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Ben Rice DH | NYY
Yankees' Ben Rice: Scores three runs in Friday's victory
Rice went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two additional runs scored during Friday's 6-4 win over the Mets.
Rice crossed home in the first and second innings before belting a solo homer off Nolan McLean in the fifth to give the Yankees a 5-1 lead. Rice is up to 37 home runs on the season, which leads the Yankees and is tied with Hunter Goodman for sixth-most in the majors. Rice also ranks sixth in slugging percentage (.523) and 13th in RBI (89) across 608 plate appearances.
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Mickey Gasper DH | BOS
Red Sox's Mickey Gasper: Goes deep against Kansas City
Gasper went 1-for-3 with a solo home run during the Red Sox's 3-2 loss to the Royals on Friday.
Seth Lugo kept the Red Sox off the board through the first four innings of Friday's game, but Gasper changed things with a solo homer to right-center field in the fifth inning. It was the ninth homer of the season for Gasper, six of which have come at Fenway Park. Since being promoted from the minors in mid-August, he has gone 18-for-59 (.305) with 16 RBI and 13 extra-base hits.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Officially lands on 15-day IL
The Dodgers placed Ohtani (knee/neck) on the 15-day injured list Friday due to right biceps inflammation, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.
Ohtani attempted to play through nagging biceps, knee and neck injuries, but a stint on the IL was warranted after the superstar slugger suffered a setback earlier this week. Because of his placement on the 15-day IL as a two-way player, Ohtani will not be eligible to return to action for the Dodgers until Saturday, Sept. 26, against the Giants, the penultimate regular-season game of 2026. Top Dodgers prospect Josue De Paula had his contract selected from Double-A Tulsa ahead of Friday's game against the Marlins, and he figures to see the bulk of starts at DH for as long as Ohtani is on the shelf.
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Yordan Alvarez DH | HOU
Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Working through right ankle issue
Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters that Alvarez is not in the starting lineup against the Rays on Friday due to a right ankle injury, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
It's not clear when Alvarez tweaked his ankle, though it could be part of the reason why his production at the plate in September has taken a dip (7-for-33 across nine games). He'll take batting practice and do some work before Friday's game in the hope that he's available off the bench, and he could be back in the lineup for Saturday's contest. Jose Altuve will serve as Houston's designated hitter for the series opener in Tampa Bay.
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Yordan Alvarez DH | HOU
Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Not in Friday's lineup
Alvarez is not in the Astros' starting lineup against the Rays on Friday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Alvarez is already up to a career-high 637 plate appearances on the season and has gone 7-for-33 (.212) with one home run, two RBI and 10 strikeouts in September. He'll get a rest day for Friday's series opener, with Jose Altuve serving as the designated hitter and Nick Allen drawing the start at second base.
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Lars Nootbaar LF | ARI
Diamondbacks' Lars Nootbaar: Sitting Friday
Nootbaar is absent from the Diamondbacks' lineup Friday against the Rangers.
As the Rangers trot out southpaw MacKenzie Gore, the left-handed-hitting Nootbaar will ride the bench for Friday's series opener. Lourdes Gurriel will slot in as Arizona's designated hitter and bat seventh.
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George Springer DH | TOR
Blue Jays' George Springer: Back in lineup Friday
Springer (shoulder) will start at designated hitter and bat second in Friday's contest against the Orioles.
Springer has been slowed this week by a nagging left shoulder issue, but he appeared off the bench in the Blue Jays' last game Wednesday and is back in the lineup for the series opener versus Baltimore.
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Joc Pederson DH | TEX
Rangers' Joc Pederson: Belts homer Thursday
Pederson went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in a loss to the Mariners on Thursday.
Pederson opened the scoring in the contest with a two-run blast off Logan Gilbert in the third inning. That was his lone hit of the game, and Pederson has now gone 39 contests since his last multi-hit effort. Still, he's continued to provide power when in the lineup -- Pederson has gone just 15-for-88 (.170 batting average) during the aforementioned 39-game stretch, but seven of those hits have left the park. With 26 long balls overall on the campaign, Pederson has tied the second highest single-season mark of his career.
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George Springer DH | TOR
Blue Jays' George Springer: Used as pinch hitter Wednesday
Springer (shoulder) pinch hit for Nathan Lukes and flew out in the eighth inning of Wednesday's loss to the A's.
The 36-year-old outfielder has been held out of the starting nine the last two games due to a left shoulder issue, but Wednesday's usage is a good sign the Blue Jays don't think he'll need an IL stint. Springer has had a tough season overall due to various injuries, but over the 14 games prior to his shutdown he'd delivered a .333/.370/.569 slash line with six doubles, two homers, two steals, eight runs and eight RBI.