MLB Player News
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Ben Rice C | NYY
Yankees' Ben Rice: On bench against southpaw
Rice is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Angels.
Though he'll take a seat with southpaw Tyler Anderson on the bump for the Angels, the left-handed-hitting Rice should still remain at least a semi-regular presence in the lineup against right-handed pitchers, even with the recent return of Giancarlo Stanton from the 60-day injured list closing off a potential path to playing time. Rice had been serving exclusively as a designated hitter or first baseman before making his first MLB start as a catcher in Wednesday's 3-2 loss. He went 0-for-1 with a walk Wednesday before being removed from the contest in the bottom of the seventh inning.
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Jorge Soler DH | LAA
Angels' Jorge Soler: Remains on bench Thursday
Soler (back) is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.
Soler will take a seat for the second straight game while he manages a stiff back. With Soler on the bench for the series finale in New York, Jo Adell will shift over to right field, allowing Scott Kingery to pick up a start in center field.
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Jorge Soler DH | LAA
Angels' Jorge Soler: Managing back stiffness
Soler is sitting out Wednesday's game against the Yankees due to back stiffness, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
The Angels are labeling Soler as day-to-day for now, so while he won't play Wednesday, he doesn't seem to be dealing with anything serious. Luis Rengifo will cover right field while Kevin Newman starts at third base.
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Jorge Soler DH | LAA
Angels' Jorge Soler: On bench Wednesday
Soler is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.
Soler has been dreadful in June, going 5-for-42 with a 37 percent strikeout rate across 14 contests. He'll get a breather Wednesday as Luis Rengifo handles right field.
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: On bench Wednesday
Stanton is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Angels.
Stanton started at designated hitter and picked up two hits in both of his first two games back from the 60-day injured list, but he will get a breather Wednesday. Jasson Dominguez will serve as the Yankees' designated hitter and will bat eighth.
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Ben Rice C | NYY
Yankees' Ben Rice: Drawing first start at catcher
Rice will start at catcher and bat sixth in Wednesday's game versus the Angels.
Rice saw most of his playing time at catcher in the minors, but he'll be making his first-ever start and seventh career appearance behind the dish at the major-league level. While Rice's starts at catcher moving forward are expected to be few and far between, it offers an additional path to playing time and also gives him a chance to gain eligibility at the position for fantasy purposes.
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David Fry C | CLE
Guardians' David Fry: Snaps hitless run
Fry went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Giants.
Fry snapped a hitless run of 13 at-bats with a fourth-inning double and scored on a Carlos Santana single to knot the game at 2-2. Fry has become the go-to DH against left-handers, and since being activated off the 60-day injured list May 31, he's batting .160/.276/.320 over 12 games.
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Masataka Yoshida LF | BOS
Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Season debut could be 'sped up'
Manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that Yoshida's (shoulder) return from the 60-day injured list could be expedited after the Red Sox traded Rafael Devers to the Giants on Sunday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports. "We're going to meet [Tuesday or Wednesday] to go over a few things. Let's see if we can speed up the process," Cora said, in reference to when Yoshida might make his 2025 debut. "He can swing the bat. Now it's a matter of him getting at-bats and all that. But at the same time, respecting the rehab of the shoulder. So we'll decide that sooner rather than later."
Yoshida served exclusively as a designated hitter for the Red Sox in 2024 and has been operating with no restrictions at the plate since late February, but he's nonetheless remained on the IL all season while he's moved slowly through his throwing program following his Oct. 3 right shoulder labral repair. Because Devers had been serving as a full-time DH prior to being traded, the Red Sox weren't willing to activate Yoshida until he proved that his shoulder presented no issues for him while playing in the corner outfield. However, with Devers now out of the picture, Cora said that the Red Sox are considering bringing Yoshida back from the IL before he's cleared to play defense, with the skipper floating the possibility of using him in a platoon at DH with the right-handed-hitting Rob Refsnyder. Yoshida -- who played catch out to 120 feet Tuesday -- would still be an option in the outfield once he finally completes his throwing program, though the Red Sox likely wouldn't have much of a need for him to play defense. Wilyer Abreu's (oblique) expected return from the 10-day IL this weekend will create a logjam in the outfield that could spill over to the DH spot, but the Red Sox might be able to keep Yoshida's bat in the lineup by handing center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela more starts at second base at the expense of Kristian Campbell and David Hamilton, both of whom have offered little offensive production since the beginning of May.
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Ryan O'Hearn 1B | SD
Orioles' Ryan O'Hearn: Returning to lineup
O'Hearn (ankle) will start at first base and bat fifth in Monday's game against the Rays.
O'Hearn missed the previous two contests after injuring his left ankle this past Friday, but he's ready to roll for Monday's series opener. Coby Mayo will retreat to the bench after starting the last two games at first base in O'Hearn's place.