MLB Player News
-
Romy Gonzalez 2B | BOS
Red Sox's Romy Gonzalez: Collects three hits
Gonzalez went 3-for-5 with a double and a two-run home run during Saturday's 15-1 win over Toronto.
Gonzalez tied a season high with three hits for the third time this year and added to the blowout in the seventh inning, when he took Mason Fluharty deep to center field for a 446-foot, two-run home run. Gonzalez got the start at first base Saturday, but his versatility to play at the keystone and the hot corner should allow him to see at least semi-consistent playing time, especially with Kristian Campbell at Triple-A Worcester.
-
Jonathan Aranda 1B | TB
Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Swats homer No. 10
Aranda went 1-for-4 with a walk and a two-run home run in Saturday's 11-3 rout of the Orioles.
The 27-year-old wasted no time getting to Zach Eflin (back), crushing a fastball 467 feet to right field in the first inning. Aranda has gone yard in back-to-back games to reach 10 homers on the season and extend his hitting streak to 13 games, a stretch in which he's batting .385 (20-for-52) with four doubles, two home runs, seven RBI and nine runs.
-
Vinnie Pasquantino 1B | KC
Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino: Homer, five RBI in win
Pasquantino went 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, five RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 9-5 win over the Dodgers.
Pasquantino crushed a three-run homer in the fifth inning and later added a two-run double in the seventh. The first baseman is riding a modest six-game hit streak and has hit safely in eight of his last nine games, a stretch that's included four extra-base hits and eight RBI. For the season, he's slashing .283/.333/.422 with 12 home runs, 47 RBI, 33 runs scored and one stolen base across 345 plate appearances.
-
Freddie Freeman 1B | LAD
Dodgers' Freddie Freeman: Perfect at plate in loss
Freeman went 3-for-3 with a solo home run, two walks and an additional run scored in Saturday's 9-5 loss to the Royals.
Freeman reached base in all five plate appearances, highlighted by a 421-foot home run that got the Dodgers on the board in the seventh inning. It was a much-needed breakout for the 35-year-old, who hadn't gone deep since May 11 and entered Saturday in a 2-for-28 slump over his previous seven contests. For the season, he's slashing .312/.386/.509 with 10 homers, 43 RBI and 44 runs scored across 306 plate appearances.
-
Nick Kurtz 1B | ATH
Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Goes yard again Saturday
Kurtz went 1-for-4 with a walk, a three-run home run and a second run scored in Saturday's 7-0 win over the Yankees.
The rookie slugger took Clarke Schmidt deep in the sixth inning to break open a tight 1-0 contest. Kurtz has been crushing the ball since returning from a hip issue earlier in June, and over his last 13 games he's batting .327 (16-for-49) with seven homers and 15 RBI.
-
Josh Naylor 1B | SEA
Diamondbacks' Josh Naylor: Not in lineup Saturday
Naylor (neck) isn't in the starting lineup Saturday versus Miami.
Naylor was removed from Friday's loss to the Marlins before the start of the seventh inning due to neck stiffness, and he's beginning Saturday on the bench. It's not yet clear how much time the veteran first baseman is expected to miss. With Naylor not starting Saturday, Pavin Smith is in the lineup at first base. Per Jack Sommers of SI.com, Arizona plans to monitor Naylor and see how he feels Sunday before deciding whether he's ready to return.
-
Luis Arraez 2B | SF
Padres' Luis Arraez: Settling into leadoff spot
Arraez is batting leadoff and starting at first base against the Reds on Saturday.
This is the third straight game in which Arraez has batted leadoff, while Fernando Tatis -- who had previously spent much of the campaign in the leadoff role -- has shifted into the cleanup spot. Arraez is having a subpar season by his standards with a .705 OPS (on pace the for the lowest mark of his career), but he has plenty of experience atop the order after having hit in that spot for most of his career. Arraez collected three hits Wednesday upon moving back to batting leadoff before going 0-for-4 on Friday.
-
Christian Encarnacion-Strand 1B | CIN
Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Getting breather Saturday
Encarnacion-Strand isn't in the starting lineup Saturday versus San Diego.
Encarnacion-Strand has started each of Cincinnati's previous four contests and went 2-for-12 with three runs batted in during that stretch, with both of the hits and all of the RBI coming in the same game. He'll begin on the bench Saturday while Santiago Espinal starts at the hot corner and Spencer Steer starts at first base.
-
Abraham Toro 1B | BOS
Red Sox's Abraham Toro: Bloom off rose
Toro went 0-for-4 in Friday's 9-0 loss to Toronto.
Toro was a nice story earlier this month, but the corner infielder has been in a prolonged slump. After Friday's 0-fer, he's batting .138 (4-for-29) with one extra-base hit and zero RBI over the last nine games. He and Romy Gonzalez continue to serve as a band-aid at first base, but with Kristian Campbell getting starts at first base for Triple-A Worcester, a better option could emerge soon.
-
Alec Burleson LF | STL
Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Socks homer No. 10
Burleson went 2-for-4 with a double, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Friday's 5-0 win over the Guardians.
The 26-year-old took Luis L. Ortiz deep in the third inning, giving Sonny Gray more than enough run support as the right-hander faced one batter over the minimum in his fifth career shutout. Burleson is putting the finishing touches on a dazzling June that has seen him slash .337/.354/.598 with six of his 10 homers on the season, as well as 13 runs and 19 RBI in 24 contests.