MLB Player News

Naylor is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Royals.

The lefty-hitting Naylor has now been on the bench for four of the Guardians' last five contests, though Cleveland opposed left-handed starters in three of those games. He still appears to be the Guardians' preferred backstop versus right-handed pitching, but even his hold on a strong-side platoon role could be tenuous. Since getting a call-up from Triple-A Columbus on June 17, Naylor is hitting .191 with two home runs and a 29.7 percent strikeout rate over 74 plate appearances.

Rutschman is not in the starting lineup Monday against the Phillies.

Rutschman will get a breather after he went 2-for-14 with a double, two RBI and a run scored while starting all four games of the Orioles' series with the Rays. James McCann will draw the start behind the plate and bat eighth in the series opener with Philadelphia.

Fermin went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run in Sunday's loss to the Yankees.

It's the third straight multi-hit game for Fermin, who's gone 7-for-11 (.636) with three extra-base hits in that span. The 28-year-old backstop certainly impressed while filling in for Salvador Perez behind the plate -- he's now slashing .293/.339/.491 with five home runs, 21 RBI and 14 runs scored through 125 plate appearances this season. If the Royals elect to move Perez at the trade deadline, Fermin could be a player to keep an eye on.

Perez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 8-5 loss against the Yankees.

Perez got the Royals on the board with a solo homer off Luis Severino in the fourth inning, his 16th long ball of the year and first since June 23. The home run snapped an 0-for-16 skid for the 33-year-old Perez. He's now slashing .246/.288/.431 with 41 RBI and 39 runs scored through 365 plate appearances this season.

Wong went 3-for-4 with a stolen base and run scored in Sunday's 6-1 win over the Mets.

Wong stole his second base in the last three games, and the catcher is up to four steals on the season. In the minors, Wong showed some base-stealing ability, posting 11 in 2019, seven in 2021 and seven more in 2022.

Heim moved up a spot in the order and went 1-for-3 with a walk, two RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 8-4 win over the Dodgers.

Heim, who normally bats sixth, was moved to the five-hole as part of the adjustment to cover for the unavailable Adolis Garcia (hand). The catcher has knocked in 10 runs over eight games since the All-Star break, going 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Heim is second on the Rangers with 69 RBI and leads all catchers in the category.

Fry went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in Sunday's loss to Philadelphia.

Fry came through in crunch time for the Guardians, swatting a game-tying solo homer in the bottom of the ninth off closer Craig Kimbrel. The long ball was his third of the campaign, but his second in his last six appearances. Fry also notched his second consecutive multi-hit outing and is batting 5-for-11 (.454) with three RBI and two runs scored over his last three games.

Jeffers went 3-for-5 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's win over the White Sox.

Jeffers notched his third three-hit effort of the season. His final hit of the day was the biggest as he delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the 12th to win it for the Twins. Jeffers is now slashing .272/.379/.437 with 14 extra-base hits, 15 RBI, 24 runs and a 19:52 BB:K in 181 plate appearances. He has a .816 OPS compared a .578 for Christian Vazquez; however, it hasn't translated to more playing time as Jeffers still makes a bit less than half the starts behind the plate.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Athletics.

It was a needed two-hit effort for Diaz, who had sat out two straight games and is starting to lose playing time to Jake Meyers at designated hitter. The reduced playing time seems a bit undeserved -- Diaz is 13-for-53 (.245) with four multi-hit efforts, four homers and seven RBI through 15 contests in July. He's maintained a solid .266/.286/.492 slash line with 11 homers, 24 RBI, 24 runs scored and 12 doubles through 210 plate appearances overall. Diaz's path to a starting role will likely get tougher with Yordan Alvarez (oblique) likely to return Monday, which could make the DH spot even more competitive going forward. Chas McCormick, Corey Julks and Meyers may also be impacted by Alvarez's return.

Jansen exited Sunday's game against Seattle due to a left forearm contusion.

Jansen went 0-for-1 with a strikeout to begin Sunday's matchup but was replaced by a pinch hitter in the top of the seventh inning. He underwent X-rays that came back negative for a fracture, so he should be considered day-to-day for now.