MLB Player News
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Josh Bell DH | MIN
Marlins' Josh Bell: Clubs fourth homer
Bell went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's extra-inning win over the Rockies.
The first baseman lofted a Peter Lambert curveball over the right-field fence in the third inning, tying the game at 3-3. Bell has struggled out of the gate this season, slashing .185/.273/.306 through 33 contests with four homers, 11 RBI and 16 runs, but the streaky slugger may be heating up -- he went 4-for-12 in the three-game sweep of Colorado.
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Christian Encarnacion-Strand 1B | BAL
Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Likely to return Friday
Encarnacion-Strand (hand) and teammate Tyler Stephenson are expected to return Friday when the Reds host the Orioles, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
The Reds' bats went quiet on their 2-4 road trip against the Rangers and Padres, hitting .201 as a team while averaging 10 strikeouts per game on the trip. Of course, Encarnacion-Strand has been struggling this year in both aspects, hitting .196 with a troubling 3:31 BB:K ratio in 108 plate appearances. Perhaps with better health and better weather he will come close to displaying the form he showed in 2023, when he hit .270/.328/.477 in 241 plate appearances at the big-league level.
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LaMonte Wade 1B | CHW
Giants' LaMonte Wade: Hits bench Thursday
Wade is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Red Sox, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Wade went 0-for-6 with three walks and an RBI while starting at first base in each of the last three games, but he'll get a day off as the Giants and Red Sox wrap up their series with an afternoon contest. Wilmer Flores will join the San Francisco infield as a replacement for Wade.
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Jake Cronenworth 1B | SD
Padres' Jake Cronenworth: Belts go-ahead grand slam
Cronenworth went 1-for-4 with a grand slam during Wednesday's 6-2 win over Cincinnati.
Cronenworth swatted his third career grand slam in the seventh inning off reliever Fernando Cruz, breaking the 2-2 tie and giving the Padres the eventual win. The first baseman has generated a hit in six straight games with five extra-base hits and nine total RBI during that stretch.
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Christian Encarnacion-Strand 1B | BAL
Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Out again Wednesday
Encarnacion-Strand (hand) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Padres.
He'll miss a fourth straight start due to lingering left hand soreness following a hit-by-pitch. Encarnacion-Strand has been available off the bench the last two days and presumably will be again Wednesday. He could be back in the lineup Friday against the Orioles after the Reds' off day Thursday.
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Christian Walker 1B | HOU
Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Walks off Dodgers
Walker went 3-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI in Tuesday's 4-3 extra-inning win over the Dodgers.
Walker bookended the Diamondbacks' scoring with a solo home run in the fourth inning then a two-run, walk-off job in the bottom of the 10th. He closed out the month on a roll, going 10-for-24 (.417) with four homers and nine RBI over the final seven games. The first baseman has a team-high seven home runs and is tied for the team lead with 22 RBI.
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Elehuris Montero 1B | COL
Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Tallies second homer
Montero went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run Tuesday against the Marlins.
Montero went yard in his first plate appearance of the game to tally his second homer of the season. After a slow start to the campaign from a results perspective, he has gone 8-for-31 with seven RBI and three runs scored across his last eight contests. Montero's production should continue to tick up as he has maintained a vastly improved 16.8 percent strikeout rate.
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Paul Goldschmidt 1B | NYY
Cardinals' Paul Goldschmidt: Collects five hits in twin bill
Goldschmidt went 5-for-9 with a double and two runs scored in Tuesday's doubleheader split versus the Tigers.
Goldschmidt had not collected five hits over any two-game span this season prior to Tuesday. Even with the strong performance, the first baseman is slashing a mediocre .236/.323/.318 with two home runs, 11 RBI, 14 runs scored, three doubles and a stolen base over 29 contests. Goldschmidt has yet to lose playing time amid his slow start, but that could change once the Cardinals get players like Dylan Carlson (shoulder), Tommy Edman (wrist) and Matt Carpenter (oblique) back from the injured list. On the positive side, Goldschmidt has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games, so he may be turning things around enough to maintain his place in the lineup.
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Connor Joe RF | SEA
Pirates' Connor Joe: Launches third homer
Joe went 2-for-4 with a solo home run during Tuesday's 5-2 loss to Oakland.
Joe tagged Alex Wood for a solo shot in the first inning, marking his third long ball in 100 plate appearances this season. He's on pace to exceed his career-high home run total of 11, which he achieved in 472 plate appearances last season. During his last five games, Joe is batting 6-for-19 (.316) with a pair of doubles and Tuesday's home run.