MLB Player News
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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.
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Nolan Schanuel 1B | LAA
Angels' Nolan Schanuel: Goes deep in high-scoring loss
Schanuel went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and a double in Friday's 15-9 loss to the Nationals.
Schanuel has tapped into a bit of power lately, going 13-for-49 (.265) with four homers and three doubles over his last 11 games. The first baseman isn't known for his slugging, and it's unclear if he'll be able to sustain his recent success over a longer stretch. For the season, he's at seven homers, 32 RBI, 40 runs scored, three stolen bases, 16 doubles, one triple and a .276/.364/.413 slash line across 78 games.
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Nationals' Nathaniel Lowe: Two doubles in three-hit game
Lowe went 3-for-6 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 15-9 win over the Angels.
Lowe had RBI doubles in the fifth and eighth innings. The first baseman has four multi-hit efforts over his last 10 games, going 11-for-42 (.262) in that span, which also includes four hitless games. He's been more in touch with his power and run production during this stretch, logging four home runs, three doubles and 10 RBI. Lowe is up to a .232/.295/.402 slash line with 13 homers, 54 RBI, 35 runs scored, 14 doubles and one stolen base through 82 games this season.
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Jonathan Aranda 1B | TB
Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Extends hitting streak to 12 games
Aranda went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 22-8 loss to the Orioles.
Aranda opened Friday's scoring with a 433-foot solo home run off Tomoyuki Sugano. That home run extended Aranda's hitting streak to 12 games, and over that span he has gone 19-for-48 (.396) with eight runs scored, four doubles, one home run and five RBI.
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Josh Naylor 1B | SEA
Diamondbacks' Josh Naylor: Dealing with neck stiffness
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said after Friday's 9-8 loss to the Marlins that Naylor was removed from the game due to neck stiffness, Jose M. Romero of The Arizona Republic reports.
Naylor went 0-for-3 with one strikeout before being replaced by Tim Tawa prior the start of the seventh inning. Lovullo added that Naylor will likely be out of the lineup Saturday but should return for Sunday's series finale. Pavin Smith -- who served as the DH on Friday -- is likely to replace Naylor on Saturday against Miami's projected starter, right-hander Sandy Alcantara.
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Otto Kemp 3B | PHI
Phillies' Otto Kemp: Belts first career long ball
Kemp went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run and a walk in Friday's 13-0 win over Atlanta.
Kemp lifted his first career homer, and he's now logged at least one hit in five of his last eight games. The 25-year-old rookie is helping fill in at first base for the injured Bryce Harper (wrist), and Kemp is slashing .242/.329/.339 with three doubles, nine RBI, nine runs scored and one stolen base over 70 plate appearances. That said, Kemp will be at risk of being optioned back to the minor leagues once Harper is ready to return, which could come as soon as next week.
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Coby Mayo 3B | BAL
Orioles' Coby Mayo: Launches first MLB homer
Mayo went 2-for-6 with a two-run double, a two-run home run and another run scored during Friday's 22-8 win over Tampa Bay.
Mayo finally hit his first major-league home run in the eighth, albeit off shortstop Jose Caballero, who yielded two homers and six runs in the frame. Per Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com, Mayo is the sixth player since 2020 to hit the first home run of their MLB career off a position player and the first Orioles player to do so since the team moved to Baltimore in 1954. Mayo has three multi-hit games over his last eight starts, and over that span he has gone 8-for-29 (.276) with one home run and seven RBI.
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Spencer Steer 1B | CIN
Reds' Spencer Steer: Smashes career-high three home runs
Steer went 3-for-4 with three home runs and four RBI in Friday's 8-1 win over the Padres.
Steer blasted a career-high three long balls, and it was also his second career multi-homer effort. The first baseman has begun to settle in at the dish following a sluggish start to the season, which saw him bat .185 and slug .285 over his first 34 games. Across his last 154 plate appearances (41 outings), Steer is slashing a healthy .308/.338/.507 with 16 extra-base hits, 20 RBI, 13 runs scored and three stolen bases.
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Michael Busch 3B | CHC
Cubs' Michael Busch: On bench Friday
Busch is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Astros.
Busch will cede to Justin Turner against left-hander Brandon Walter. In his last nine games, Busch is 12-for-34 (.353) with a pair of home runs.
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 1B | TOR
Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero: Late addition to lineup
Guerrero (forearm) is now playing first and batting third Friday against Boston, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
Guerrero wasn't initially in Friday's lineup due to a bruised right forearm, but after he hit in the cage, the Blue Jays opted to insert the first baseman into their starting nine, according to Hazel Mae of Sportsnet. Alan Roden was bumped from the lineup to make way for Guerrero.