MLB Player News
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Ryan O'Hearn 1B | PIT
Orioles' Ryan O'Hearn: On bench vs. lefty
O'Hearn is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Guardians, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
O'Hearn has gone 1-for-10 with two walks, a stolen base and a run over the past three games and will sit Tuesday as lefty Logan Allen takes the mound for Cleveland. Adley Rutschman is receiving a turn at designated hitter while Gary Sanchez starts behind the plate.
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Yandy Diaz 1B | TB
Rays' Yandy Diaz: Goes yard again
Diaz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two RBI and two runs scored Monday against the Red Sox.
Diaz led off the game with a home run, kicking off a 16-run outburst for the Rays. He has also gone deep in consecutive games and has three homers on the season. After a slow start to the campaign, Diaz has multiple hits in four of his last six starts with seven runs scored and four RBI in that span.
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Justyn-Henry Malloy 3B | TB
Tigers' Justyn-Henry Malloy: Leading off Monday
Malloy is serving as the DH and batting first in Monday's game against the Brewers.
Malloy was out of the lineup two of the last three days but will slot back in with Milwaukee starting lefty Tyler Alexander. To make room for Malloy at DH, Spencer Torkelson will cover first base, with the lefty-hitting Colt Keith heading to the bench. Malloy has some appeal against southpaws, though he will likely fall back out of the lineup the next time Detroit faces a righty starter, with Keith returning to first and Torkelson sliding over to DH.
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Close to taking live at-bats
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Stanton (elbow) continues to hit against a high-velocity Trajekt machine and is "getting close" to facing live pitching, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
Stanton didn't take part in baseball activities during spring training and opened the season on the injured list after requiring three rounds of platelet-rich plasma injections to address torn tendons in both of his elbows. He resumed swinging a bat shortly before Opening Day, and while he's still experiencing some lingering pain in his elbows, it's apparently more manageable than it had been previously, according to MLB.com. Stanton will take an important step forward in the recovery process when he's officially cleared to face live pitching, but a definitive timeline for his return from the IL likely won't be established until he reaches the point that he's able to take at-bats as a designated hitter in minor-league rehab games.
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Yandy Diaz 1B | TB
Rays' Yandy Diaz: Slugs second homer
Diaz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs scored Sunday against Atlanta.
The Rays are in the midst of a lengthy homestand, and Diaz has performed well across the first six games, collecting seven hits in 24 at-bats with five runs scored and two home runs. He got off to a slow start to the season but has reached base multiple times in four of his last five starts.
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Justyn-Henry Malloy 3B | TB
Tigers' Justyn-Henry Malloy: Losing work with Torres back
Malloy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins.
The 25-year-old will hit the bench for the second time in three games and looks like he could be the odd man out of the lineup more often than not in the wake of Gleyber Torres returning from the injured list Friday. Malloy should have a regular spot in the starting nine against left-handed pitching, but his opportunities against righties may become sporadic unless the Tigers are willing to play Riley Greene in center field on a more consistent basis.
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Nick Maton DH | CHW
White Sox's Nick Maton: Idle against lefty
Maton is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.
He will retreat to the bench as the Red Sox send southpaw Garrett Crochet to the bump. With Maton out of the lineup, Miguel Vargas will get a day out of the infield and serve as Chicago's designated hitter.
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Kyle Manzardo 1B | CLE
Guardians' Kyle Manzardo: Getting day off versus lefty
Manzardo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.
With the Royals sending southpaw Cole Ragans to the bump, Manzardo will head to the bench for just the second time through the Guardians' first 15 games. Jose Ramirez will get a day out of the infield and will serve as Cleveland's designated hitter in place of Manzardo, who is batting .125 with a 16.7 percent walk rate and 28.6 percent strikeout rate so far in April.
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Joc Pederson DH | TEX
Rangers' Joc Pederson: Slump continues
Pederson went 0-for-4 in Saturday's 9-2 loss to Seattle.
Pederson's string of futility reached 22 consecutive at-bats without a hit, dropping his batting average to .077. He had opened the season batting third or fourth but was dropped to fifth Saturday for a second straight start. Texas manager Bruce Bochy was quick to point out the drop was not a concession to Pederson's struggles, but was instead a move to avoid having three consecutive left-handed hitters after Josh Smith was inserted into the third spot in the order with Wyatt Langford (oblique) on the injured list.
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Ben Rice C | NYY
Yankees' Ben Rice: Belts fourth homer
Rice went 2-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored in Saturday's 8-4 win over the Giants.
The 26-year-old slugger took Lou Trivino deep in the sixth inning, ripping a line drive over the fence in the right-field corner that left his bat at 113.2 mph. Rice appears to be headed for a breakout campaign, slashing .310/.431/.690 through 13 games with four homers, five RBI and 11 runs while settling in at the top of the Yankees' batting order -- over his last seven games, Rice has batted exclusively leadoff against right-handed pitching, and second against lefties.