MLB Player News
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Connor Wong C | BOS
Red Sox's Connor Wong: Homer, three runs scored in win
Wong went 2-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and two additional runs scored in Thursday's 7-0 win over the Athletics.
Wong walked and scored in the first inning, belted a solo home run in the third, then singled and scored on Masataka Yoshida's home run in the sixth. Wong's home run was his eighth in 68 games, one shy of the career-high nine he hit in 2023 over 126 games. The catcher is having a career year; his .826 OPS in 2024 is 156 points higher than what it was over his first three MLB seasons.
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Austin Wells C | NYY
Yankees' Austin Wells: Slugs homer in loss
Wells went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Rays.
Wells put New York on the board with a solo shot to right field in the second inning. It was the backstop's fifth long ball of the campaign, three of which have come over his past 10 contests. Wells is batting .286 (8-for-28) with six RBI over that stretch and has moved back into the primary catcher role for the Yankees, starting five of the team's past seven contests behind the plate.
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Bo Naylor C | CLE
Guardians' Bo Naylor: Pops homer Thursday
Naylor went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's 10-1 loss to the Tigers.
Naylor produced the Guardians' lone run when he took Jack Flaherty deep in the third inning. This was Naylor's second homer in his last five games, though his playing time has taken a hit lately as he's started just three of those contests. The catcher is up to six homers with 24 RBI, 26 runs scored, two stolen bases, nine doubles, one triple and a .207/.276/.350 slash line over 225 plate appearances this season. Naylor is likely to continue sharing the catching duties with Austin Hedges, as David Fry has gotten more looks elsewhere in recent weeks.
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Danny Jansen C | TEX
Blue Jays' Danny Jansen: Snaps out of slump
Jansen went 2-for-4 with a solo home run during Thursday's 5-3 win over the Giants.
Jansen entered Thursday's contest 9-for-74 (.122) over his last 25 games but broke the dry spell with a pair of hits, including a solo homer off Jordan Hicks. The long ball was Jansen's first in 34 games after lifting five home runs in 22 games to open the season. Overall, the catcher owns a .715 OPS in 207 plate appearances.
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Carson Kelly C | CHC
Tigers' Carson Kelly: Homers, reaches base three times
Kelly went 1-for-3 with two walks, a solo home run and an additional run scored Thursday against the Guardians.
Kelly, starting for just the second time in five days as he continues to work in a timeshare with Jake Rogers, extended his modest hitting streak to six games while reaching base three times and homering for the third time during that stretch. It was the seventh home run of the season for Kelly, who has also added 28 RBI while producing a useful slash line of .247/.326/.418 through 178 plate appearances.
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Ben Rortvedt C | NYM
Rays' Ben Rortvedt: Sitting against lefty
Rortvedt isn't in the Rays' lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Left-hander Nestor Cortes will toe the slab Thursday for the Yankees, meaning the left-handed bat of Rortvedt will stay put in the Rays' dugout. Alex Jackson will take over behind the dish and bat ninth.
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Jake Rogers C | DET
Tigers' Jake Rogers: Resting Thursday
Rogers is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Guardians, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Rogers had started behind the plate in three of the Tigers' last four contests, but he'll take a seat Thursday while the two clubs wrap up their series with a day game after a night game. Carson Kelly will draw the start at catcher.
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Martin Maldonado C | SD
White Sox's Martin Maldonado: Unlikely source of power
Maldonado went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Twins.
Maldonado entered July with only one home run for the season, but he's now slugged three long balls in his last four games. He'll remain the clear backup to Korey Lee on the depth chart and has typically been drawing a start every three games.
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Jonah Heim C | ATL
Rangers' Jonah Heim: Returns with two hits
Heim went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Wednesday's 7-2 loss to the Angels.
Heim, who was scratched from Tuesday's game with neck stiffness, returned to the starting lineup Wednesday. The catcher's bat is hot right now; he's hit safely in four of the last five games, including three multi-hit efforts, going 9-for-21 (.429) with a home run and two RBI.
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Yainer Diaz C | HOU
Astros' Yainer Diaz: Drives in three
Diaz went 3-for-4 with three RBI in Wednesday's 9-1 win over the Marlins.
Diaz opened and closed the scoring Wednesday, delivering an RBI single in the first inning and a two-run single in the sixth. This was his seventh three-hit game over his last 15 contests, a span in which he's batting .406 (26-for-64). The catcher is up to a .286/.312/.415 slash line with seven home runs, 48 RBI, 38 runs scored, 15 doubles, two triples and one stolen base over 81 games this season. Diaz isn't a high-end defensive catcher, but his place in the lineup is secure when he's swinging the bat as well as he has lately.