MLB Player News
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Josh Naylor 1B | SEA
Guardians' Josh Naylor: Returning after three-game absence
Naylor (general soreness) will start at first base and bat cleanup in Monday's game against the Tigers.
The Guardians held Naylor out of the lineup for the past few days while he contended with what manager Stephen Vogt had described as several minor injuries, but a stint on the injured list never appeared to be in consideration for the slugging first baseman. Naylor had been available off the bench Saturday and Sunday against the Tigers, though the Guardians opted to stay away from him to give him two true rest days. The Guardians will be hoping that the time off was enough for Naylor to recharge after he had turned in a lowly .130/.231/.174 slash line over his first seven starts coming out of the All-Star break.
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 1B | TOR
Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero: Smacks 19th homer
Guerrero went 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI on Sunday against the Rangers.
Guerrero's blast with one out in the third was his 19th of the season and sixth over the last 10 games, a stretch during which he's collected at least one hit in each contest. Guerrero, who added an RBI sacrifice fly in the first, is batting .472 over his 10-game hitting streak with six homers, three doubles, 10 RBI and 12 runs scored.
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Ryan Mountcastle 1B | BAL
Orioles' Ryan Mountcastle: Drives in four
Mountcastle went 2-for-5 with four RBI and one run scored in Sunday's win against San Diego.
Interestingly, Mountcastle did not log an extra-base hit, instead plating four runners on a pair of two-run singles. The 27-year-old hasn't homered since July 6, but he has been productive for fantasy managers as part of a potent Orioles offense. The first baseman owns a .270 average with 12 home runs, 50 RBI and 46 runs scored in 96 games played this season.
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Dominic Smith 1B | SF
Red Sox's Dominic Smith: On bench versus lefty
Smith will sit Sunday against the Yankees, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Smith will head to the bench with left-hander Carlos Rodon on the mound. Romy Gonzalez will take over at first base and bat sixth versus New York.
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Triston Casas 1B | BOS
Red Sox's Triston Casas: Ready for rehab stint
Casas (ribs) is expected to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Worcester, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
The first baseman has been on the shelf over three months due to a strain and torn cartilage in his left rib cage, but he's now been cleared for game action. It's unclear how many rehab games Casas will require before rejoining the Red Sox, but he should have a chance to be activated during the first half of August.
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Josh Naylor 1B | SEA
Guardians' Josh Naylor: Available off bench Sunday
Naylor (undisclosed) is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Phillies.
Manager Stephen Vogt said Naylor was "beat up" and given a few days to recover from his various ailments, though he is available off the bench for the series finale Sunday, per Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Over his last 10 outings, Naylor has gone 5-for-34 with two RBI, four walks and seven strikeouts. David Fry will start at first base and bat in the cleanup spot.
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Nolan Schanuel 1B | LAA
Angels' Nolan Schanuel: Solo homer in loss
Schanuel went 1-for-2 with a solo homer and two walks in Saturday's loss to the Athletics.
Schanuel drew a leadoff walk in his first trip to the plate but was left stranded. He then came back with a solo homer in the bottom of the third, which would end up being the only run produced by the Angels' offense in the loss. The first baseman has now homered in back-to-back games and has hit safely in four of his last five. Over that latter stretch he's batting .333 (5-for-15) with three RBI and five runs scored. Schanuel has also drawn at least one walk in five consecutive games.
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Mark Canha LF | KC
Tigers' Mark Canha: Drives in two in win
Canha went 1-for-2 with a walk and two RBI in Saturday's 7-2 win over the Twins.
Canha batted cleanup and helped lead Detroit to a comfortable win. The veteran has been solid lately, as he's batting .310 over his last 10 games with one home run, five RBI and six runs scored. Canha is a potential trade candidate before Tuesday's deadline, as he's on the last year of his contract, and he would give a contending team a proven MLB hitter who batted .260 or better each of the last two seasons, though he's slumped a bit this year with a .233 average overall.
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Yandy Diaz 1B | TB
Rays' Yandy Diaz: Goes yard Saturday
Diaz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Reds.
He went back-to-back with Alex Jackson off Andrew Abbott to lead off the fifth inning, breaking open a 1-0 game. While the homer was only the ninth of the year for Diaz, a disappointing total after he slugged a career-high 22 last season, he has been supplying more power in July, slashing .278/.328/.481 through 13 games on the month. The 32-year-old is on an affordable contract that pays him $10 million in 2025 with a $12 million club option for 2026, but with the Rays in sell mode at the trade deadline and a number of contenders in need of help at first base, Diaz could be the next player to go.