MLB Player News
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Darren Baker 2B | CHW
Nationals' Darren Baker: Receives call-up
The Nationals selected Baker's contract from Triple-A Rochester on Sunday.
The son of longtime manager and former MLB outfielder Dusty Baker, Darren will get his first taste of the big leagues at age 25. The left-handed Baker lacks power (no home runs in 483 plate appearances at Triple-A), but he makes good contact (18.8 percent strikeout rate, .285 average) and brings speed to the table (38 steals in 43 attempts). He'll serve in a utility role for the Nationals in September and saw action at second base, left field and center field for the Triple-A club this season.
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Ceddanne Rafaela CF | BOS
Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela: Taking seat Sunday
Rafaela is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
Rafaela started the previous five games but will sit Sunday after going 2-for-16 with a double and a homer during that span. Nick Sogard will receive a start at shortstop while Romy Gonzalez mans the keystone.
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Dylan Moore 2B | TEX
Mariners' Dylan Moore: Productive in Saturday's loss
Moore went 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and a run in a loss to the Angels on Saturday.
The veteran slotted in at the keystone and delivered his second double in the last three games as part of his first multi-hit effort since Aug. 9. Moore also recorded his career-high 28th steal following his fourth-inning single, allowing him to close out August with an impressive eight pilfers in 11 attempts across 23 games. Moore's defensive versatility and above-average pop should continue affording him near-everyday playing time during the final month of the regular season.
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Bobby Witt SS | KC
Royals' Bobby Witt: Slugs 29th homer
Witt went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's loss to Houston.
Witt hit a solo shot in the eighth inning for the final run of the contest. It was his 29th long ball of the season, moving him to within one homer of reaching 30 for the second consecutive campaign. In 28 games during August, Witt batted .310 (35-for-113) with 10 home runs, 20 RBI, 25 runs and three stolen bases.
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Jose Caballero 2B | NYY
Rays' Jose Caballero: Drives in four
Caballero went 2-for-5 with four RBI on Saturday against the Padres.
Caballero drove in runs in three of his five plate appearances, highlighted by a two-RBI single in the fourth inning. He's started nine of the Rays' last 10 games at a combination of second base, third base and shortstop, and in that time, Caballero has gone 7-for-37 with three doubles, seven RBI and two stolen bases.
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Mookie Betts RF | LAD
Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Homers in Saturday's win
Betts went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Saturday's 8-6 win over the Diamondbacks.
Betts has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games, but he has just one multi-hit effort in that span, going 9-for-40 (.225) with two homers, three doubles and 11 RBI. He had the second of three straight long balls to open the game for the Dodgers on Saturday. Betts is slashing .297/.390/.490 with 14 homers, 55 RBI, 61 runs scored and 13 stolen bases over 90 contests this season, and while his power production is slightly down, he's still been one of the most reliable hitters in the game when healthy.
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Willy Adames SS | SF
Brewers' Willy Adames: Keeps rolling Saturday
Adames went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run, a walk, a stolen base and an additional run scored in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Reds.
During his nine-game hitting streak, the shortstop has gone 13-for-36 (.361) with five homers, 10 RBI and two steals. This was his third straight game with a long ball, though playing at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park for this weekend's series is a big help. Adames is up to 27 homers, 95 RBI, 81 runs scored, 15 steals and 28 doubles while slashing .256/.340/.467 through 136 contests. He's on track for a career year in most of the counting stats.
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Edmundo Sosa 3B | PHI
Phillies' Edmundo Sosa: Steps up in win
Sosa went 2-for-2 with a solo home run, an RBI double and a walk in Saturday's 3-0 win over Atlanta.
Sosa had gone 0-for-11 over the last six games before a big effort Saturday. He opened the scoring with his solo shot in the third inning and tacked on Philadelphia's last run in the seventh. The infielder has been a reliable depth option this year with a .269/.320/.448 slash line, seven homers, 29 RBI, 32 runs scored, 11 doubles, four triples and seven stolen bases over 241 plate appearances. Sosa has a short-term path to playing time while Alec Bohm sits with left hand soreness, but the former is likely to be limited to a short-side platoon role when the Phillies are at full health.
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Trea Turner SS | PHI
Phillies' Trea Turner: Homers in win
Turner went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 3-0 win over Atlanta.
Turner made decent contact in August, going 28-for-112 (.250) over 27 contests for the month, but just eight of those hits went for extra bases. This homer was his fourth over the last 38 games, matching the amount of long balls he hit in the week before the All-Star break. The shortstop is now at a .299/.343/.462 slash line with 15 homers, 48 RBI, 70 runs scored, 14 stolen bases and 20 doubles over 95 contests this season.
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Ha-seong Kim 2B | ATL
Padres' Ha-Seong Kim: Not yet throwing across diamond
Kim (shoulder) is taking live at-bats at San Diego's spring-training complex in Arizona and has also been playing catch, taking grounders and swinging in the batting cage; however, he's not yet throwing across the diamond, per MLB.com.
Kim landed on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation Aug. 20 and is already eligible to be activated. While his ability to engage in a variety of baseball activities is promising, the fact that the Padres have thus far kept Kim from making throws to first base suggests that he still has a major hurdle to clear. Mason McCoy has been getting the majority of the starts at shortstop for San Diego while Kim has been sidelined.