MLB Player News
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Yandy Diaz 1B | TB
Rays' Yandy Diaz: Not starting Tuesday
Diaz (foot) is not in the starting lineup for Game 4 of the American League Division Series against the Astros on Tuesday.
Diaz exited Game 3 of the ALDS on Monday with a sore foot and will be held out of the starting lineup Tuesday, although he remains on the team's active roster. Joey Wendle will start at third base, batting seventh.
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Yandy Diaz 1B | TB
Rays' Yandy Diaz: Remains on roster
Diaz (foot) remains on the Rays' roster, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Diaz left Game 3 of the ALDS against the Astros on Monday with a sore foot, a particularly concerning injury given that foot issues cost him much of the second half of the season. The issue evidently isn't too serious this time around, however, but it's not yet clear if he'll be in the starting lineup for Tuesday's Game 4.
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Yandy Diaz 1B | TB
Rays' Yandy Diaz: Foot issues return
Diaz left Monday's game against the Astros with left foot soreness, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
It's a discouraging diagnosis for Diaz, who missed most of the second half with a bruised foot. It's not clear if he'll be able to return for the rest of the series should the Rays survive past Game 3.
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Luke Voit 1B | NYM
Yankees' Luke Voit: Makes ALDS roster
Voit is on the Yankees' ALDS roster.
Voit stumbled down the stretch, going 1-for-32 with 13 strikeouts over his final 10 games. The Yankees will ultimately keep faith in Voit and his longer track record over Mike Ford, who posted an OPS of 1.142 in the month of September. Voit is likely stuck in a bench role with DJ LeMahieu starting at first base and Edwin Encarnacion serving as the designated hitter.
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LaMonte Wade 1B | CHW
Twins' LaMonte Wade: Not needed in ALDS
Wade is not on the Twins' ALDS roster.
Wade's ability to play center field earned him some playing time down the stretch with Byron Buxton (shoulder) sidelined, though his .196/.348/.375 slash line wasn't particularly impressive. The Twins will carry just three true outfielders (Jake Cave, Max Kepler and Eddie Rosario), but Marwin Gonzalez and Ehire Adrianza can fill in at the corner outfield spots when necessary.
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Yandy Diaz 1B | TB
Rays' Yandy Diaz: Cleared for first base
Diaz will bat leadoff and play first base in Wednesday's AL Wild Card Game in Oakland, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic reports.
Diaz was expected to be limited to designated hitter duty after missing most of the second half with a bruised foot, but he has apparently been cleared to take the field. It should be noted that the Rays will bat first and are a famously creative team, however, so there's at least a chance that Diaz takes his at-bat and then is replaced in the bottom half of the inning.
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Kole Calhoun 1B | CLE
Angels' Kole Calhoun: Slumps to close out season
Calhoun went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run scored Sunday in the Angels' 8-5 loss to the Astros.
Calhoun wrapped up the 2019 campaign with just three hits in 24 at-bats over his final seven contests, but his .792 OPS still represented a career-best mark for any season in which he played at least 100 games. Though Calhoun was one of the team's more productive hitters, the Angels are expected to decline the 31-year-old's $14 million team option for 2020 later this fall, according to Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports. If that's the case, Calhoun could still re-sign with the Angels later in the offseason at a lower salary or look for work elsewhere as a strong-side platoon option in the outfield.
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Luke Voit 1B | NYM
Yankees' Luke Voit: ALDS roster spot in jeopardy
Voit's recent slump may cost him a spot on the ALDS roster, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.
Voit struck out 13 times and collected only one hit over his last 32 at-bats, putting him at risk of being left off the roster at the start of the postseason. Per Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger, Voit believes his recent struggles are mental and not related to the sports hernia he was diagnosed with in late July. To make the matter more complicated, Mike Ford put together a strong September, hitting .353 with three homers and 10 RBI in 34 at-bats. With DJ LeMahieu slated to play first base in the playoffs and Edwin Encarnacion likely returning to the fold as DH, the Yankees have no room to carry both Voit and Ford on the roster.