MLB Player News
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Ben Rice C | NYY
Yankees' Ben Rice: Exiting starting nine
Rice is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Rangers.
Although he had started the previous two games, Rice has seen his playing time dip recently, as this is his fifth time absent from the lineup across the last 11 tilts. Aaron Judge is in the designated-hitter spot Thursday, and the Yankees will roll out Jasson Dominguez, Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger in the outfield.
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Tyler Heineman C | TOR
Blue Jays' Tyler Heineman: Picking up start in day game
Heineman will start at catcher and bat ninth in Thursday's game against the Padres.
With a .949 OPS to go with two stolen bases over 47 plate appearances on the season, Heineman has made the most of his limited opportunities, but he's still unlikely to see a dramatic surge in playing time in the near future. Alejandro Kirk is locked in as the Blue Jays' clear No. 1 backstop and should require just one or two days off per week, with most of his absences from the lineup coming in day games after night games.
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Joc Pederson DH | TEX
Rangers' Joc Pederson: Idle for second straight game
Pederson is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees.
With the Yankees sending a left-handed starter (Carlos Rodon) to the hill for the second straight day, the left-handed-hitting Pederson will once again remain out of the lineup. Despite facing right-handers in all but nine of his plate appearances on the season, Pederson is still batting just .127, the lowest average among all players in the majors with at least 140 plate appearances. Pederson has struck out at a palatable 19.9 percent clip and has been the victim of a .148 BABIP, so expect the 33-year-old's production to eventually pick up once his batted-ball luck improves.
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Anthony Santander RF | TOR
Blue Jays' Anthony Santander: Absent from Thursday's lineup
Santander (hip) is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Padres.
Santander was lifted from Wednesday's 14-0 win after aggravating a left hip injury. The Blue Jays haven't indicated at this point whether Santander might require a trip to the 10-day injured list, but he will need at least a day or two of rest. Daulton Varsho will get a day in the designated-hitter spot, while Myles Straw will patrol center field for the Blue Jays in Thursday's series finale.
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Anthony Santander RF | TOR
Blue Jays' Anthony Santander: Pulled with hip inflammation
Santander was removed from Wednesday's game against the Padres due to left hip inflammation.
Santander's hip has been giving him problems for about a week, and he seemingly aggravated the injury during Wednesday's contest. The Jays will take a closer look at him to determine the severity of his latest flare-up, but the team could consider placing him on the IL at this point to give him the time he needs to fully move past the hip issue. For now, however, Santander should be considered day-to-day.
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Masataka Yoshida LF | BOS
Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Restarts throwing program
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday that Yoshida (shoulder) has resumed his throwing program and began playing catch at 60 feet, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Dating back to spring training, Yoshida hasn't had much of an issue swinging the bat while he works his way back from October surgery on his right shoulder, but he's struggled to make much progress with his throwing. He seems to have responded well to the cortisone shot he received in the shoulder May 4, but Yoshida will still need to increase his throwing distance and will need to throw at full velocity prior to embarking on a minor-league rehab assignment. With Rafael Devers seemingly locked in as the Red Sox's full-time designated hitter, Yoshida will need to prove that he can play the corner outfield before Boston activates him from the 10-day injured list. The Red Sox don't appear to be considering Yoshida as an option at first base, where the team has a major hole in the lineup after Triston Casas suffered a season-ending knee injury earlier this month.
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Yandy Diaz 1B | TB
Rays' Yandy Diaz: Smacks three-run homer
Diaz went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Astros.
Diaz gave the Rays some breathing room in the eighth inning with a 435-foot, three-run blast off Forrest Whitley that extended Tampa's lead to 8-4. The 33-year-old Diaz has gone 9-for-25 (.360) during his current six-game hitting streak. He's boosted his slash line to .254/.303/.416 with seven homers, 27 RBI, 18 runs scored and three stolen bases across 201 plate appearances this year.
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Mickey Gasper 1B | MIN
Twins' Mickey Gasper: Called up as 27th man
The Twins recalled Gasper from Triple-A St. Paul to serve as the 27th man for Wednesday's doubleheader with the Guardians, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Gasper wasn't available for the resumption of Monday's suspended game earlier in the day, but he'll join the Twins for Wednesday's regularly scheduled contest before likely heading back to Triple-A. The utility infielder has logged 39 plate appearances with the Twins on the season and has slashed .176/.282/.206 with no home runs or stolen bases.
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Rafael Devers 3B | SF
Red Sox's Rafael Devers: Goes deep in win
Devers went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Tuesday's 2-0 win over the Mets.
Devers laced one of two solo home runs off Clay Holmes in the fifth inning, giving Boston all it needed. For Devers, it was his third home run in the last four games, and the DH has been on a heater since late April. He's batting .391 (34-for-87) with seven doubles, eight homers, 25 RBI, 16 runs and one steal over 23 games. Devers has managed to not let the drama that engulfed him last week -- when he refused to play first base -- affect his bat.
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Anthony Santander RF | TOR
Blue Jays' Anthony Santander: Goes deep as No. 6 hitter
Santander went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Padres.
After being dropped to sixth in Toronto's lineup Tuesday, Santander responded by smashing his sixth homer of the year. While he's batting just .190 (12-for-63) over his last 17 games, the switch-hitting slugger does have four homers and 10 RBI during this stretch. Santander has dealt with shoulder and hip issues in the early going, so Tuesday's showing was an encouraging sign as he searches for a rhythm at the plate going forward.