MLB Player News
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Byron Buxton CF | MIN
Twins' Byron Buxton: Goes yard in win
Buxton went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 4-2 victory over the Rangers.
Buxton's hot stretch continued, as his solo homer in the sixth inning marked the 32-year-old's sixth long ball across his past nine appearances. It has been a superb season at the plate for the center fielder, as he's hitting .276/.335/.606 with 23 homers, 36 RBI, 48 runs and six stolen bases across 278 plate appearances. Of note, Buxton has dealt with some injuries this season, though none have necessitated a stint on the injured list, with him appearing in 62 of the Twins' 74 games.
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Josh Bell DH | MIN
Twins' Josh Bell: Blasts three-run homer in win
Bell went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in Monday's 4-2 victory over the Rangers.
Bell came to the plate with two runners on and two outs in the first inning and proceeded to golf a three-run homer off MacKenzie Gore to give the Twins an early lead. With a single added in the sixth inning, it marked the switch hitter's second consecutive multi-hit effort and fourth of the month. A strong June has improved Bell's overall numbers, though they remain fairly lackluster at .236/.289/.380 with eight homers, 13 doubles, 43 RBI, 34 runs and a stolen base across 71 appearances.
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Isaac Paredes 3B | HOU
Astros' Isaac Paredes: Reaches double-digit homers
Paredes went 1-for-1 with a two-run home run and two walks Monday in a loss to Detroit.
Paredes was one of two Astros to reach base multiple times in the defeat, and he put his team on the board with a two-run blast to left field in the third inning. It was a needed showing from the third baseman, who was stuck in a 1-for-21 rut over his past six games coming into Monday. Paredes is still slashing a modest .232/.341/.409 on the campaign, but he ranks third on the Astros in both homers (10) and RBI (35).
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Yoendrys Gomez RP | MIN
Twins' Yoendrys Gomez: Secures seventh save
Gomez picked up the save in Monday's 4-2 win over the Rangers. He allowed no hits or walks while striking out one over 1.1 innings.
Gomez entered with a two-run lead and two outs in the eighth inning and went on to convert a four-out save on 15 pitches without issue. It marked the seventh save of the season for the 26-year-old, who has emerged as the Twins' top option at closer. Since being traded from the Rays on May 6, Gomez has posted a 1.53 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 21:7 K:BB with six saves across 17.2 innings.
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Kai-Wei Teng RP | HOU
Astros' Kai-Wei Teng: Struggles again Monday
Teng (3-6) took the loss against Detroit on Monday, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out nine batters over 3.1 innings.
It's not often that a starter has dominant swing-and-miss stuff and still gets crushed, but that's exactly what happened to Teng on Monday. The right-hander racked up 14 whiffs on 81 pitches, and nine of the 10 outs he recorded came on strikeouts, but everything else about his line was ugly. Teng served up three long balls, hit two batters and logged his shortest start since becoming fully stretched out as part of the rotation. He seemed to be settling in as a starter over the second half of May, posting a 1.69 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over his final three starts of that month. However, the wheels have fallen off since the calendar turned to June. In three starts this month, Teng has allowed a whopping 17 runs (14 earned) across 12.1 frames.
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MacKenzie Gore SP | TEX
Rangers' MacKenzie Gore: Fans 10 in sixth loss
Gore (4-6) took the loss Monday, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks over seven innings against Minnesota. He struck out 10.
Gore struggled out of the gate, surrendering a three-run homer to Josh Bell in the first inning, but he was able to settle in and allow just one more run across the next six frames. The southpaw's 10 strikeouts marked a season high after he had previously topped out at nine punchouts on two occasions. Gore will carry a 4.27 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 86:35 K:BB across 78 innings (15 starts) into his next outing, tentatively scheduled for Sunday against San Diego.
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Drew Anderson RP | DET
Tigers' Drew Anderson: Fans five in short spot start
Anderson allowed one run on two hits and two walks while striking out five batters over 2.2 innings in a no-decision versus Houston on Monday.
Anderson opened what was essentially a bullpen game for the Tigers after Troy Melton was scratched due to a back issue. Anderson gave Detroit 59 pitches, though that got him through only 2.2 frames. The right-hander didn't have his best control, throwing just 34 of those 59 pitches for strikes, but he also logged nine whiffs and held the Astros to a lone run. Anderson will likely return to the bullpen moving forward, as both Casey Mize (adductor) and Justin Verlander (hip) appear to be on the verge of returning from stints on the injured list.
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Mike Paredes SP | MIN
Twins' Mike Paredes: Logs 4.2 innings in no-decision
Paredes did not factor into the decision Monday, allowing two runs on four hits, no walks and a hit batsman over 4.2 innings against the Rangers. He struck out two.
Paredes left with the Twins leading but fell one out shy of qualifying for the win. The right-hander generally did a solid job of keeping the Rangers' offense in check, though Joc Pederson got the better of him with a two-run shot in the third inning. Paredes has now made two starts and two relief appearances, with Monday's start representing his longest outing to date, though each of the four appearances has lasted at least three innings. Across 15 frames, the 25-year-old owns a 4.20 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 10:6 K:BB with the big-league club this season. If Minnesota opts to keep Paredes in the rotation and continue building up his workload, his next start lines up for Sunday against Arizona.
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Troy Melton SP | DET
Tigers' Troy Melton: Hoping to avoid IL
Melton is optimistic about avoiding a stint on the 15-day injured list after being scratched from Monday's scheduled start against Houston due to lower-back tightness, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Melton mentioned that he's not quite sure what caused his back to tighten up, but he's hopeful that the issue will clear up shortly. The club will presumably monitor him closely over the next few days to determine when he can make his next start.
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Spencer Torkelson 1B | DET
Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Blasts 12th home run Monday
Torkelson went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Monday's 9-3 win over the Astros.
Torkelson had a three-true-outcomes night, as he struck out in his other three at-bats outside of his walk and home run. It's a pretty typical stat line for the slugger, who is batting just .210 this season but has gone deep four times in his last nine games to get to 12 long balls overall. While Torkelson can be a streaky player who is prone to slumps, his power keeps him relevant in most fantasy formats.