MLB Player News
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Yainer Diaz C | HOU
Astros' Yainer Diaz: Three RBI across weekend series
Diaz went 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI on Sunday against the Rockies.
The Astros scored 20 runs combined across their two-game series against Colorado, and Diaz drove in three of those runs. His damage Sunday came late in the contest, as he drove in a pair of runners with a double in the eighth inning. Diaz now has at least one hit in five of his last seven games, and he's collected four extra-base hits (no home runs) in that span.
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Adley Rutschman C | BAL
Orioles' Adley Rutschman: Homers in consecutive games
Rutschman went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Sunday's 7-6 loss to the Athletics.
Rutschman homered for the second game in a row, doubling his total for the year to four. The catcher also struck out three times Sunday and is now striking out at a 16.0 percent rate. He's added 17 RBI, 17 runs scored and a .318/.361/.455 slash line through 119 plate appearances. Rutschman has maintained more playing time than the average catcher this year, as manager Brandon Hyde has often put him at designated hitter when he's not behind the dish.
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Alejandro Kirk C | TOR
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Snaps out of slump
Kirk went 3-for-3 with a solo home run during Sunday's 3-1 win over the Dodgers.
Kirk notched his first homer of the campaign, tagging Dodgers opener Michael Grove for a long ball in the second frame. The outburst was much needed for the slumping Kirk, who entered the contest 5-for-35 (.143) in his last 12 appearances and hitless during his last four games.
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Ryan Jeffers C | MIN
Twins' Ryan Jeffers: Knocks three hits
Jeffers went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI in Sunday's win over the Angels.
Jeffers knocked a double in the fourth inning followed by an RBI single in the fifth. He capped off his day with an RBI sacrifice fly in the eighth. He's collected multiple hits in three of his last five games, and Sunday was his second three-hit performance of the year. Jeffers boosted his slash line to .305/.392/.561 with 11 extra-base hits and 17 RBI through 97 plate appearances.
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Kyle McCann C | COL
Athletics' Kyle McCann: Blasts game-winning dinger
McCann went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run during Sunday's 7-6 win over the Orioles.
McCann's second career dinger came off Baltimore closer Craig Kimbrel in the ninth and served as the game-winner. The backup catcher has not seen many opportunities this season, accumulating only 16 at-bats thus far, but has collected two hits and a homer in two of his last three starts.
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Jake Rogers C | DET
Tigers' Jake Rogers: Blasts second homer
Rogers went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored during Sunday's 4-1 victory over the Royals.
Rogers' sixth-inning two-out blast spelled the end of the day for Kansas City starter Michael Wacha and provided the winning margin for the Tigers. It was just the second multi-hit game for Rogers, who raised his season average to .164 with two homers and three RBI.
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Twins' Christian Vazquez: Three hits in win
Vazquez went 3-for-4 with one run scored and one steal in Sunday's win over the Angels.
After hitting just .121 (4-for-33) with a home run through his first 11 games, he's hitting .474 (9-for-19) over his last five games. He continues to split playing time behind the plate with Ryan Jeffers, with Jeffers frequently getting starts at DH when Vazquez is behind the dish.
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Cal Raleigh C | SEA
Mariners' Cal Raleigh: Receives breather Sunday
Raleigh is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Raleigh started the past three days after missing one contest due to dental procedure, and he'll sit Sunday with it being a day game after a night game. Seby Zavala is starting behind the plate to catch for righty Logan Gilbert.
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Korey Lee C | CHW
White Sox's Korey Lee: Back in action Sunday
Lee will start at catcher and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Rays.
Lee was on the bench for both of the White Sox's previous two games while Martin Maldonado handled the catching duties. After Maldonado ended his stretch of wretched production at the plate by blasting a three-run home run and adding a single in Friday's 9-4 win, he was rewarded with another start in Saturday's 8-7 extra-inning win but went 0-for-2 with a walk. Maldonado is now holding down a lowly .304 OPS on the season -- well below Lee's .774 OPS in 47 plate appearances -- so expect the non-contending White Sox to lean on the younger and better-performing Lee as their preferred option behind the dish.
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Ben Rortvedt C | NYM
Rays' Ben Rortvedt: Resting for day game
Rortvedt is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The lefty-hitting Rortvedt looks to have secured the large side of a platoon at catcher with the righty-hitting Rene Pinto, but Rortvedt will give way to Pinto against White Sox right-hander Erick Fedde as Tampa Bay wraps up its series in Chicago. Rortvedt's absence from the lineup is likely just for maintenance purposes in the day game, as he caught all 10 innings of Saturday's 8-7 loss while going 3-for-3 with two walks, one stolen base and two runs.