MLB Player News
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Willson Contreras C | BOS
Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Pops homer Friday
Contreras went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 4-2 win over the Mets.
The Cardinals mustered just five hits, but Contreras and Alec Burleson provided a pair of homers to make it work. Contreras continues to play through a lingering hand injury, and while it's limited his ability to catch, he's been fine at the plate. Since the injury occurred April 3, he's gone 17-for-52 (.327) with two homers, six doubles and five RBI. For the season, he's slashing .296/.425/.563 with four homers, nine RBI, 12 runs scored, seven doubles and a stolen base over 21 contests. Contreras will continue to split time between catcher and designated hitter.
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Tomas Nido C | DET
Mets' Tomas Nido: Belts first homer
Nido went 2-for-3 with a double and a solo home run in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Cardinals.
The 30-year-old backstop took Miles Mikolas deep in the fifth inning to get the Mets on the board and give Nido his first homer in the majors since Sept. 2022. He had a hot start to the season at Triple-A and hasn't slowed down in the majors yet, going 3-for-9 while starting three of the last five games. With Omar Narvaez struggling both at the plate and in controlling the running game, the door is open for Nido to take on a significant role while Francisco Alvarez (thumb) is on the shelf.
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Patrick Bailey C | SF
Giants' Patrick Bailey: Launches walk-off homer
Bailey went 1-for-4 with a walk-off, three run home run in Friday's 3-0 win against the Pirates.
The Giants mustered just four singles through eight innings Friday, but Bailey broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the ninth with a 378-foot shot over the wall in right field. The 24-year-old backstop hit just seven homers in 97 games as a rookie last season, but he's well on his way to eclipsing that in 2024 with three long balls through 20 contests. Bailey has been a key offensive piece for San Francisco early in the season with a .297/.365/.516 slash line, five doubles and 10 RBI in addition to the homers.
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Will Smith C | LAD
Dodgers' Will Smith: Homer, four hits in win
Smith went 4-for-5 with a home run, a double and three total RBI in Friday's 12-2 victory over the Blue Jays.
Smith slugged a solo home run off Trevor Richards in the fourth inning, his second long ball of the year. It's Smith's second straight four-hit game (he's gone 8-for-11 with three extra-base hits in that span) and already his fourth this season. The 29-year-old backstop is off to an excellent start, slashing a robust .376/.413/.527 with 21 RBI and 14 runs scored through his first 104 plate appearances.
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Riley Adams C | WAS
Nationals' Riley Adams: Could still see consistent work
Adams might still see regular playing time even with Keibert Ruiz back from the injured list, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports. "We're definitely going to use him," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Thursday. "One, let him catch. And two, we can also DH Keibert like we've done in the past and let him continue to catch. He's done a great job. He's learned a lot over the years. He's really coming into his own."
Adams started 11 of 13 games while Ruiz was sidelined by an illness, batting .270 (10-for-37) with a home run and four doubles while winning the trust of the pitching staff. He'll retain fantasy value in deeper two-catcher formats if he's seeing action three or four times per week.
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Joey Bart C | PIT
Pirates' Joey Bart: Blasts three-run shot
Bart went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer and two runs scored in Thursday's loss to the Brewers while also drawing a walk.
Bart put the Pirates ahead with a three-run shot in the bottom of the first inning, giving the catcher his third home run in just seven games this season. He also drew a two-out walk in the fifth before coming around to score the tying run on a Jack Suwinski double, marking Bart's first game this season with two runs scored. The backstop has hit safely in six of his seven games and continues to make a strong case for more playing time with Henry Davis scuffling at the plate and Yasmani Grandal (foot) still on the 10-day injured list.
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William Contreras C | MIL
Brewers' William Contreras: Goes yard, scores three times
Contreras went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, three runs scored and a stolen base while also drawing a walk in Thursday's win over the Pirates.
Contreras launched a solo homer off Mitch Keller in the top of the first inning to give Milwaukee an early lead and came around to score the team's third run on a Rhys Hoskins single in the third. He then added a single in the fifth frame before going on to steal his second base of the season. The catcher scored three runs in the contest, a mark he's hit three times already this season, while also recording multiple hits for the second consecutive game. Contreras is batting .373 (31-for-83) in April with five homers, 20 RBI and 21 runs scored.
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Riley Adams C | WAS
Nationals' Riley Adams: Set to lose work with Ruiz back
Adams is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Dodgers.
With Keibert Ruiz (illness) returning from the 10-day injured list Thursday and starting behind the plate in his first game back, Adams' time as the Nationals' No. 1 backstop appears to have ended. He had started 11 of the Nationals' 13 games while Ruiz was out, going 10-for-37 (.270 batting average) with five extra-base hits (one home run, four doubles), three runs and three RBI.