MLB Player News
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Bo Naylor C | CLE
Guardians' Bo Naylor: Out versus left-hander
Naylor is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers.
Southpaw Tarik Skubal will be the Tigers' starting pitching, so the left-handed-hitting Naylor will begin the contest on the bench. Austin Hedges will draw the start at catcher.
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Carson Kelly C | TEX
Tigers' Carson Kelly: Taking seat Monday
Kelly is absent from the lineup for Monday's contest in Cleveland.
Kelly had started four of the last five games but will begin the series opener against the Guardians on the bench. Jake Rogers will handle catching duties for Detroit with Tarik Skubal on the mound.
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Nick Fortes C | MIA
Marlins' Nick Fortes: Heading to bench Monday
Fortes is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.
Fortes will get a chance to clear his head after committing three errors in Sunday's win over New York. Ali Sanchez will spell Fortes at catcher, forming a battery with starting pitcher Yonny Chirinos.
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Pedro Pages C | STL
Cardinals' Pedro Pages: Getting start in series opener
Pages will start at catcher and bat ninth in Monday's game against the Pirates.
Even though his playing time has been sporadic in recent weeks following Willson Contreras' return from the injured list, Pages has continued to hold his own at the plate when included in the lineup. He'll take a nine-game hitting streak into the series opener in Pittsburgh, though only two of the 11 hits he's recorded during that stretch have gone for extra bases.
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Willson Contreras C | STL
Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Smacks homer in Sunday's win
Contreras went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 6-2 win over Atlanta.
Contreras also struck out three times, his first game with multiple strikeouts since July 10. The catcher is hitting .317 (19-for-60) with five homers and 13 RBI over 16 contests this month. For the season, he's up to 11 long balls, 26 RBI, 33 runs scored, 13 doubles, three stolen bases and a .279/.402/.521 slash line across 229 plate appearances. While his strikeout rate is 27.1 percent -- the second-highest mark of his career -- he's offset it with a personal-best 14.8 percent walk rate.
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Ben Rortvedt C | TB
Rays' Ben Rortvedt: Getting Monday off
Rortvedt is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Yankees.
With southpaw Carlos Rodon toeing the rubber for the Yankees, the lefty-hitting Rortvedt will head to the bench for the series finale. Alex Jackson will spell Rortvedt behind the plate.
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Eric Haase C | MIL
Brewers' Eric Haase: Goes deep twice
Haase went 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI Sunday against the Twins.
Haase picked up his sixth start with the Brewers since having his contract selected from Triple-A on June 26 and posted his first multi-homer game since 2022 when he was with the Tigers. In just 21 at-bats, Haase has a .429 average with three dingers and eight RBI. He does have a 20-homer season to his credit from back in 2021, so while it's unlikely that he'll maintain this pace, his offensive reemergence could afford the Brewers the opportunity to give William Contreras a little extra rest and help keep him fresh through the second half of the season.
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Will Smith C | LAD
Dodgers' Will Smith: Resting Sunday
Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Smith started the first two games coming out of the break and will receive Sunday off after he went 2-for-9 with a walk, an RBI and a run. Austin Barnes will do the catching for lefty James Paxton in the series finale.
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Elias Diaz C | SD
Rockies' Elias Diaz: Out Sunday, battling calf injury
Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants after leaving Saturday's 4-3 win in the third inning with right calf tightness, Dennis Georgatos of the Associated Press reports.
Since Diaz had started at catcher in the first two contests of the series, he might have been due to receive a breather for Sunday's finale anyway, and the injury made it an even easier decision for the Rockies to hold him out. Jacob Stallings came off the bench to replace Diaz on Saturday and will get the starting nod Sunday. Consider Diaz day-to-day heading into the Rockies' three-game series with the Red Sox that begins Monday.
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Curt Casali C | SF
Giants' Curt Casali: Retreating to bench
Casali is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies.
After going 0-for-2 with a strikeout while starting behind the plate in Saturday's 4-3 loss, Casali will return to his usual bench role in the series finale. Casali will likely be in store for just one or two starts per week while No. 1 backstop Patrick Bailey is healthy.