he'll be re-evaluated on Sunday. After crashing into the wall in the ninth inning at Citi Field, the 35-year-old walked off the field with trainer Jose Ministral and Schneider, and Nathan Lukes took over in right field. The fact that he's not undergoing further tests is a sign that Springer avoided a serious injury, but it would be a surprise to see him in the starting lineup for the series finale against the Mets. Perhaps he'll be ready for the start of a series in Boston versus the division-rival Red Sox at Fenway Park on Monday. Springer was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Saturday before leaving, so it was a rough day for the veteran.

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani (elbow) incorporated sliders during a bullpen session in Philadelphia on Saturday that manager Dave Roberts called "positive." Ohtani threw 26 pitches before the team's 3-2 win over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park as he gets closer to fully recovering from right-elbow surgery he had back on Sept. 19 of 2023. It was the 30-year-old right-hander's second bullpen session after pausing his mound sessions on Feb. 25 to ramp up for Opening Day as a hitter. There's no timetable for when the three-time MVP will be ready to make his 2025 debut on the mound for the Blue, but when he does, the Dodgers are expected to use a six-man rotation, which will give him extra rest. Although Ohtani is more attractive in fantasy as a hitter after his record-breaking season in 2024, he still has plenty of upside for his arm after going 38-19 with a 3.01 ERA and 608 K's in 481 2/3 innings as a pitcher.
