MLB Player News
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Blue Jays' Brandon Belt: Blasts three-run homer
Belt went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Thursday's 6-0 win over the Yankees.
After missing two weeks with a back injury, it only took Belt three games to launch a home run, this time plating Daulton Varsho and George Springer on a three-run shot off Zach McAllister in the sixth inning. Through 100 games, Belt is slashing .252/.371/.477 with 17 home runs and an ugly 34.8 percent strikeout rate.
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Miguel Cabrera DH | DET
Tigers' Miguel Cabrera: Goes deep Wednesday
Cabrera went 2-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run, two runs scored and two total RBI in Wednesday's suspended contest against the Royals, which resumed Thursday.
With Cabrera wrapping up his incredible career this weekend, the veteran showed a flash of his vintage form to reach 511 career home runs, which moves him into a tie with Mel Ott for 25th all time. He hasn't looked like a feared slugger often this season, though, as he only has four long balls and a .661 OPS. Cabrera has nine total home runs the last two years after reaching double figures every season during his career previously except for 2018, when he only played in 38 games due to injury.
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Justin Turner 1B | CHC
Red Sox's Justin Turner: Getting day off Thursday
Turner is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in Baltimore, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.
Turner had started each of the last seven contests for the Red Sox but will get a well-earned break Thursday. Masataka Yoshida will serve as Boston's designated hitter and Bobby Dalbec will man first base.
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Miguel Cabrera DH | DET
Tigers' Miguel Cabrera: Not in Thursday's lineup
Cabrera is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Royals.
Cabrera finished out the completion of Wednesday's suspended game earlier in the day Thursday, but he'll start on the bench for the regularly-scheduled contest. The future Hall of Famer is expected to start all three games this weekend versus the Guardians before riding off into retirement.
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Brent Rooker DH | ATH
Athletics' Brent Rooker: Productive in Wednesday's loss
Rooker went 1-for-4 with a two-run single and a stolen base in a loss to the Twins on Wednesday.
Rooker made good use of the one at-bat he hit safely in, plating Ryan Noda and Aledmys Diaz to snap a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning. The slugger also added to his career-best stolen-base total with his fourth pilfer of the campaign after not having logged a single steal attempt over his previous three major league seasons. Rooker has also now reached safely in nine straight games and 10 consecutive starts, producing a .314/.368/.743 slash line in the 38 plate appearances he's recorded over the latter span.
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Yordan Alvarez DH | HOU
Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Pummels another homer
Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, two walks and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 8-3 win over the Mariners.
Alvarez's homer was his third in the last four games and his 31st of the year. The slugger's blast went to deep center field to tie the game at 1-1 in the fourth inning. He's up to a .293/.409/.591 slash line with 97 RBI, 76 runs scored and 24 doubles through 111 contests this season.
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Jonathan Aranda 1B | TB
Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Three hits in win
Aranda went 3-for-4 with a double, one RBI and one run scored in Tuesday's victory over the Red Sox.
It was an encouraging performance from Aranda, who began the day in a 2-for-28 (.071) slump with no extra-base hits in that span. The 25-year-old infielder is now slashing .211/.330/.316 with just one homer, 12 runs scored and seven RBI through 91 plate appearances on the campaign. While he won't offer much offensively, Aranda should see fairly regular at-bats against right-handed pitching with Brandon Lowe (knee) out.
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Byron Buxton DH | MIN
Twins' Byron Buxton: Moves workouts to Minneapolis
Buxton (knee) will work out with the Twins this week with the minor-league season over as Minnesota evaluates him for a possible addition to the postseason roster, MLB.com reports. He went 1-for-8 during two games at Triple-A St. Paul last weekend.
It seems unlikely he'll be activated from the injured list ahead of the playoffs, especially with the Twins playing their final series on the road in Colorado. Buxton's last rehab stint in early September was shut down after two games due to a flareup of the patella tendinitis in his right knee. It's encouraging he made it through two games over the weekend without a setback, but he didn't play in the field and didn't get much work due to a rainout in St. Paul. He may not be activated for the postseason roster as a result. It's hard to see how the Twins could elect to use him in center field in the playoffs even though that was probably the plan when his first rehab stint started in early September.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Blue Jays' Brandon Belt: Returns from injured list
Belt (back) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Tuesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The veteran slugger landed on the shelf Sept. 12 with back spasms just after missing the previous eight games due to an illness, but he's now ready to rejoin the Blue Jays for the final stretch of the regular season. Belt had a strong start to the second half with a .971 OPS in his first 30 games coming out of the All-Star break, but he was mired in a 3-for-18 slump prior to his move to the injured list.
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Mitch Garver DH | SEA
Rangers' Mitch Garver: Perfect at plate Monday
Garver went 3-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in a 5-1 victory versus the Angels on Monday.
Garver was the only Texas player with multiple hits in the contest, and his sixth-inning solo shot gave the team its first lead. The veteran is working on a modest five-game hitting streak, during which he's batting an even .500 (8-for-16) with a pair of homers and five RBI. Garver has played in just 82 games this season, but he's been very productive with 19 long balls and 50 RBI along with a .281/.381/.525 slash line.