MLB Player News
-
Ben Rice 1B | NYY
Yankees' Ben Rice: Goes deep again Friday
Rice went 2-for-5 with a home run, a double and three total RBI in an 8-2 win over Miami on Friday.
Rice logged most of his production late in the contest, cranking a solo homer to right field in the seventh inning and adding a two-run double in the eighth. The powerful first baseman is off to a great start this season, slashing .409/.500/.864 with two homers while leading the Yankees in both runs (seven) and RBI (eight). He's started six of New York's seven games so far, with one of those starts coming as the DH, and even with Paul Goldschmidt in the mix at first base, it seems likely that manager Aaron Boone will get Rice's bat in the lineup nearly every day.
-
Triston Casas 1B | BOS
Red Sox's Triston Casas: Nearing swinging progression
Manager Alex Cora said Saturday that Casas (knee) will begin a swinging progression Monday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
Cora added that Casas' intercostal strain isn't as significant as the team initially believed, so it shouldn't have too much of an impact on his return timeline while he recovers from patellar tendon surgery. The Red Sox haven't moved him to the 60-day injured list yet, so the door remains open for Casas to return sometime before late May.
-
Josh Naylor 1B | SEA
Mariners' Josh Naylor: First two RBI of season in win
Naylor went 2-for-5 with two RBI in Friday's 3-1 win over the Angels.
Naylor entered play Friday with one hit and zero RBI across 30 plate appearances, so his two-run single in the 10th inning to plate Cole Young and Julio Rodriguez had to have felt good for the first baseman. Naylor struggled through the spring and World Baseball Classic with Team Canada, but perhaps Friday's two-hit, two-RBI game will help him get on track. He's slashing .094/.171/.094 through eight games.
-
Kody Clemens 1B | MIN
Twins' Kody Clemens: Launches first homer
Clemens went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs scored Thursday's 5-1 win against the Royals.
Clemens showed out at the plate, reaching base three times after having gotten on in just two of his first 10 plate appearances entering Thursday. The 29-year-old added insurance in the ninth inning with his first home run of the season, a 391-foot solo shot off Steven Cruz that extended the Twins' lead to three runs. Thursday's performance seemed to reinforce the confidence that Clemens built during his 2025 breakout campaign, when he posted a .715 OPS with 19 home runs across 386 plate appearances.
-
Ben Rice 1B | NYY
Yankees' Ben Rice: Swats first homer Wednesday
Rice went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, a walk, two total runs and two total RBI in a 5-3 win against Seattle on Wednesday.
Rice was the only Yankees player with multiple hits in the victory, and both of his knocks went for extra bases. The slugger kicked off the scoring with an RBI double in the first inning and plated New York's final run with a 427-foot solo shot in the ninth. Rice is off to a strong start this season, slashing .412/.524/.765 with four extra-base hits, five RBI, six runs and a 4:3 BB:K through five games.
-
Jac Caglianone 1B | KC
Royals' Jac Caglianone: Scores three times in big win
Caglianone went 3-for-4 with a double and three runs scored in Wednesday's 13-9 win over the Twins.
Caglianone has logged multiple hits in two of five games so far. The outfielder has added two doubles, one walk and four strikeouts over 15 plate appearances. The 23-year-old struggled to a .157/.237/.295 slash line with seven home runs, 18 RBI, 19 runs scored and a stolen base over 62 contests during 2025 in his first taste of major-league action. He has some work to do to prove he's taken a step up from last year, but aside from the strikeout problem, he's on the right track early in 2026. Caglianone is filling a strong-side platoon role in right field.
-
Paul Goldschmidt 1B | NYY
Yankees' Paul Goldschmidt: Belts three-run homer in win
Goldschmidt went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 5-3 win against Seattle.
The veteran first baseman drew a rare start versus a right-hander with Giancarlo Stanton getting the day off, launching his first homer of the campaign. Goldschmidt is still expected to see most of his playing time against left-handed pitching in 2026, as Ben Rice is set to handle the bulk of the reps at first base while Stanton receives the majority of the action at designated hitter.
-
C.J. Kayfus 1B | CLE
Guardians' CJ Kayfus: Playing time slipping
Kayfus is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.
After starting three of the first four games of the season, Kayfus is now out of the lineup for the third straight tilt. Angel Martinez and Daniel Schneemann -- who are starting in left and center field, respectively -- appear to have inched past Kayfus in the outfield pecking order at the moment.