MLB Player News

Naylor went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to St. Louis.

Naylor closed the deficit to one run in the seventh inning with a two-run double. Those were the first RBI of the season for the catcher, who entered the game batting .143. Based on his strong finish to the 2025 season, when Naylor was a key driver (.862 OPS, 16 RBI) in a September push for the playoffs, the Guardians expected him to take a leap in 2026, but that's yet to come to fruition.

Yesavage (shoulder) gave up three earned runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out five batters across 4.1 innings during his rehab start at Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday.

Although Yesavage was roughed up a bit, manager John Schneider said the 22-year-old righty "looked like himself" Wednesday while averaging 93.3 miles per hour with his fastball, per Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca. He threw 71 pitches (42 strikes) in what is expected to be his final rehab start before coming off the injured list. Yesavage appears on track to make his season debut during next week's road series versus the Angels.

Valera started in left field and went 1-for-2 with a double in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Cardinals.

Valera started a second consecutive game since being activated off the injured list Monday. Both starts have come against right-handers, and the outfielder was pinch hit for in the seventh inning of Wednesday's contest when he was about to face a left-hander. Valera is 2-for-6 with a pair of doubles and RBI in his two games.

Woods Richardson (0-3) took the loss Wednesday as the Twins fell 9-5 to the Red Sox, surrendering seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out three.

A three-run homer by Trevor Story in the third inning was the biggest blow, and Woods Richardson didn't get a lot of help from his defense, but he dealt with traffic on the basepaths in every frame before mercifully getting the hook after 92 pitches (57 strikes). The right-hander has been tagged for 12 runs (11 earned) over his last two outings, and he'll carry a 6.10 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 11:7 K:BB through 20.2 innings into his next start, which is set to come on the road next week against the Mets.

Story went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a home run and five RBI in Wednesday's 9-5 win over the Twins.

The veteran shortstop capped a five-run third inning with a three-run shot off Simeon Woods Richardson before adding a two-run double in the sixth. The long ball was Story's first in April and second of the season, and while he had a sluggish start to the campaign, he appears to have found his groove -- over the last nine games he's batting .314 (11-for-35) with a whopping 15 RBI.

Kiner-Falefa started at third base and went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Wednesday's 9-5 win over the Twins.

Kiner-Falefa, who filled in for the resting Caleb Durbin, made a second consecutive start. His start Tuesday came at second base against a left-hander as part of a platoon role with Marcelo Mayer. Kiner-Falefa's playing time has been sporadic, and he's largely failed to take advantage of those opportunities with a .222/.300/.222 slash line in 20 plate appearances.

Early (1-0) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing one run on two hits and two walks over six innings in a 9-5 victory over the Twins. He struck out five.

The young southpaw delivered his first quality start of the season along with his first win, and the only blemish on his line was a first-inning solo shot by Austin Martin. Early tossed 52 of his 85 pitches for strikes, and he has yet to give up more than two runs in an outing in 2026. He'll take a 2.29 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 20:10 K:BB through 19.2 innings into his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come at home early next week against the Yankees.

Church went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Guardians.

He also made an impact defensively, recording an outfield assist as Kyle Manzardo was thrown out at home plate in the fourth inning after a George Valera double got over Church's head. The steal was Church's first of the season -- part of a 4-for-4 performance on the basepaths by the Cardinals against the battery of Slade Cecconi and Bo Naylor -- and the multi-hit effort was his first since Opening Day. Despite the big afternoon, however, the 25-year-old Church is slashing just .205/.238/.308 through 16 games on the season.

Monasterio started at first base and went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 9-5 win over Minnesota.

Monasterio, who stepped in at first base Tuesday when Willson Contreras was removed due to a back issue, started there Wednesday. The three-hit day was the first multi-hit effort of the season for Monasterio, who entered the contest batting .143 (2-for-14) in limited playing time. The Red Sox are off Thursday, which gives Contreras downtime ahead of the four-game set with the Tigers begins Friday.

Burger isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics.

Burger will get a day to rest Wednesday after going 3-for-8 with two homers and five RBI through the first two games of the series. Joc Pederson will fill in for him at first base, moving Wyatt Langford into the DH spot while Ezequiel Duran patrols left field.