MLB Player News
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Curtis Mead 3B | WAS
Rays' Curtis Mead: Batting leadoff in opener
Mead is starting at first base and batting leadoff in Friday's opener versus the Rockies.
Mead was one of the best hitters in all of baseball during spring training, going a ridiculous 22-for-42 (.524) with one home run and a 6:6 K:BB. The Rays have rewarded him by slotting him at the top of their batting order in their opener against southpaw Kyle Freeland. Much of Mead's playing time is likely to come versus lefties, but he could hit his way into a bigger workload if he gets off to a hot start.
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Austin Riley 3B | ATL
Braves' Austin Riley: Goes deep on Opening Day
Riley went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Padres.
Hitting second in the Atlanta order, Riley took Alek Jacob deep in the fourth inning on a changeup that stayed up and over the heart of the plate. The 27-year-old third baseman dealt with injuries last season for the first time since his breakout 2021 campaign, but if Riley can stay healthy in 2025 he should be able to return to his usual 30-homer, 90-RBI ways.
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Gio Urshela 3B | MIN
Athletics' Gio Urshela: Hitless in A's debut
Urshela started at third base and went 0-for-3 in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Mariners.
Urshela looks set as the everyday starter at third base to begin the season. While he had just a .647 OPS over 128 regular-season games between Detroit and Atlanta last season, he still has a good glove at the hot corner. His Defensive Runs Saved ranked 18th at the position last season.
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Manny Machado 3B | SD
Padres' Manny Machado: Swipes two bags in opener
Machado went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, three runs scored and a pair of stolen bases in Thursday's 7-4 win over Atlanta.
Machado served as a catalyst in San Diego's Opening Day victory with some unexpected base-stealing ability. While the stolen bases are nice, they're not likely to be a major facet of Machado's game in his age-32 season. He swiped 11 bags in 2024 while posting a .275/.325/.472 slash line with 29 home runs and 105 RBI.
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Eugenio Suarez 3B | CIN
Diamondbacks' Eugenio Suarez: Slugs homer in loss
Suarez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Thursday's 10-6 loss to the Cubs.
Suarez got all of a Justin Steele changeup in the bottom of the second inning to pull the Diamondbacks within a run. He was later hit by a pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly. The third baseman is looking to avoid a season-starting slump like the one that nearly cost Suarez his starting job last year, although he wound up putting together his best numbers since 2019 once he got going.
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Miguel Vargas 2B | CHW
White Sox's Miguel Vargas: Strong start from leadoff spot
Vargas went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored Thursday against the Angels.
Vargas was slotted into the leadoff spot and had a successful audition to keep the role. He tallied a two-run double in the second inning and then singled before coming around to score six frames later. Vargas has yet to find much traction at the big-league level, though the White Sox should afford him plenty of playing time to prove himself at in 2025.
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Ke'Bryan Hayes 3B | CIN
Pirates' Ke'Bryan Hayes: Swipes two bags
Hayes went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases Thursday against the Marlins.
Hayes helped create some offense for Pittsburgh in the fifth inning, reaching base on a single with two outs. He proceeded to steal both second and third base, the latter of which was on a double steal. Hayes has been a fantasy disappointment for much of his career, though he has the potential for stolen base upside at an atypical position.
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Nolan Arenado 3B | ARI
Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Shows off power
Arenado went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Thursday against the Twins.
Arenado delivered an insurance home run in the ninth inning to help the Cardinals to an Opening Day win. He turned on a 97-mph fastball, which is encouraging, though his struggles in 2024 came primarily against off-speed and breaking pitches.