MLB Player News
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Ryan Mountcastle 1B | BAL
Orioles' Ryan Mountcastle: On bench Friday
Mountcastle is not in the starting lineup Friday at San Francisco.
Ryan O'Hearn will take a turn at first base and bat seventh versus the Giants and right-hander Logan Webb. Mountcastle carries an ugly .233 batting average and .269 on-base percentage through 56 games (245 plate appearances) this year, though he has managed to tally 11 home runs and 38 RBI.
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Josh Naylor 1B | SEA
Guardians' Josh Naylor: Back in lineup Friday
Naylor (wrist) is starting at first base Friday against the Twins, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
Naylor was scratched from Thursday's lineup due to a sore wrist, but the problem seems to have subsided. He'll bat fourth and look to continue his hot stretch at the plate -- he's slashing .385/.439/.750 over the last three weeks.
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Josh Bell DH | MIN
Guardians' Josh Bell: Placed on paternity list
The Guardians placed Bell on the paternity list Friday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
Bell is allowed to spend a maximum of three days on the paternity list while he tends to far more important matters. Brayan Rocchio was recalled from Triple-A Columbus to take Bell's place, and David Fry and Gabriel Arias figure to see more time at first base while Bell is out.
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Josh Naylor 1B | SEA
Guardians' Josh Naylor: Scratched with sore wrist
Naylor was scratched from the lineup Thursday versus the Twins due to a sore wrist, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
Naylor jammed his wrist while sliding into third base Wednesday against the Orioles, a bit of fallout from what was a four-hit, six-RBI performance for the 25-year-old slugger. Josh Bell is now in the DH spot for the Guardians on Thursday and Gabriel Arias will enter the lineup at first base. Naylor is likely day-to-day.
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Josh Bell DH | MIN
Guardians' Josh Bell: Pops fourth homer
Bell went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and three strikeouts in Wednesday's 12-8 win over the Orioles.
Bell has hit safely in 12 of his last 16 games, but he's batting just .236 with three extra-base hits over that span. Wednesday marked his third straight game with an RBI. The first baseman owns a .224/.330/.350 slash line with four homers, 25 RBI, eight runs scored and 11 doubles through 52 contests. While he hasn't been immune from the Guardians' team-wide hitting problems, he remains in a fairly consistent role between first base and designated hitter.
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Kole Calhoun 1B | CLE
Yankees' Kole Calhoun: Exercising opt-out clause
Calhoun has exercised the opt-out clause in his minor-league contract with the Yankees, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.
Calhoun is not yet a free agent, as the Yanks have 48 hours to add him to the roster or release him. Given that they are bringing Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring), Josh Donaldson (hamstring) and Tommy Kahnle (biceps) all back from the injured list Friday, it's difficult to see them finding a fit for Calhoun. Morosi notes that Calhoun has made a swing change while at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and has produced a .963 OPS with four homers in 21 games.
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Xavier Isaac 1B | TB
Rays' Xavier Isaac: Dialed in for RiverDogs
Isaac slashed .289/.449/.605 with three home runs and five strikeouts in 12 May games for Single-A Charleston.
The Rays selected Isaac out of high school with the 29th overall pick in last year's draft because of his bat. The 6-foot-3 lefty-hitting first baseman has 70-grade raw power, and the early returns on his hit tool are very encouraging. In May, he had a 10.2 percent strikeout rate and 20.4 percent walk rate, and his 1.25 BB/K is the fifth-best mark in the Carolina League. He missed two weeks in the middle of the month with an undisclosed injury and never landed on the injured list.
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Gabriel Arias SS | CLE
Guardians' Gabriel Arias: Swats fourth home run
Arias went 1-for-3 with two walks and a two-run home run in Wednesday's 12-8 win over the Orioles.
Since mid-May, Arias has gotten semi-regular at-bats while playing multiple different positions, but he's slashing just .198/.298/.385 across 40 games (104 plate appearances). He's started just 28 games this year but is still tied with Josh Bell for the third-most home runs on the team (four). Despite the poor overall numbers, the Guardians will likely continue to find ways to get Arias' bat in the lineup, at least against lefties.
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Josh Naylor 1B | SEA
Guardians' Josh Naylor: Stellar performance in win
Naylor went 4-for-5 with a two-run home run, a three-run double, two additional runs scored, an additional RBI and one steal in Wednesday's 12-8 victory over the Orioles.
Over the final two matchups of a three-game series in Baltimore, Naylor collected four extra-base hits, eight RBI, four runs scored and one stolen base. Across 48 games this season, he's slashing .251/.304/.443 with eight home runs, 40 RBI, 16 runs scored and four steals. Naylor missed a couple of games in mid-May due to leg tightness and will periodically get a day off versus a tough lefty, but when he's available, he provides a powerful spark to Cleveland's otherwise lackluster offense.
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Donovan Solano 1B | TEX
Twins' Donovan Solano: Plates four runs in win
Solano went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and four RBI in an 8-2 win against Houston on Wednesday.
Solano kicked off the scoring with a two-run single in the third inning and followed with a two-run double in the sixth. Incredibly, the four RBI nearly matched Solano's season total (five) through 44 games coming into the contest. Needless to say, the veteran hasn't been much of a run producer this season, though he's slashing a respectable .275/.356/.350 over 135 plate appearances.