MLB Player News
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Still not running
Stanton (calf) has yet to resume running, but he's been doing some hitting, per MLB.com.
Stanton has been on the injured list since late April due to a right calf strain. The slugger doesn't seem to be close to a return given his continued inability to run, and the Yankees haven't provided a timeline for his recovery. Jasson Dominguez (shoulder) was originally the recipient of a big-league opportunity in Stanton's absence, but he's now on the IL, so Spencer Jones has since been called up for his first major-league stint.
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Byron Buxton CF | MIN
Twins' Byron Buxton: Continues to roll in win
Buxton went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an RBI double in Saturday's 2-1 extra-innings win over the Guardians.
The center fielder's incredible power surge continued, and he even accounted for Minnesota's entire output in both hits and runs Saturday. Buxton opened the game with a first-inning homer and then delivered an RBI double in the 11th inning. Over his last 23 games (103 at-bats), he is batting .301 with 13 homers, four doubles, 20 RBI and 20 runs scored. He's also hit safely in 19 contests during that stretch.
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Brent Rooker DH | ATH
Athletics' Brent Rooker: Goes yard again Saturday
Rooker went 2-for-4 with a walk and a three-run home run in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Orioles.
The 31-year-old slugger took Shane Baz deep in the third inning for his fifth long ball of the season and third in eight May contests. On the month, Rooker is batting .333 (11-for-33) with a double, four runs and 10 RBI in addition to the homers.
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Heston Kjerstad DH | BAL
Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Cleared for rehab assignment
Kjerstad (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Chesapeake on Saturday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Kjerstad has been on the shelf all season due to a hamstring strain he suffered late in spring training. Due to the extensive time he's missed, the 27-year-old could be in line for a lengthy rehab assignment, and there's a real chance that he'll be optioned to Triple-A Norfolk upon his activation from the 10-day injured list.
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Yordan Alvarez DH | HOU
Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Clubs 13th homer
Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 10-0 rout of the Reds.
The 28-year-old slugger helped chase Nick Lodolo from the game with a sixth-inning blast to right field. It was Alvarez's first long ball in May and his 13th of the season, third in the American League behind the Yankees' Aaron Judge and the White Sox's Munetaka Murakami (15 each). All three are tied for the AL lead in RBI at 29 with the Rays' Jonathan Aranda.
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Brent Rooker DH | ATH
Athletics' Brent Rooker: Has big part in offensive explosion
Rooker went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, an additional RBI and a walk in a 12-1 romp over Philadelphia on Thursday.
Rooker wasted no time making his presence felt, smashing a two-run blast to left field in the first inning. That was just his fourth homer of the season, though that's due in part to a stint on the injured list in mid-April. Rooker is still slashing a meager .177/.256/.342 on the campaign, but he's been showing signs of breaking out, batting .320 (8-for-25) with a pair of homers and seven RBI through his first six games of May.
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Andrew McCutchen DH | TEX
Rangers' Andrew McCutchen: Starts two consecutive games
McCutchen started in right field and went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Yankees.
McCutchen's started two consecutive games and has hits in three straight starts. He's taking advantage of injuries to Wyatt Langford (forearm) and Brandon Nimmo, who served as the designated hitter Wednesday while dealing with a recent hamstring issue. McCutchen is slashing .235/.286/.333 with one home run, five RBI and six runs scored over 24 games (56 plate appearances).
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Joc Pederson DH | TEX
Rangers' Joc Pederson: Absent from lineup
Pederson is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees.
Brandon Nimmo has been limited to designated hitter duty as he comes back from a hamstring issue, which leaves Pederson without a spot to play. It's just the second time this season that the left-handed-hitting Pederson has been absent from the lineup when the opposition was starting a right-handed hurler.
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Byron Buxton CF | MIN
Twins' Byron Buxton: Continues power surge vs. Nats
Buxton went 1-for-6 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's 11-3 win over the Nationals.
Buxton was quiet early, starting the day 0-for-4 before breaking through in the eighth inning with a three-run homer off Andre Granillo that effectively put the game away. The blast was his 11th of the season, with all 11 coming over his last 19 games during an incredible power surge. Over that span, Buxton is batting 25-for-85 (.294) with 16 RBI and 16 runs scored across 91 plate appearances.