MLB Player News
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J.D. Martinez DH | NYM
Mets' J.D. Martinez: Absent from Game 1 lineup
Martinez is not in the lineup Tuesday for Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Brewers, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Martinez saw his playing time cut down the stretch of the regular season as he struggled to a .368 OPS in September. Jesse Winker had similar struggles in the final month but will get a shot at designated hitter in Game 1 versus righty Freddy Peralta.
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Alec Burleson LF | STL
Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Drives in three in win
Burleson went 2-for-4 with a walk and three RBI in Sunday's 6-1 win over the Giants.
Burleson hit an RBI single in the fifth inning and drove in two more runs with another single in the sixth. While he was a bright spot for most of 2024 for the Cardinals, Burleson hit just .202 and slugged a mere .226 in September while slipping back into a strong-side platoon role. He finishes the year with a .269/.314/.420 slash line, 21 home runs, 78 RBI, 71 runs scored, 20 doubles and nine stolen bases over 152 games.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Finishes with 59 steals
Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Rockies.
Ohtani swiped 11 bases over his last 11 games of the season, ending the year with 59 steals on 63 attempts. He hit a mind-blowing .583 (28-for-48) in that span while adding six home runs and 20 RBI. He played in a career-high 159 games, posting a .310/.390/.646 slash line with 54 homers, 130 RBI, 134 runs scored, 38 doubles and seven triples. By most measures, it was a career year for Ohtani at the plate, and he will look to continue leading the Dodgers' offense as he gets ready for his first MLB postseason.
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Andrew McCutchen DH | PIT
Pirates' Andrew McCutchen: Idle Sunday
McCutchen is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.
McCutchen will sit for a second straight game as Bryan Reynolds serves as the designated hitter Sunday and bats second. Unless he comes in to pinch hit, McCutchen will end the regular season having slashed .232/.328/.411 with 20 home runs and 50 RBI across 515 plate appearances.
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Joc Pederson DH | ARI
Diamondbacks' Joc Pederson: Not starting Sunday
Pederson is absent from Sunday's lineup against San Diego.
The lefty-hitting Pederson will begin Sunday's contest in the dugout with the Padres sending southpaw Martin Perez to the mound. Barring a pinch hit appearance, Pederson will finish his first regular season with Arizona having slashed .275/.393/.515 with 23 home runs and 64 RBI across 444 plate appearances. Randal Grichuk will serve as the designated hitter and bat fifth.
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Joc Pederson DH | ARI
Diamondbacks' Joc Pederson: Swipes bag in loss
Pederson went 0-for-2 and stole a base in Saturday's 5-0 loss to San Diego.
Pederson was on the back end of a double steal in the sixth inning but was stranded there. The theft was his career-high seventh. Arizona faces a must-win situation Sunday for a chance at the postseason, and the Padres have left-hander Martin Perez scheduled, which means Pederson is not expected to start.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Breaks record held by Ichiro
Ohtani went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, two runs scored, four RBI and a stolen base in Friday's 11-4 win over the Rockies.
While he took full advantage of a game at Coors Field with his bat, it was Ohtani's second-inning steal that allowed him to claim another record. With 57 pilfers on the season, Ohtani became the new single-season leader among Japanese-born players, topping the 56 steals recorded by future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki in his 2001 AL Rookie of the Year and MVP campaign. The rest of Ohtani's numbers aren't too shabby either -- with two games left on the Dodgers' regular-season schedule, he's slashing .309/.390/.651 with 54 homers, 130 RBI and 133 runs. Luis Arraez's .314 batting average is all that's standing between Ohtani and a Triple Crown season.
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Jerar Encarnacion LF | SF
Giants' Jerar Encarnacion: Homers in Friday's loss
Encarnacion went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Cardinals.
Encarnacion went yard in the second inning to put the Giants up 2-1. The outfielder has struggled to claim consistent playing time since joining the major-league roster at the start of August. He's hitting .255 (12-for-47) with three homers and 11 RBI over 14 contests in September while filling a part-time role. For the season, Encarnacion has a .257/.288/.448 slash line, five homers, 19 RBI, 13 runs scored and one stolen base over 111 plate appearances.
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Alec Burleson LF | STL
Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Out again versus lefty
Burleson is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rockies.
The Cardinals are facing a lefty in Kyle Freeland for the second day in a row, and the left-handed-hitting Burleson has been on the bench for both contests. Burleson hasn't made a start against a southpaw since Aug. 6 and looks to be viewed as a pure strong-side platoon player at this stage of the season. Ivan Herrera will replace him as the Cardinals' designated hitter.