MLB Player News
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 1B | TOR
Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero: Opens scoring with homer
Guerrero went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Yankees.
Guerrero broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning with a two-run homer, a 112.7 MPH line drive off Clarke Schmidt. It's Guerrero's fifth home run of the season and his third in his last five games. The 24-year-old first baseman is off to a hot start, slashing .341/.424/.541 with 13 RBI and 16 runs scored through his first 99 plate appearances this season.
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Yandy Diaz DH | TB
Rays' Yandy Diaz: Returns to lineup Sunday
Diaz (dehydration) is leading off and playing first base against the White Sox on Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Diaz left Saturday's game while experiencing chest tightness and an elevated heart rate due to dehydration, but he is feeling well enough to hit leadoff against the White Sox for the series finale. The infielder has been excellent in 2023 with six homers, 14 RBI and a .310 average over 71 at-bats.
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Josh Naylor 1B | SEA
Guardians' Josh Naylor: Takes rest in second game vs. MIA
Naylor is out of the lineup for the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday against the Marlins.
Naylor will take a seat after going 1-for-3 while hitting eighth in the 6-1 loss to Miami in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader. Jose Ramirez will be the designated hitter with Josh Bell at first for the second contest.
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Yandy Diaz DH | TB
Rays' Yandy Diaz: Leaves with dehydration
Diaz left Saturday's game against the the White Sox with dehydration, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports. He'll be reevaluated Sunday.
Diaz was replaced by in the eighth inning by Isaac Paredes. For now the infielder should be considered day-to-day with a chance to miss Sunday's finale against the White Sox as he recovers.
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Ryan Noda 1B | BAL
Athletics' Ryan Noda: On bench against lefty
Noda will sit Saturday against the Rangers.
Noda has yet to start against a lefty this season, a pattern which will continue Saturday against Andrew Heaney. The rookie's 23.3 percent walk rate is excellent, but he's striking out 31.7 percent of the time and hitting just .217. Jesus Aguilar starts at first base in his absence.
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Triston Casas 1B | BOS
Red Sox's Triston Casas: Sits against southpaw
Casas will hit the bench Saturday against lefty Wade Miley and the Brewers.
Casas appears to have something halfway between a platoon role and an everyday job this season. He's started against all 12 righties the Red Sox have faced, but his off day Saturday means he's been on the bench against five out of 10 southpaws thus far. Given that he's hitting just .136/.268/.288 overall, a sudden uptick in playing time doesn't seem to be in the cards. Justin Turner will play first base in his absence, with Masataka Yoshida resting his legs as the designated hitter and Rob Refsnyder entering the lineup in left field.
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 1B | TOR
Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero: Gives Toronto early lead with homer
Guerrero went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Friday's 6-1 win over the Yankees.
Guerrero opened the scoring with a two-run homer off Domingo German in the first inning, marking his fourth long ball of the year. Through 20 games (91 plate appearances), Guerrero is slashing .346/.429/.513 and has almost as many walks (nine) as strikeouts (10). He's cooled off a bit lately, however, with just three hits, including two homers, over his last four games.
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Alex Kirilloff LF | MIN
Twins' Alex Kirilloff: Could stay in minors
Kirilloff (wrist) may be optioned to Triple-A after his 20-day rehab assignment ends next week, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports. He's hitting .333 (7-for-21) with a home run in seven games at Triple-A St. Paul.
Once Kirilloff is back to full health, the Twins may want to give him extended time in the minors to allow him to get back to top form. It's still possible he could be activated from the injured list next week, but it sounds like his return to the majors will come later rather than sooner.
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Anthony Rizzo 1B | NYY
Yankees' Anthony Rizzo: Reaches five times Thursday
Rizzo went 3-for-3 with two walks, an RBI and two runs in Thursday's 9-3 victory versus the Angels.
Rizzo got on base in each of his five plate appearances Thursday, tying a career high. The veteran first baseman knocked in the Yankees' first run with a single in the first frame and notched two more singles along with two walks the rest of the way. Rizzo is slashing a scorching .344/.449/.578 with four homers and 10 RBI on the season. He's also in the midst of a seven-game hitting streak.
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Kole Calhoun 1B | CLE
Yankees' Kole Calhoun: Gets minors deal from Yankees
Calhoun signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on Thursday.
It's a sensible depth addition for the Yanks, especially with Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring) on the shelf for a while. Calhoun was in Mariners camp during spring training but opted out of that minor-league deal when he failed to crack the Opening Day roster. The 35-year-old struggled with the Rangers last season, posting a .587 OPS with 12 home runs.