MLB Player News
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Munetaka Murakami 1B | CHW
Jeffrey Springs SP | ATH
White Sox's Munetaka Murakami: Homers in third straight contest
Murakami went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 7-4 win over Athletics.
Murakami extended his club's lead with a towering two-run blast in a lefty-lefty matchup against Jeffrey Springs in the fifth inning. It marked the first-year slugger's third homer in as many days and eighth of the season. His .208 batting average and 33.3 percent strikeout rate leave something to be desired, but Murakami's power, combined with a 21.5 percent walk rate, has helped produce a .918 OPS through 22 games.
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Ben Rice 1B | NYY
Yankees' Ben Rice: Fourth straight game with homer
Rice went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, two walks and an additional run scored in Sunday's 7-0 win over the Royals.
Rice's second-inning homer marked his fourth consecutive game with a long ball. The 27-year-old first baseman was a popular breakout candidate entering 2026, and he's delivered on those expectations to this point. Through 84 plate appearances, Rice is slashing .338/.476/.800 with eight big flies, six doubles, 18 RBI and 21 runs scored.
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 1B | TOR
Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero: Three-hit effort in win
Guerrero went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 10-4 win over the Diamondbacks.
Guerrero is playing through a finger issue he suffered Friday, but it's not slowing him down from making contact. He's hit safely in 10 straight games, racking up five multi-hit efforts in that span. The first baseman had the Blue Jays' first run-scoring hit in this contest, delivering a two-run single as part of a barrage of offense in the first inning. For the season, Guerrero is batting .333 with an .865 OPS, one home run, five doubles, 10 RBI, nine runs scored and a stolen base over 21 games.
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Connor Joe RF | SEA
Josh Naylor 1B | SEA
Mariners' Connor Joe: Logs steal in Sunday's win
Joe went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Rangers.
This was just the third time Joe has played since the Mariners selected his contract April 8. He has primarily functioned as a bench option, but he was in the starting lineup Sunday to give Josh Naylor some rest. Joe has a 1:3 BB:K over nine plate appearances, and the steal was his first of the season. Moving forward, he's unlikely to see steady playing time, assuming he's even able to stay on the big-league roster.
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Mariners' Josh Naylor: Idle for series finale
Naylor is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.
With a tough lefty (MacKenzie Gore) on the hill for Texas and with the Mariners and Rangers wrapping up their series with a day game, Naylor will be handed his second day off of the season. Connor Joe will enter the starting nine as Naylor's replacement at first base.
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Padres' Ty France: On bench, but playing time on rise
France is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
France will head to the bench after he went 6-for-16 with a solo home run, a double and three additional runs while starting at first base in five of the Padres' previous six games. The Padres have an opening in their everyday lineup for one of France, Miguel Andujar and Nick Castellanos, and manager Craig Stammen looks like he could ride the hottest bat of the trio in the short term until one player clearly separates himself from the others.
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Jake Cronenworth 1B | SD
Yusei Kikuchi SP | LAA
Padres' Jake Cronenworth: Taking seat Sunday
Cronenworth is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
Cronenworth was able to play the entirety of Saturday's 4-1 win after taking a Yusei Kikuchi fastball to the chin in the fifth inning, and though he reported no issues following the game, the Padres will elect to hold him out of the starting nine for the series finale in Anaheim. Fernando Tatis will receive his third start of the season at second base while Cronenworth rests up Sunday.
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Guardians' Kyle Manzardo: On bench against lefty
Manzardo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.
The left-handed hitter had been in the lineup five straight games while the Guardians faced right-handed starting pitchers, but he'll take a seat Sunday against southpaw Trevor Rogers. Rhys Hoskins will fill in for Manzardo at first base and bat cleanup.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: IL move official
The Astros placed Loperfido on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to a right quadriceps strain.
The 26-year-old sustained the quad injury during Friday's 9-4 loss to the Cardinals. Loperfido will be eligible to be reinstated April 28, and Astros general manager Dana Brown said during a radio appearance Sunday that he's optimistic that the 26-year-old outfielder will be ready to return at that time, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. In the meantime, the Astros will likely lean on Brice Matthews, Dustin Harris and Shay Whitcomb to pick up reps in left field in Loperfido's absence.
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Pirates' Ryan O'Hearn: Resting for series finale
O'Hearn is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.
The left-handed-hitting O'Hearn hasn't been a strict platoon player for the Pirates this season, but after he played eight of 13 innings in Saturday's 8-7 loss, he'll get a breather for Sunday's matinee game while southpaw Shane McClanahan toes the rubber for the Rays. Jake Mangum will pick up a start in the outfield in O'Hearn's stead.