MLB Player News
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Oneil Cruz SS | PIT
Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Smacks 444-foot homer
Cruz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 3-2 win over the Marlins.
Cruz took Valente Bellozo deep to center in the first inning for his 19th blast of the season, which came off his bat at 113.7 mph. It was Cruz's first homer since August ninth, ending a career-long streak of 26 games without a home run. Cruz hit his sixth home run of 440 feet or more this season, which is tied for the third most in MLB. The 25-year-old has an average home run distance of 421.3 feet this season, trailing only Jorge Soler among players with 10 or more homers.
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Isiah Kiner-Falefa SS | PIT
Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Not starting Monday
Kiner-Falefa is absent from Monday's lineup against the Marlins.
Kiner-Falefa will hit the bench after he started each of the Pirates' last four games against the Nationals, going 5-for-18 with four runs scored and two RBI. Alika Williams gets the start at shortstop and bats ninth in Kiner-Falefa's stead.
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C.J. Abrams SS | WAS
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Swats 19th homer
Abrams went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's loss to the Pirates.
The shortstop led off the game by taking Jared Jones deep, but it was the last lead the Nationals would hold on the afternoon in a 7-3 loss. The homer was the 19th of the year for Abrams, a new career high, and he's tied the career-high 64 RBI he collected last year. The 23-year-old's overall offensive profile hasn't taken the step forward expected of him in 2024, however -- his .238/.307/.422 slash line is nearly identical to his .245/.300/.412 performance from 2023, and Abrams has fallen from 47 steals in 51 attempts to 28 in 40.
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Xavier Edwards SS | MIA
Marlins' Xavier Edwards: Pilfers bag No. 25
Edwards went 0-for-2 with a walk, a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Sunday's rout of the Phillies.
Even without collecting a hit, Edwards still made a contribution from the leadoff spot in a 10-1 win. The switch-hitting shortstop is up to 25 steals on the season in only 53 big-league games, including three in the last two contests, and he's slashing an impressive .325/.399/.401 with one homer, 19 RBI and 29 runs.
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Ha-seong Kim SS | SD
Padres' Ha-Seong Kim: Progress stalled
Padres manager Mike Shildt said Sunday that Kim (shoulder) is "not as close as we'd like" to returning, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Working his way back from right shoulder inflammation, Kim felt continued discomfort Saturday when he attempted to ramp up his throwing. Shildt described it as "not necessarily a setback," but "it just wasn't a move forward." The team initially had hoped Kim would need just a minimum stay on the 10-day injured list, but he's already missed three weeks of action and doesn't appear close to returning. The situation has the Padres re-evaluating their options at shortstop, one of which is returning Xander Bogaerts to his old position.
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Miguel Rojas SS | LAD
Dodgers' Miguel Rojas: Out of Sunday's lineup
Rojas is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Rojas started the last five games and will receive a day off after going 4-for-17 with two walks and two RBI during that span. Tommy Edman will shift to shortstop while Kevin Kiermaier receives a start in center field.
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Oneil Cruz SS | PIT
Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Out of Sunday's lineup
Cruz is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Cruz will head to the bench after a run of 22 straight starts, during which he batted .313 with nine extra-base hits, nine steals, 10 RBI and nine runs. Michael Taylor is receiving a look in center field for the series finale versus Washington.
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Edmundo Sosa SS | PHI
Phillies' Edmundo Sosa: Lands on injured list
The Phillies placed Sosa on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to back spasms.
The 28-year-old had seen an uptick in playing time after Alec Bohm (hand) landed on the IL, but Sosa is now dealing with his own injury. It's unclear how long he's expected to be sidelined, but Sosa will be eligible to be reinstated Sept. 17.
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Mookie Betts SS | LAD
Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Goes deep Saturday
Betts went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run in Saturday's 7-2 win against the Guardians.
Betts scored Los Angeles' first run of the game after drawing a walk in the first frame. He added a solo shot in the fourth for the final run of the contest. Betts has reached base safely via hit or walk in 13 consecutive games and is slashing .348/.418/.696 with four homers, 16 RBI, 12 runs and four stolen bases over that stretch.
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Xavier Edwards SS | MIA
Marlins' Xavier Edwards: Swipes two bags in win
Edwards went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two stolen bases in Saturday's 9-5 win over the Phillies.
The breakout shortstop made an impact once again for the Marlins from the leadoff spot. The steals were the first for Edwards since he returned from the IL on Sept. 3, and in 52 big-league games this season he's gone 24-for-26 on the basepaths while slashing .328/.402/.405 with one homer, 18 RBI and 28 runs.