MLB Player News
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Yuli Gurriel DH | SD
Astros' Yuli Gurriel: Lifts homer in blowout
Gurriel went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional run scored and a walk in Friday's 11-1 win over the Mariners.
Gurriel went deep back-to-back with Yordan Alvarez in the middle of a nine-run first inning for the Astros. In the second, Gurriel laced a triple to right field and scored on a Carlos Correa groundout. Through 19 games, Gurriel has four homers, eight RBI, 12 runs scored and a .267 batting average.
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Yandy Diaz DH | TB
Rays' Yandy Diaz: On base four times in win
Diaz went 3-for-5 with an RBI single, a walk and three runs in a win over the Red Sox on Thursday.
Diaz's run-scoring single in the first inning opened the scoring on what would be a momentous 17-run barrage for the Rays. The Cuban infielder has been highly productive at the plate during August after a slow start to the season, but curiously, the big hits continue to avoid him. Of Diaz's 19 hits on the season, only two -- a pair of doubles -- have gone for extra bases, this after he laced a career-high 35 XBH (20 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs) in 2019. Part of the explanation seems to lie in Diaz's batted-ball metrics -- he's seen drops in exit velocity (91.6 mph to 83.0 mph), hard-contact rate (42.4 percent to 33.9 percent) and flyball rate (32.0 percent to 10.7 percent) compared to last season. On the bright side for his fantasy managers, the 29-year-old's line-drive rate is up from 17.2 to 21.4 percent, which typically leads to more batted balls falling in for hits.
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Matt Olson 1B | ATL
Athletics' Matt Olson: Keeps mashing Wednesday
Olson went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in a win over the Angels on Wednesday.
Olson opened the scoring on the afternoon for either club with one of his mammoth trademark homers, blasting a 454-foot shot to right in the first inning. The 26-year-old has had an interesting statistical month thus far, as five of his six hits in August have left the yard and he's also drawn 10 walks. However, Olson has also struck out on 12 occasions and is hitting just .136 (6-for-44) during that span, leaving him with an unorthodox .149/.313/.418 slash over his first 83 plate appearances of 2020.
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Yandy Diaz DH | TB
Rays' Yandy Diaz: Another multi-hit effort
Diaz went 3-for-5 with an RBI single in a win over the Red Sox on Wednesday.
Diaz continues to see the ball drop in after experiencing some tough luck in that regard earlier this season. Factoring in Wednesday's production, the 29-year-old is hitting .341 across 11 August games, raising his season average 163 points to .258.
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Rowdy Tellez 1B | ATL
Blue Jays' Rowdy Tellez: Big night at plate
Tellez went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Wednesday's extra-inning loss to the Marlins.
The homer was his second of the season, and first since July 27. Tellez has had trouble getting going so far, slashing .200/.283/.425 through 11 games, but his power potential should keep him in the lineup most nights.
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 1B | TOR
Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero: Goes yard
Guerrero went 2-for-5 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Marlins.
Guerrero ended his home run drought at nine games, as he took James Hoyt deep in the seventh inning. It was second home run of the season, though he has also recorded four doubles in his last eight contests. Overall, Guerrero is hitting a disappointing .237/.286/.407 across 47 plate appearances to this point in the campaign.
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Evan White 1B | LAA
Mariners' Evan White: Sitting Wednesday
White is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Rangers.
White will head to the bench for Wednesday's series finale following a string of four straight starts. Dylan Moore is starting at first base in place of White, who is just 7-for-66 with one home run and 31 strikeouts through 18 games.
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Yandy Diaz DH | TB
Rays' Yandy Diaz: Bat starting to show signs of life
Diaz, who went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI singles, a walk and a run in a win over the Red Sox on Tuesday, is now hitting .306 (11-for-36) with two doubles, Tuesday's two RBI, four walks and three runs across 10 August games.
The burly infielder is still looking for his first home run of the campaign, but he's definitely beginning to show signs of a breakout after a forgettable start to the season. Diaz also boasts an elite walk rate of 18.6 percent that has helped him to an impressive .371 on-base percentage, while his 14.3 percent strikeout rate (70 plate appearances) is a career low.
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Jose Abreu 1B | HOU
White Sox's Jose Abreu: Shakes off hip injury
Abreu (hip) went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs Tuesday in the White Sox's 8-4 win over the Tigers.
Abreu's right hip injury forced him to exit early in Monday's 5-1 loss, but the stinger ultimately wasn't too much of a concern, as he was back in the lineup a day later and came through with a strong showing at the dish. He'll start again at first base and bat third in Wednesday's series finale.