MLB Player News

Naylor went 0-for-4 with a walk, one RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 8-4 win over the Angels.

Naylor has reached the 30-steal mark for the second year in a row. That's a rare accomplishment for a first baseman -- he's the first to post 30 steals in consecutive years since George Sisler did in three straight years from 1920-1922. Prior to Naylor's last two years, the last first baseman to have 30 steals in a campaign was Paul Goldschmidt in 2016. While the work on the basepaths has been impressive, Naylor has struggled in other areas, batting .261 with a .667 OPS, 10 home runs, 56 RBI, 48 runs scored and 22 doubles over 151 contests. That OPS is his lowest in a full-length campaign; only his .621 mark in the abbreviated 2020 campaign is worse in his eight seasons.

Torkelson went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, a home run and three RBI in Friday's 8-7 win over the Pirates.

Torkelson was a single shy of his first career cycle at the MLB level, and his strong effort included his first triple of the year as well as his 26th home run. With two games left in the regular season for Detroit, Torkelson could tie a career high with 159 games played if he appears in both of them. The slugger has proven to be quite dependable this year, and he figures to head into 2027 as a fairly well established source of power who also swings and misses frequently.

Murakami went 3-for-4 with two homers, three RBI and a strikeout during Friday's 6-1 win over the Rockies.

Murakami connected for his first multi-homer game since July 26 on Friday against Colorado. The Japanese first baseman took Tomoyuki Sugano deep in the first and seventh innings. The 26-year-old extended his on-base streak to 13 games after reaching base three times. This year, Murakami is batting .209/.351/.483 with 35 homers and 77 RBI in 544 plate appearances.

Alonso went 4-for-8 with two home runs, two walks, three RBI and four runs scored across both games of Friday's doubleheader against the Yankees.

Alonso took sole possession of the American League lead in home runs with two long balls in Game 1 before reaching base three times in Game 2. Prior to his single in the fourth inning of the first game, the slugger's previous seven hits had left the yard. He's gone deep 11 times overall in 23 September contests and is slashing .267/.363/.522 with 43 homers, 113 RBI, 100 runs scored and five steals across 700 plate appearances with one game to go this season.

Walker went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Thursday's 7-5 win over the Athletics.

Walker has reclaimed some power this week, going yard twice over his last three games. He is 6-for-20 (.300) across his last five contests after a brutal 0-for-20 stretch from Sept. 11-18. The first baseman is batting .223 with a .710 OPS, 27 homers, 84 RBI, 69 runs scored, 25 doubles and one triple across 153 games this season.

Contreras (hand) expressed concern Thursday about his availability for Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series next week, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports. "I'm working hard with the trainers, the hand is slowly getting better," Contreras said. "But I haven't been able to swing the last two days. I'll be honest with the team. I know Tuesday is a really important game. It's a really important series, and I'll be completely honest with the team."

Contreras swung a bat prior to Tuesday's series opener against Cleveland, but he was unable to repeat the exercise Wednesday or Thursday. Additional imaging was done Wednesday, which confirmed there is no fracture in Contreras' right hand, and the Red Sox are still holding out hope that Contreras will improve in the coming days. Boston is expected to face the division-rival Yankees in the first round of the playoffs.

Contreras (hand) still can't swing pain free and doesn't expect to play during Friday's doubleheader against the Cubs, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Contreras was held out of the lineup for a sixth straight contest Thursday night against Cleveland, and he now appears to be set to miss at least two more games Friday. The first baseman is dealing with a bruised right hand, and there's a chance that he won't be able to return to action until the postseason.

Aranda isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

After going 1-for-8 with four strikeouts over the first three games of the series, Aranda will grab a seat on the bench to begin Thursday's finale. Ryan Vilade will fill in at first base and bat eighth.

Contreras (hand) remains out of the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Guardians.

It marks the sixth straight absence for Contreras, who is working his way back from a bruised right hand. The Red Sox are considering the slugger day-to-day. Nick Sogard will slot in at first base in Contreras' stead on Thursday.

Alonso went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader sweep of the Blue Jays.

The first baseman took future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer deep in the fifth inning, Alonso's ninth homer in September and his 41st of the season. His first year with Baltimore has gone as well as the team could have hoped -- in addition to an .871 OPS that's tied for the second-best mark of his career, he's reached the 40-homer mark for the fourth time and the 100-RBI plateau for the fifth time. Alonso also needs to cross the plate just four more times to record his second season with 100-plus runs.