MLB Player News
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Wilmer Flores 1B | SF
Giants' Wilmer Flores: Stepping in for injured Smith
Flores will start at first base and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Dodgers.
Flores has mostly occupied the short side of a platoon with Dominic Smith (hamstring) since the All-Star break, but with Smith landing on the injured list Saturday, Flores should get the chance to play on a near-everyday basis. The 34-year-old heads into Sunday's contest having produced a .238/.306/.375 slash line with 15 home runs, 67 RBI, 41 runs and one stolen base in 444 plate appearances on the season.
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Adrian Del Castillo C | ARI
Diamondbacks' Adrian Del Castillo: Idle Sunday
Del Castillo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins.
The left-handed-hitting Del Castillo will hit the bench for the series finale against Minnesota righty Bailey Ober and appears to be stuck in a part-time role at designated hitter. Del Castillo has now started in three of the Diamondbacks' last six matchups versus righties, and his playing-time outlook is unlikely to improve until he shows an ability to make more contact. He's striking out at 52.2 percent clip through seven games in September.
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Starling Marte DH | NYM
Mets' Starling Marte: Benefiting from LHP-heavy schedule
Marte will start at designated hitter and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Rangers.
Marte will claim his fifth start in six games, with each coming against a left-handed pitcher. The veteran outfielder/designated hitter is slashing just .231/.231/.269 since the start of September and will likely remain in a short-side platoon role for the rest of the season.
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Seiya Suzuki RF | CHC
Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: On bench for third straight
Suzuki (illness) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.
Suzuki is sitting for a third consecutive game while battling an illness. Moises Ballesteros started at designated hitter for the first two games and is doing so again Sunday for the series finale versus Tampa Bay.
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Josh Bell DH | WAS
Nationals' Josh Bell: Not in Sunday's lineup
Bell is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Bell will take a seat Sunday after going 1-for-7 with two RBI and two strikeouts in the first two games of the series. Andres Chaparro is manning first base in the series finale for Washington.
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Ivan Herrera C | STL
Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Belts another home run
Herrera went 3-for-5 with a solo homer, a double and an additional run scored during the Cardinals' 9-8 extra-inning loss to the Brewers on Saturday.
Herrera got things started early with a solo homer off Jacob Misiorowski in the first inning. It was Herrera's 16th home run of the season, five of which have come in 11 games since Sept. 1. Over that span, he has gone 11-for-39 (.282) with one steal, nine runs and seven RBI.
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Brent Rooker DH | ATH
Athletics' Brent Rooker: Gets on base four times in win
Rooker went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and two walks in Saturday's 11-5 win over the Reds.
Rooker had gone 11 games without a homer entering Saturday, batting just .204 (10-for-49) in that span. That was his longest power drought of the season, and it ended when he got the Athletics on the board in the second inning. The 30-year-old is up to 28 homers, 83 RBI, 89 runs scored, six stolen bases, 40 doubles, three triples and a .269/.340/.491 slash line over 149 contests this season. With two weeks left in the season, he has a reasonable chance of reaching the 30-homer mark for the third year in a row.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Clobbers homer in win
Ohtani went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a walk and three total runs scored in Saturday's 13-7 win over the Giants.
Ohtani's blast was the start of the Dodgers' turnaround, and it was a big one, going 454 feet to center field. The superstar has four homers over 11 games in September and is up to 49 on the year, putting him on the verge of his second straight 50-homer campaign. Ohtani has added his usual excellence all around with a .282/.395/.612 slash line, 93 RBI, 134 runs scored, 18 stolen bases, 21 doubles and eight triples through 145 games as a batter this season.
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Moises Ballesteros C | CHC
Cubs' Moises Ballesteros: Clubs first big-league homer
Ballesteros went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, an additional run and a walk in Saturday's loss to the Rays.
Ballesteros achieved a big personal milestone in the second inning when he clubbed a solo homer for his first big-league long ball. This was just the second game for the rookie catcher since getting called up from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday. Ballesteros has gotten limited opportunities in the majors so far, but he's been productive when called upon, slashing .280/.357/.520 with eight RBI and three extra-base hits over 28 plate appearances.