MLB Player News
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Freddie Freeman 1B | LAD
Dodgers' Freddie Freeman: Will face live pitching this week
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said Wednesday that Freeman (ankle) is expected to face live pitching at some point during the team's workouts this week, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Freeman missed the final three games of the regular season with a right ankle injury, but he is fully expected to be ready for Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday. The Dodgers have not had Max Muncy work out at first base this week, further suggesting they don't anticipate Freeman's readiness being in question.
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Jonathan Singleton 1B | HOU
Astros' Jon Singleton: Absent from Game 2 lineup
Singleton is not in the lineup Wednesday for Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series versus the Tigers, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Lefty Tyler Holton is opening for the Tigers, with righty Reese Olson seen as likely to cover multiple innings in relief. Singleton could enter mid-game when a righty is in there, but the Astros will go with the switch-hitting Victor Caratini again at first base to begin the contest.
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Ryan O'Hearn 1B | BAL
Orioles' Ryan O'Hearn: Sitting vs. lefty in Game 1
O'Hearn is out of the lineup for Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series against the Royals on Tuesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
The 31-year-old finished the regular season on a tear -- he hit .382 with three doubles and two homers over the final 11 games -- but he'll begin the playoffs on the bench with southpaw Cole Ragans taking the mound for Kansas City. O'Hearn is a strong candidate to appear as a pinch hitter and should be back in the lineup for Game 2 against Royals righty Seth Lugo.
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Vinnie Pasquantino 1B | KC
Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino: Included on wild-card roster
The Royals activated Pasquantino (thumb) from the 10-day injured list Tuesday.
Pasquantino was supposed to be sidelined for 6-to-8 weeks when he required surgery to repair a fractured right thumb in early September, but he's beat that timetable by a wide margin and will be part of the Royals' wild-card series roster. The expectation is that Pasquantino will be used at designated hitter, at least initially, which would free up at-bats at first base for Yuli Gurriel and/or Salvador Perez.
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Vinnie Pasquantino 1B | KC
Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino: Testing out thumb again Monday
Royals manager Matt Quatraro said that Pasquantino (thumb) will hit in the cage Monday and the team will see how he feels Tuesday before determining whether he'll be included on the wild-card roster, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Quatraro also noted that, if Pasquantino does make the roster, he would be used only as a designated hitter. Pasquantino has made a rapid recovery after having surgery in early September to repair a fractured right thumb. It seems as though he will play in the ALDS against the Orioles as long as he doesn't suffer a setback between now and when rosters are set.
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Tyler Nevin 3B | OAK
Athletics' Tyler Nevin: Drives in two Sunday
Nevin went 1-for-3 with a two-run double in a loss to the Mariners on Sunday.
Drawing his second consecutive start, Nevin finally put the Athletics' first two runs of the day on the board with his seventh-inning two-bagger, which plated Seth Brown and Tyler Soderstrom. The veteran finished the season with hits in three straight games, but after a hot start that saw him hit .313 over his first 26 contests, Nevin produced an anemic .148/.247/.253 slash line across 186 plate appearances (62 games) the rest of the way at the big-league level.
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Nate Lowe 1B | TEX
Rangers' Nathaniel Lowe: Homers in win
Lowe went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, a double, two runs scored and a walk in Sunday's win over the Angels.
Lowe doubled and scored the game's first run in the fourth inning before ripping a two-run shot in the eighth. It was his second straight game with a double and a home run after producing just one extra-base hit in his previous 13 contests. Lowe wrapped up the 2024 season with a .265/.361/.401 slash line and 33 extra-base hits through 565 plate appearances.
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Michael Busch 3B | CHC
Cubs' Michael Busch: Walks four times
Busch went 0-for-1 with four walks during Sunday's 3-0 loss to the Reds in 10 innings.
Busch didn't generate a hit in the final series of the regular season. going 0-for-7 across the three-game set against Cincinnati. However, he did walk four times in Sunday's regular-season finale. It was just his sixth game with multiple walks this season and the performance set a career high in the category. The 26-year-old finishes 2024 with a .248/.335/.440 slash line, 21 home runs, 65 RBI and 73 runs scored.
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Anthony Rizzo 1B | NYY
Yankees' Anthony Rizzo: Unlikely to play in ALDS
Rizzon (fractured finger) is not expected to be available for the ALDS, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
Rizzo is viewed as a "long shot" to be available for the Yankees' first series of the postseason according to manager Aaron Boone. The first baseman suffered a fractured finger in Saturday's 9-4 loss to Pittsburgh and if he's unavailable, Ben Rice will likely remain with the team to open the postseason.