MLB Player News
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Dominic Smith 1B | ATL
Red Sox's Dominic Smith: Sitting against southpaw
Smith is out of the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against Washington.
The lefty-hitting Smith will take a seat for the series finale Sunday with left-hander MacKenzie Gore on the hill for the Nationals. Garrett Cooper will start at first base, while Rob Refsnyder fills in at designated hitter. Since joining the Red Sox on May 1, Smith is 4-for-24 with three RBI.
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Freddie Freeman 1B | LAD
Dodgers' Freddie Freeman: Homer, double in win
Freeman went 2-for-3 with a double and a solo home run while also drawing a walk in Saturday's win over the Padres.
Freeman kicked things off for the Dodgers with a solo shot off Matt Waldron in the top of the first, giving the first baseman his fourth home run of the season. The veteran infielder would reach three times on the night after also doubling and drawing a walk, raising his average to .333 in the month of May. Freeman has now hit safely in five straight games and in 17 of his last 19 contests overall.
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Connor Joe RF | SEA
Pirates' Connor Joe: Smacks key homer
Joe went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run Saturday against the Cubs.
Joe lifted a three-run home run in the third inning, his fourth long ball of the campaign. He's hit well overall this season, which has helped him move from a short-side platoon role to a role as a near-everyday player. Joe has started eight of Pittsburgh's last 10 games, filling in for Rowdy Tellez at first base against lefties and for Michael Taylor in the outfield against righties.
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Ryan Mountcastle 1B | BAL
Orioles' Ryan Mountcastle: Three extra-base hits Saturday
Mountcastle went 3-for-5 with a triple, two doubles and one run scored in Saturday's 5-4 extra-innings win over the Diamondbacks.
Mountcastle has been making some loud contact in May, with seven of his 11 hits this month going for extra bases. The first baseman is slashing .288/.331/.511 with six home runs, 18 RBI, 22 runs scored, two stolen bases, 11 doubles and a triple over 35 contests overall. Per Statcast, Mountcastle has a 46.6 percent hard-hit rate this season, the best mark of his career, though his 10.7 percent barrel rate is the lowest it's been in four years.
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Josh Naylor 1B | SEA
Guardians' Josh Naylor: Continues power surge
Naylor went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Saturday in a loss to the White Sox.
Naylor produced Cleveland's only run of the contest with a fourth-inning solo blast to left field. The first baseman has gone deep four times over his past seven games to push his season total to 11 long balls, tied for fourth most in the majors. Naylor is also tied for seventh in the league with 30 RBI while slashing .275/.358/.565 and registering an impressive 16:20 BB:K.
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 1B | TOR
Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero: Four hits in comeback win
Guerrero went 4-for-5 with a run scored, three RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 10-8 win over the Twins.
The first baseman banged out singles in each of his first four plate appearances, with the last one bringing home two runs in the sixth inning to tie the game at 8-8 after the Blue Jays had fallen behind 7-1 in the top of the third. Guerrero has four multi-hit performances in the last five games, a stretch in which he's gone 11-for-21 (.524) with a homer and eight RBI. The surge has boosted his slash line on the season to .272/.360/.391, as he continues to look for his power stroke.
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Carlos Santana 1B | ARI
Twins' Carlos Santana: Goes yard again Saturday
Santana went 2-for-4 with a double, a three-run home run and a second run scored in Saturday's 10-8 loss to the Blue Jays.
His third-inning homer off Kevin Gausman gave the Twins a 7-1 lead, but things went south for the visitors after that. Santana has gone deep in back-to-back games, giving him six home runs and 15 RBI in his last 16 games as he digs his way out of an early-season hole.
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Jake Bauers RF | MIL
Brewers' Jake Bauers: Records fourth steal
Bauers went 1-for-2 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, one RBI, one stolen base and one run scored in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Cardinals.
Bauers got plunked by St. Louis starter Kyle Gibson in the third inning to force in the first run of the game. After losing playing time to Tyler Black earlier in the month, Bauers has gotten in the lineup for four straight games, going 4-for-10 with three walks, two steals, four RBI and three runs in that span. The 28-year-old is likely to remain in a strong-side platoon role with most of his playing time coming in the corner outfield. He's up to a .231/.318/.436 slash line through 88 plate appearances on the season.
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Rhys Hoskins 1B | CLE
Brewers' Rhys Hoskins: Pops homer in win
Hoskins went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Cardinals.
Hoskins' blast came in the seventh inning off reliever Andrew Kittredge, and it put the Brewers ahead for good. Over the last four games, Hoskins is 5-for-15 with three homers and eight RBI. The first baseman's surge has him up to nine long balls, 26 RBI, 17 runs scored, a stolen base and a .233/.338/.481 slash line through 36 contests overall.
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Yandy Diaz 1B | TB
Rays' Yandy Diaz: Three hits, homer in win
Diaz went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's win over the Yankees.
Diaz jumped on Nestor Cortes' first pitch of the bottom of the first inning, sending it over the left-field wall for his second long ball of the season. He didn't stop there, doubling twice (with one of them plating another run) and finishing with three runs scored. Diaz already has five multi-hit games this month, elevating his average from .220 to .250.