MLB Player News
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Salvador Perez C | KC
Royals' Salvador Perez: Homers in Saturday's loss
Perez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Yankees.
Perez has gone 8-for-24 (.333) with two homers and seven RBI over six games since returning from the 7-day concussion injured list. His numbers through 139 games this season have largely been in line with what he did in 114 contests in 2022. Perez is slashing .256/.294/.424 with 23 homers, 79 RBI, 59 runs scored and 21 doubles entering the final game of 2023.
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Jonah Heim C | ATL
Rangers' Jonah Heim: Knocks in three
Heim went 1-for-4 with a walk and three RBI in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Mariners.
Heim had a two-run single in the third inning then walked with the bases loaded in the fourth, helping the Rangers to clinch a playoff berth. Texas can clinch the division title with a win in Sunday's season finale, which means an important piece like Heim could start one more game. The catcher's rate statistics fell off following an August wrist injury, but Heim has remained productive as a run producer, delivering 25 runs over 40 games since returning from the injury. For the season, Heim has a .375 batting average, .705 slugging percentage and a 1.117 OPS with runners in scoring position.
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Logan O'Hoppe C | LAA
Angels' Logan O'Hoppe: Knocks 14th homer
O'Hoppe went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Athletics.
O'Hoppe had one of just three hits for the Angels in the game, giving them a short-lived 3-1 lead in the seventh inning. The catcher is up to 14 homers this season, four of which have come over his last 10 games as he finishes the year in good form. He's slashing .238/.284/.503 with 29 RBI, 22 runs scored, six doubles and no stolen bases over 50 contests this season.
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Shea Langeliers C | ATH
Athletics' Shea Langeliers: Lifts three-run homer
Langeliers went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Angels.
Langeliers' power has surged in September -- he hit six of his 22 homers this season during the month despite batting a meager .194 average (14-for-72) over his last 23 games. The catcher's blast put the Athletics ahead for good Saturday. Langeliers is at a .205/.268/.413 slash line with 63 RBI, 52 runs scored, 19 doubles, four triples and three stolen bases through 135 contests in his first full major-league season.
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Austin Wells C | NYY
Yankees' Austin Wells: Heads to bench
Wells will sit Saturday against the Royals, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
Wells has three homers and eight RBI across his last four games, but his slash line through his first 18 big-league contests still sits at an unimpressive .197/.229/.439. Kyle Higashioka will crouch behind the plate Saturday.
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Connor Wong C | BOS
Red Sox's Connor Wong: Heads to bench
Wong will be on the bench Saturday against Baltimore, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Wong hits the bench after starting three games in a row behind the plate. Near the end of his first season as a big-league regular, the 27-year-old owns a .237/.290/.390 slash line. Reese McGuire will get the nod behind the plate.
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Adley Rutschman C | BAL
Orioles' Adley Rutschman: Returns to lineup
Rutschman (illness) is starting at catcher and batting second Saturday against Boston.
Rutschman was scratched from the lineup ahead of Friday's game due to illness, but the issue seems to have subsided ahead of Saturday's contest. The 25-year-old backstop has gone 7-for-17 with a homer and four RBI over his last five games and will attempt to remain hot as the Orioles prepare for a postseason run.
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Alejandro Kirk C | TOR
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Second straight two-hit performance
Kirk went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and two additional RBI in Friday's 11-4 win over the Rays.
Kirk got the scoring started in the bottom of the second inning with his eighth long ball of the season and added a single an inning later to give him his second two-hit game in as many contests. With Danny Jansen (finger) landing on the injured list Sept. 2 and still without a clear timeline for a return, Kirk has been locked in as the Blue Jays' No. 1 catcher for most of the month. He's posted a .732 OPS to go with 10 RBI and eight runs over 26 games in September.
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Bo Naylor C | CLE
Guardians' Bo Naylor: On bench Saturday
Naylor is not in the lineup Saturday against the Tigers.
Naylor will be on the bench for the fourth time in six games. He went 3-for-7 in the two games he appeared in during that stretch. If the catcher does not play Saturday, the 23-year-old will finish September with an 1.144 OPS and four home runs. Cam Gallagher will start behind the plate and bat ninth.
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Jake Rogers C | DET
Tigers' Jake Rogers: On bench Saturday
Rogers is not in the lineup Saturday against the Guardians.
Rogers will sit in the penultimate game of the season after going 2-for-4 against the Guardians on Friday. Barring an appearance off the bench, he will finish with a slash line of .297/.531/.849 and five home runs in September. Carson Kelly will start behind the plate and bat ninth.