MLB Player News
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Luke Raley RF | SEA
Twins' Luke Raley: On IL with ankle injury
Raley was placed on the 7-day IL at Triple-A Rochester with a left ankle strain.
The injury comes at a poor time as he was off to a hot start at Triple-A, hitting .302 with a .878 OPS and seven home runs. The 2016 seventh-round pick has had a solid, but unspectacular minor-league career, as he had 17 homers and an .822 OPS at Double-A last season. Still, he could be a late bloomer at age 24 and get a chance at reserve outfielder role in the majors this season if healthy.
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Rowdy Tellez 1B | ATL
Blue Jays' Rowdy Tellez: Out of lineup
Tellez is not starting Monday against Boston.
Tellez is hitting .273 in the month of May but has just four extra-base hits and three walks, giving him a .692 OPS. Justin Smoak starts at first base Monday, with Danny Jansen serving as the designated hitter.
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 1B | TOR
Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: Sitting for day game
Guerrero is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox.
Though the star rookie has found a rhythm at the plate lately with four home runs and a 3:1 BB:K over his last six games, he'll get a breather as the Blue Jays kick off their homestand with a matinee contest. Brandon Drury will step in for Guerrero at third base and bat second.
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Jake Cronenworth 2B | SD
Rays' Jake Cronenworth: Converting to two-way player
Cronenworth, who's slashing .367/.460/.511 at Triple-A Durham, is being converted to a two-way player and fired a scoreless first inning as the opener for the Bulls on Saturday, Bill Ladson of MLB.com reports.
If there's anything the premium prospect is incapable of accomplishing on a baseball field, it apparently remains a mystery. With Cronenworth already knocking the cover off the ball at the level closest to the majors, the Rays want to see if the 2015 seventh-round pick's vast physical skills and college pitching experience help him turn into a viable component of their organizational pitching arsenal. Manager Kevin Cash stated Sunday that the 25-year-old has been prepping for his new endeavor by throwing live batting practices and bullpen sessions the past several weeks. Cash added that Cronenworth's fastball consistently registered in the mid-90s mph on the radar gun during his one frame Saturday, lending some credence to the notion he could contribute as a legitimate two-way threat moving forward.
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 1B | TOR
Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: Slugs clutch home run
Guerrero went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in a victory over the White Sox on Sunday.
Guerrero's blast came in the top of the eighth inning to break a 1-1 tie. After struggling mightily to begin his major-league career, the 20-year-old phenom has picked it up over his last eight games, hitting .370 (10-for-27) and knocking four homers over that span. It didn't take him long to figure out major-league pitching.
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Yandy Diaz DH | TB
Rays' Yandy Diaz: X-rays negative
Diaz was diagnosed with a left hand contusion after leaving Sunday's contest early, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Diaz was hit in the hand by Chance Adams in the seventh inning of Sunday's game and was removed. However, after X-rays came back negative, Diaz is considered day-to-day. The team has an off day Monday, so his next chance to return to action will be Tuesday against the Dodgers.
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Ryan O'Hearn 1B | PIT
Royals' Ryan O'Hearn: Benched versus lefty
O'Hearn is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
The lefty-hitting O'Hearn will take a seat in the series finale with southpaw Tyler Skaggs on the hill for the Angels. Hunter Dozier will take O'Hearn's normal spot at first base, opening up a spot at the hot corner for Chris Owings.
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Yuli Gurriel DH | SD
Astros' Yuli Gurriel: Starts at second base
Gurriel started at second base and went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Red Sox.
A day after Aledmys Diaz (hamstring) was removed from a game, Gurriel slid over to second base. Diaz had been filling in for injured second baseman Jose Altuve (hamstring) but is looking at a few days of recovery. Tony Kemp replaced Diaz during Friday's game, but manager AJ Hinch told Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle that Gurriel will likely start at second base Sunday when the Red Sox have left-hander Chris Sale on the bump.
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C.J. Cron 1B | BOS
Twins' C.J. Cron: Turns on power display in blowout
Cron went 3-for-6 with a pair of solo home runs and a two-run double in an 18-4 win over the Mariners on Saturday.
Cron hit homers off starter Wade LeBlanc in the second and third innings and then provided the rest of his offense in the fifth inning to extend the lead to 14-0 at the time. He started as the designated hitter with Nelson Cruz (wrist) out of action. Cron has gone 9-for-17 with three homers, six RBI and seven runs scored in his last four games, boosting his average from .237 to .270 during the run.
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Matt Olson 1B | ATL
Athletics' Matt Olson: Heads to bench
Olson is not in the lineup Saturday against the Tigers.
Olson sits for the first time since returning from the injured list May 7. He'll head to the bench in favor of Mark Canha with lefty Matthew Boyd on the hill for the Tigers, but it doesn't appear as though he's destined for a platoon role, as he started twice against lefties earlier in the week.