MLB Player News

Rizzo went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, one walk and a hit-by-pitch during the 4-2 loss to the Astros in Game 1 of the ALCS.

Rizzo hit a fastball from Rafael Montero 387 feet to right field in the top of the eighth inning, but the Yankees were unable to complete the comeback in Game 1. The 33-year-old first baseman has continued to do a solid job of reaching base during the postseason. He is now 6-for-19 with four walks and two HBP, which has helped accumulate a .480 OBP. On the surface, Rizzo has a tough matchup against southpaw Framber Valdez in Game 2, but he actually achieved better numbers across the board versus lefty pitching than righty pitching in the last two seasons.

Casas is dealing with knee soreness but could be back in the lineup for Tigres del Licey in the Dominican League on Friday.

The 22-year-old received an MRI which showed no structural damage, so he may be able to retake the field after a couple days of rest. Casas made his big-league debut for Boston this year and had a .197/.358/.408 slash line with five home runs and 12 RBI in 27 games, and any injury is likely to be treated with caution since he's the organization's top prospect.

Arias will start at first base and bat seventh Sunday in Game 4 of the Guardians' American League Division Series matchup with the Yankees.

After going 2-for-4 with a double a run scored in Saturday's 6-5 win in Game 3, Arias will stick in the starting nine against Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole as the Guardians take aim at a series-clinching victory. Arias appears to have overtaken Will Brennan for a spot in Cleveland's regular lineup versus right-handed pitching.

Santana (hamstring) will start at designated hitter and bat sixth for Game 1 of the ALDS against the Astros on Tuesday.

Santana aggravated a hamstring issue during the previous round against Toronto but was always expected to be ready for the ALDS. He homered against the Blue Jays but is a .198/.305/.396 hitter overall in 25 career playoff games.

Santana aggravated a pre-existing hamstring injury during Saturday's Game 2 against Toronto but is expected to be ready for Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Tuesday against Houston, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

A few days of rest has been beneficial for Santana, who was able to take batting practice and participate in running drills Monday. He expects to be ready for Tuesday's Game 1, but his status leading up to first pitch will be worth keeping an eye on.

Mountcastle went 3-for-4 in a 5-4 win over the Blue Jays in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader.

Mountcastle had a solid finish to 2022, slashing .279/.362/.441 with four home runs and 19 RBI from Sept. 1 onward. The 25-year-old's power took a downward turn this year, as his slugging percentage dropped from .487 in 2021 to .423 while he hit only 22 homers in 2022 compared to 33 last year. It was still a solid campaign for Mountcastle, and he should come into spring training as Baltimore's starting first baseman once again.

Pasquantino went 2-for-4 a solo home run in Wednesday's loss against the Guardians.

The rookie capped off a solid start to his career with a two-hit effort, including a solo home run in the first inning. The homer, his 10th of the season, capped off a season-ending hot streak that saw Pasquantino hit .408 (29-for-71) with two home runs and a 6:11 K:BB over his final 19 games.

Naylor went 2-for-4 with a double, three RBI and one run scored in Wednesday's win over the Royals.

Naylor provided a big lift for Cleveland, driving in three of the Guardians' nine runs on the day. Two of those RBI came via a two-run double in the first inning to put the Guardians up 2-1, and the third came via an RBI single in the eighth. Naylor had his ups and downs this season, but his season-long line held up at a respectable .256/.319/.452 over 498 plate appearances.

Guerrero is out of the lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Orioles.

After going 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored in the Blue Jays' 5-4 loss in Game 1, Guerrero will retreat to the bench for the regular-season finale. He'll be absent from the lineup for the first time since July 5 and will close the season with a .274 batting average, 32 home runs, 97 RBI, 90 runs and eight stolen bases.

Arias is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals.

Arias' streak of nine consecutive starts will come to an end in the regular-season finale while Cleveland rolls out the infield configuration that will likely be the norm for the postseason (Josh Naylor, Andres Gimenez, Amed Rosario and Jose Ramirez). While filling in at all four infield spots over the last nine games, Arias went 7-for-28 (.250 average) with three extra-base hits, seven walks and a stolen base.