MLB Player News
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Nick Martini DH | CIN
Reds' Nick Martini: Pops game-tying homer
Martini went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Thursday's 6-4 extra-inning loss to the Padres.
Martini has started the last two games in right field, replacing Jake Fraley (hand). Prior to Thursday, Martini was stuck in an 0-for-15 drought at the major-league level, though the slump spanned a demotion to Triple-A Louisville. He snapped it with a second-inning single before tying this contest with a two-run blast in the sixth. For the season, Martini is slashing .184/.204/.356 with four homers, 17 RBI, 15 runs scored and no stolen bases across 93 plate appearances. When the Reds are closer to full health, Martini will likely compete for playing time at designated hitter with Mike Ford, who is batting .161 on the year.
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Luis Arraez 1B | SD
Padres' Luis Arraez: Four more hits in win
Arraez went 4-for-5 with a double, one RBI and one run scored in Thursday's 6-4 extra-inning win over the Reds.
Arraez has multiple hits in each his last eight games, going 20-for-38 (.526) with three extra-base hits in that span. The infielder played at first base Thursday, swapping places with Jake Cronenworth on the right side of the infield. Arraez is up to a .341/.382/.422 slash line with one home run, 12 RBI, 31 runs scored and three stolen bases over 226 plate appearances. He sees a majority of the playing time at the keystone due to Xander Bogaerts (shoulder) being out indefinitely and should continue to thrive atop the order for a team that has little trouble putting the ball in play.
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Gary Sanchez DH | MIL
Brewers' Gary Sanchez: Raps out two hits in loss
Sanchez went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to the Marlins.
Sanchez has seen a surge in playing time of late, though he's been aided by the Brewers facing three consecutive left-handed starting pitchers. At the very least, Sanchez seems to have carved out a short-side platoon role, with he and top backstop William Contreras starting at either catcher or designated hitter when the Brewers face a southpaw. After Wednesday's two-hit effort, Sanchez is now holding down a .764 OPS over 99 plate appearances on the season, making him one of the more productive No. 2 catchers in baseball.
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Luis Arraez 1B | SD
Padres' Luis Arraez: Four hits including first homer
Arraez went 4-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Reds.
The 27-year-old led off the game with his first homer of the season as he produced his seventh straight multi-hit performance. Arraez has been raking since being traded to the Padres, slashing .391/.425/.478 in 73 plate appearances, and with Xander Bogaerts (shoulder) facing a lengthy absence, he should be locked in as San Diego's everyday second baseman.
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Jorge Soler RF | ATL
Giants' Jorge Soler: Drives in three
Soler went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored during Wednesday's 9-5 extra-inning win over the Pirates.
Soler notched his first three-RBI game of the campaign Wednesday, getting the Giants on the scoreboard with an RBI single in the fifth, plating LaMonte Wade Jr. on a weak groundout to bring the team to within one in the eighth inning and putting San Francisco up 7-5 in the 10th with an RBI single. In five games since returning from a shoulder injury, Soler is 6-for-22 (.273) with four runs scored and five RBI.
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Matt Carpenter DH | STL
Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Losing work to Burleson
Carpenter is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
After being activated from the 10-day injured list May 11, Carpenter served as the Cardinals' designated hitter for three straight games. Despite reaching base six times in 15 plate appearances during that stretch, Carpenter looks like he'll have to settle for a part-time role with the Cardinals having since reprioritized Alec Burleson at designated hitter. Carpenter is on the bench Wednesday for the fifth time in the last six games.
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Kris Bryant DH | COL
Rockies' Kris Bryant: Quiet in return
Bryant went 0-for-4 with a strikeout Tuesday against the Athletics.
Bryant was activated from the injured list Tuesday and appeared in the lineup for the first time since April 13. He returned to play first base and hit fifth in the order, though he was unable to reach base. Despite maintaining a .489 OPS through 59 plate appearances, Bryant projects to remain a regular in the Rockies' lineup moving forward.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Two steals in loss
Ohtani went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, two runs and two steals in Tuesday's loss to the Diamondbacks.
Ohtani was one of two Dodger hitters with multiple hits in the game and swiped multiple bases for the third time this year to bring his total up to 13. Ohtani now has nine multi-hit efforts this month and continues to terrorize opposing pitching. He leads the league with a 1.080 OPS and is now slashing .356/.425/.655 with 13 homers, 34 RBI, 39 runs and a 24:42 BB:K in 221 plate appearances.
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Joc Pederson DH | ARI
Diamondbacks' Joc Pederson: Clubs insurance homer
Pederson went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Tuesday's 7-3 win over the Dodgers.
A half inning after the Dodgers crept within a run in the bottom of the sixth, Pederson connected on a slider for a three-run home run to give the Diamondbacks breathing room. It was the sixth homer of the season for Pederson, who also picked up his 500th career RBI with the blast (501 RBI over 11 MLB seasons). Pederson has delivered at least one run in four consecutive games (seven RBI total) and is up to 16 through 42 games.
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Kris Bryant DH | COL
Rockies' Kris Bryant: Back in action
Bryant (back) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's game in Oakland, Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com reports.
Bryant returns to the lineup for the Rockies on Tuesday, starting at first base and batting fifth. The 32-year-old landed on the injured list April 17 with a lower back strain. The veteran was slashing only .149/.273/.255 over 13 games before getting injured. With his return to the lineup, Sean Bouchard has been optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque.