MLB Player News
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Dee Strange-Gordon SS | WAS
Mariners' Dee Gordon: Receives day off Saturday
Gordon is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Angels, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.
Gordon has started all but one game thus far in 2018, so this appears to just be a day of rest for the speedster. Guillermo Heredia takes over in center field as left-hander Tyler Skaggs is on the mound for the Angels.
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Aledmys Diaz 1B | HOU
Blue Jays' Aledmys Diaz: Goes yard again Friday
Diaz went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-2 loss to the Rays.
The homer was his sixth of the season and second in as many days. Despite his current power display, Diaz hasn't had a multi-hit game since April 17, dragging his slash line down to .196/.257/.412 on the season. Once his .173 BABIP begins regressing back towards his .285 career mark, however, Diaz's overall numbers should rise.
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Joey Wendle 2B | ATL
Rays' Joey Wendle: Sits against lefty
Wendle is not in the lineup Friday as the Rays take on J.A. Happ and the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Wendle and Daniel Robertson have platooned at second base all year, with Wendle starting against all righties and Robertson starting against all lefties (as well as starting elsewhere occasionally against righties). Wendle is off to a strong start at the plate, hitting .316/.376/.474 through 85 plate appearances, though his .383 BABIP points toward lower base-line skills.
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Jorge Mateo SS | ATL
Athletics' Jorge Mateo: Enjoys best game of season
Mateo collected four hits -- including his first two home runs of the season -- before Triple-A Nashville's game against Colorado Springs on Thursday was suspended in the eighth inning, Kelsie Heneghan of MiLB.com reports.
Nashville and Colorado Springs won't finish the halted game until Aug. 9, so Mateo's excellent production won't be included on his season stat line until that date. It was easily the best performance of 2018 for Mateo, who had recorded just five hits in 60 at-bats over his prior 15 games to leave his season batting line at .165/.206/.231 through 97 plate appearances. The low on-base percentage has prevented Mateo from regularly putting his premium speed on display, with the shortstop having been limited to four steals (on seven attempts) thus far.
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Carlos Correa SS | HOU
Astros' Carlos Correa: Leads Astros in RBI
Correa went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 6-5 loss to the Yankees.
Like many of his teammates, Correa's bat went quiet during the four-game set against the Yankees, but he salvaged some success with his fifth home run of the season in the eighth inning, a 446-foot shot measuring as the longest one hit at Minute Maid Park in 2018. It ended an 11-game streak without a homer. As one might expect from a third or fourth place hitter in a stacked lineup, Correa leads the Astros with 22 RBI, ranking him 17th in MLB.
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Dee Strange-Gordon SS | WAS
Mariners' Dee Gordon: Stays hot against Oakland
Gordon went 3-for-4 with two runs and a pair of steals in Seattle's 4-1 victory over Oakland on Thursday.
Gordon has been nothing short of dynamic to start his first year with the Mariners and he's been scorching hot of late, as he's now bagged an absurd 16 hits in his last 23 at-bats to bring his average up to .355. He's continued to wreak his customary level of havoc on the basepaths, too, with the pair of steals on Thursday bringing his season total up to 14 on 16 attempts.
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Francisco Lindor SS | NYM
Indians' Francisco Lindor: Continues to heat up
Lindor went 2-for-6 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in the second game of a doubleheader Thursday against the Jays.
Lindor had a huge offensive day Thursday, combining to go 5-for-12 with two home runs and six RBI across the doubleheader. He now has five consecutive multi-hit games and has seen has average rise from .245 to .278 in that span.
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Aledmys Diaz 1B | HOU
Blue Jays' Aledmys Diaz: Homers Thursday
Diaz went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Thursday against the Indians.
Diaz blasted his fifth home run of the season in the eighth inning off Adam Plutko and was one of the few bright spots for the Blue Jays in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader. Diaz has batted an ugly .191/.255/.383 despite only a 15.8 strikeout rate, caused at least in part by a 20.7 infield flyball rate. That has plagued him throughout both his minor and major league career, so there should be limited expectation that it can be corrected. As a result, his performance will be hurt and he could be in line to lose playing time with Josh Donaldson returning to the lineup.
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Aledmys Diaz 1B | HOU
Blue Jays' Aledmys Diaz: Out of Game 1 lineup Thursday
Diaz is not in the lineup for Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader against Cleveland, Mike Wilner of BlueJaysTalk reports.
Diaz will retreat to the bench after making six straight starts, though he could be in line for a reduced role now that Josh Donaldson (shoulder) is back from the disabled list. Through 27 appearances this season, Diaz is hitting just .191/.242/.360 with four home runs and 10 RBI. Manager John Gibbons will likely try to keep Lourdes Gurriel and Yangervis Solarte in the regular lineup, so unless Diaz begins to figure things out at the plate, he could be in store for more of a reserve role moving forward.