MLB Player News
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Triston Casas 1B | BOS
Red Sox's Triston Casas: May begin rehab assignment soon
Casas (rib) could be cleared to start hitting in the batting cage within the next week and may be ready to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment before the end of the month, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
After landing on the injured list April 21 with a strain and torn cartilage in his left rib, Casas had previously expressed optimism that he would be ready to return to the Boston lineup at the start of July. That prediction ultimately proved to be too ambitious, as Casas wasn't even cleared to resume swinging a bat until the final week of June. Casas hasn't seemed to experience any setbacks since he started taking swings again, but facing off against high-velocity pitching in the batting cage or in live batting practice will provide a better test of the first baseman's health. Given that Casas will eventually need at least a few rehab games to get his timing back at the plate, he might not be a realistic option to return from the IL until early August, at least.
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Luis Arraez 1B | SD
Padres' Luis Arraez: Out of All-Star Game with thumb injury
Arraez will attend All-Star festivities in Texas but won't play for the National League in Tuesday's game due to a jammed left thumb, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Arraez first hurt the thumb while sliding into third base June 25. He has played in all but two of San Diego's games since then, most recently sitting out Sunday's 6-3 loss to Atlanta. While Arraez has mostly been able to remain in the lineup despite the injury, he admitted that the thumb hurts "a lot" when he swings and catches the ball. The issue probably won't be anything that causes him to miss much, if any, additional time in games that count, but he'll use the All-Star break to rest the jammed thumb rather than risking further injury in the exhibition contest.
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Ben Rice 1B | NYY
Yankees' Ben Rice: Clubs clutch homer Sunday
Rice went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in a loss to the Orioles on Sunday.
Rice was hitless through four at-bats but came through when it mattered most, swatting a three-run homer in the ninth inning off Baltimore closer Craig Kimbrel to give New York a 5-3 lead. That result didn't hold, as the Orioles plated three runs in the bottom of the frame to pull out the victory, but Rice's heroics still stand out. While the rookie is batting just .228 on the campaign, he's shown a flair for the big moment, batting .280 with runners in scoring position and already adding a three-homer game to his big-league resume.
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Vladimir Guerrero 1B | TOR
Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero: Homers as part of three hit day
Guerrero went 3-for-5 with a solo homer, a double and two runs scored in Sunday's 8-7 win over the Diamondbacks.
After surrendering a 7-0 lead in the fifth, Guerrero swung the momentum back in the Blue Jays direction with a monstrous solo home run to center field in the seventh to put his team back up 8-7 and the score would hold there. The home run was his first this month and his eighth three-hit performance of the year. After a blistering end to June, Guerrero has cooled off a bit in July and is slashing .229/.250/.354 with his one homer, eight RBI and seven runs scored in 50 plate appearances. He'll head into the break slashing .288/.359/.456 and leads the Blue Jays in home runs (14), RBI (55) and runs scored (47) among other batting categories.
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Pete Alonso 1B | NYM
Mets' Pete Alonso: Clubs 19th homer
Alonso went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Sunday's loss to the Rockies.
He got the Mets on the board in the fourth inning by crushing a German Marquez two-seamer deep to left field. Alonso snapped an 11-game homer drought with the blast, and he heads into the All-Star break -- and an appearance in the Home Run Derby -- slashing .240/.319/.454 with 19 homers and 51 RBI in 95 contests.
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Ryan Mountcastle 1B | BAL
Orioles' Ryan Mountcastle: Notches third steal
Mountcastle went 1-for-5 with a stolen base in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Yankees.
Mountcastle's steal was his third of the year, putting him one shy of matching his career high. The first baseman's speed isn't notable, but he's been steady at the plate, going 10-for-40 (.250) over 10 contests in July. Overall, he's slashing .271/.311.,447 with 12 home runs, 43 RBI, 44 runs scored, 22 doubles and a triple through 88 games this season.
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Dominic Smith 1B | CIN
Red Sox's Dominic Smith: Homers, drives in three
Smith went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk and three RBI Sunday against the Royals.
Smith's second-inning two-run blast off Brady Singer gave the Red Sox an early three-run lead. He then provided insurance with an RBI single in the seventh that turned out to provide the game-winning run. It was the third multi-hit game in a week for Smith, who has added five RBI over the past two games. However, his days as the regular starter at first base appear to be numbered as Triston Casas (ribs) is beginning to prepare for a rehab assignment and is hoping to return to the Red Sox lineup by the end of the month.
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Michael Toglia 1B | COL
Rockies' Michael Toglia: Goes yard thrice
Toglia went 3-for-4 with three solo home runs during Sunday's 8-5 win over the Mets.
Toglia notched his first career multi-homer game Sunday, launching a solo homer in the fifth, sixth and eighth innings. The 25-year-old is batting .197 with 16 home runs across 50 games this season, but he's been significantly better since becoming a near-everyday player for Colorado at the start of June. In 36 games since then, he's batting .230 with 26 RBI, 20 runs and 12 homers.
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Juan Yepez 1B | WAS
Nationals' Juan Yepez: Stays warm Sunday
Yepez went 2-for-3 with a walk, one stolen base, one RBI and one run scored in Sunday's 9-3 loss to the Brewers.
Yepez has hit safely in all 10 of his major-league games this season, and this was his third straight multi-hit effort. He's also shown modest power with six doubles, though he's yet to hit a home run. The 26-year-old has added three RBI and six runs scored over 43 plate appearances, and his steal Sunday was the first of his major-league career. Until Joey Gallo (hamstring) returns from the IL, Yepez is likely to maintain a firm grip on a starting job at first base.
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Anthony Rizzo 1B | NYY
Yankees' Anthony Rizzo: Limited to weight-room activities
Rizzo continues to be restricted in his recovery from a fracture of his right forearm, as he's currently limited to activities in the weight room, MLB.com reports.
Rizzo said he'd be unable to resume baseball activities for 4-to-5 weeks following his placement on the injured list June 18, so it's not a surprise that he hasn't yet begun to ramp up. The veteran slugger said Friday that he's "feeling good" and that the forearm has "progressed a lot" while acknowledging that he still has "some pain." While Rizzo has been out of action, rookie Ben Rice has stepped up to assume an everyday role at first base.