MLB Player News
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Matt Beaty 1B | KC
Royals' Matt Beaty: Garners fourth straight start
Beaty will start at first base and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Mariners.
The lefty-hitting Beaty may continue to sit regularly versus left-handed pitching, but the Royals appear to be giving him a look in an everyday role at first base or designated hitter against righties. He'll start for the fourth game in a row after going 3-for-8 with a walk and two runs over the previous three contests.
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Yandy Diaz 1B | TB
Rays' Yandy Diaz: Remains on bench Sunday
Diaz (forearm) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.
According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Diaz's left forearm is still feeling sore after being hit by a pitch in Friday's 6-2 loss, but he'll avoid a trip to the injured list after a CT scan cleared him of any major damage. Though Diaz is out of the lineup for the second straight game, he's expected to be available off the bench Sunday and should settle back into the starting nine when the Rays open their two-game set in Miami on Tuesday.
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Jose Abreu 1B | HOU
Astros' Jose Abreu: Gets day off
Abreu is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers.
Abreu will get a breather for the day game after he started in three of the Astros' first four games following his activation from the 10-day injured list Wednesday. Jon Singleton will get the starting nod at first base Sunday, but Abreu should serve as the primary option at the position now that he's ostensibly healthy again.
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Gabriel Arias SS | CLE
Guardians' Gabriel Arias: Gets Sunday off
Arias is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.
Arias will get a much-needed breather after he started in each of Cleveland's last 13 games, seeing action at all the infield spots except second base during that stretch. Tyler Freeman will get the nod at shortstop Sunday, but Arias is expected to operate as the primary option at the position in the wake of Brayan Rocchio's recent demotion to Triple-A Columbus.
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Wilmer Flores 1B | SF
Giants' Wilmer Flores: Matches career high in homers
Flores went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 7-3 loss to Atlanta.
Flores has been consistent and powerful lately, batting .289 with four homers and nine RBI over his last 10 games. He's matched his career high with 19 homers this season, and the infielder is a good bet to best that mark with over a month left in the campaign. He's slashing .299/.359/.543 with 48 RBI, 44 runs scored and 19 doubles through 97 contests, making his achievements slightly more impressive since he hasn't always had a clear path to playing time this year. Flores has primarily settled in at designated hitter over recent weeks.
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Elehuris Montero 1B | COL
Rockies' Elehuris Montero: On bench again Sunday
Montero is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.
Despite producing a 1.024 OPS over his last nine games, Montero finds himself on the bench for the second game in a row. The Rockies will give Triple-A Albuquerque call-up Hunter Goodman the starting nod at first base in his MLB debut Sunday, but the team could find room for both Goodman and Montero in the lineup by deploying the other at designated hitter. Goodman also has the ability to play the corner outfield and could end up poaching work from Michael Toglia.
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Pete Alonso 1B | BAL
Mets' Pete Alonso: Batting cleanup Sunday
Alonso (head) will start at first base and bat cleanup Sunday versus the Angels.
Alonso took a pitch to the head/neck area in Saturday's loss, but he cleared the concussion protocol and was given the green light to rejoin the lineup a day later. The 28-year-old slugger has registered an .846 OPS with 39 home runs and 95 RBI through 122 games this year for New York.
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Anthony Rizzo 1B | NYY
Yankees' Anthony Rizzo: Faces live pitching
Rizzo (concussion) took live at-bats at the Yankees' spring training complex in Florida on Saturday, MLB.com reports.
Rizzo stepped in against live pitching for the first time since he went on the injured list Aug. 3 with post-concussion syndrome. The veteran first baseman had recently advanced to hitting drills, and he appears to be working toward a return to the Yankees before the end of the campaign. Manager Aaron Boone indicated that Rizzo came away from Saturday's session well and has said that the slugger's status is "week-to-week."
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Nolan Schanuel 1B | LAA
Angels' Nolan Schanuel: Remains out Sunday
Schanuel (illness) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Schanuel missed Saturday's 5-3 win while recovering from an apparent case of food poisoning, but it's unclear if the rookie's absence Sunday is due to the illness or because the Mets are bringing a southpaw (David Peterson) to the hill. Regardless, Brandon Drury will shift over from the keystone and pick up a start at first base while Schanuel sits.