Naylor was traded from the Guardians to the Diamondbacks on Saturday in exchange for right-handed pitcher Slade Cecconi and a competitive balance Round B draft pick, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Arizona needed a first baseman after Christian Walker signed with Houston on Friday, and Naylor should be slated to fill an everyday role for his new team. The 27-year-old tallied career-best marks with 31 home runs, 108 RBI and 84 runs over 632 plate appearances during the 2024 regular season while slashing .243/.320/.456 over 632 plate appearances. Naylor's batting average was a big drop-off from 2023, when he hit .308, but he finished as one of 14 big leaguers with 30-plus homers and 100-plus RBI. Naylor is in his final season of team control and can be a free agent at the end of the 2025 campaign.
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Guardians' Josh Naylor: Belts two long balls Wednesday
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Naylor went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs and an additional run in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-inning win against the Twins.
Naylor got to Minnesota starter Bailey Ober twice, touching up the right-hander for solo shots in the second and seventh frames. The power display ended a 13-game homerless drought for the first baseman and marked his third multi-homer performance of the campaign. Naylor is up 31 home runs and 105 RBI on the season, both of which are career highs.
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Guardians' Josh Naylor: Hitless in return
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Naylor (back) went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts Friday against the Dodgers.
He exited Tuesday's game with an acute back spasm but only missed a few days. Naylor has been locked into the four hole against righties and the five hole against lefties while slashing .245/.324/.426 with four home runs and one steal over his last 25 games.
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Guardians' Josh Naylor: Not in Wednesday's lineup
Rotowire
Naylor (back) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Kansas City.
Naylor had to be lifted from Tuesday's game with an acute back spasm and is considered day-to-day. With a team off day Thursday, he will hope to be back in there for Friday's series opener against the Dodgers. Kyle Manzardo will man first base Wednesday versus the Royals.
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Guardians' Josh Naylor: Exits with acute back spasm
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Naylor left Tuesday's game versus the Royals with an acute back spasm, Joe Noga of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Naylor went 1-for-4 but exited in the eighth inning, with Jhonkensy Noel replacing him as a pinch runner and staying in the game at first base. Noel could see time at first base if Naylor is unable to play in Wednesday's series finale. Naylor has mostly avoided injuries this year, missing time with general soreness in late July.
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Guardians' Josh Naylor: Homers, swipes bag in win
Rotowire
Naylor went 2-for-4 with a double, a two-run homer and a stolen base in Monday's 4-2 win over the Royals.
Naylor took reliever Kris Bubic deep in the sixth inning for his 29th home run of the season. Naylor reached 100 RBI for the first time in his career with the long ball. The 27-year-old now joins Aaron Judge and teammate Jose Ramirez as the only three players this season to eclipse the century mark. Naylor has multi-hit efforts in four of his last five games following a 10-game stretch during which he went 2-for-35.
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Guardians' Josh Naylor: In Saturday's lineup as DH
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Naylor (ankle) will serve as the designated hitter and bat cleanup against the Pirates on Saturday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
A bruised left ankle forced Naylor from Friday's game, but apparently he'll be able to tough it out with the help of the DH tag. He was in the midst of a brutally cold stretch in mid-to-late August, but Naylor has turned it on recently with six hits in his last two games.
Naylor was removed from Friday's game against the Pirates with a left ankle bruise, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
Naylor seemed to roll his ankle as he hit an RBI single into right field during the eighth inning, causing Tyler Freeman to replace him as a pinch runner. He was diagnosed with an ankle contusion shortly after the game, so he appears to have avoided a serious injury. It's unclear if he'll be available for Saturday's contest.
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Guardians' Josh Naylor: Three hits, two RBI in win
Rotowire
Naylor went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 7-5 win over the Royals.
Naylor plated a run in the first inning on a fielder's choice before adding an RBI single in the seventh as part of a four-run frame. This was his first multi-hit effort since Aug. 12 -- over 14 games in between, he hit a paltry .100 with two home runs and five RBI. The first baseman is at a .237/.319/.460 slash line with 28 homers, 94 RBI, 72 runs scored, 20 doubles and five stolen bases over 126 contests this season.
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Guardians' Josh Naylor: Homers in Saturday's win
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Naylor went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, an additional RBI, one walk and two total runs scored in Saturday's 13-5 win over the Rangers.
Naylor entered Saturday stuck in an 0-for-18 slump. He extended it with a groundout in the first inning that generated a run, and then he finally put it to rest with a sixth-inning homer. The first baseman is batting .222 (18-for-81) over 22 contests in August, though he's helped offset his struggles in the average department by drawing 11 walks and driving in 17 runs in that span. For the year, Naylor has 28 homers, 91 RBI, 71 runs scored, five stolen bases and a .238/.319/.469 slash line through 121 games.
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Guardians' Josh Naylor: Launches homer in loss
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Naylor went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Brewers.
Naylor's fourth-inning blast was the Guardians' lone run, briefly tying the game at 1-1 before William Contreras responded with a solo shot of his own a half-inning later. Through 16 games in August, Naylor has batted .283 (17-for-60) with four homers and 15 RBI. The first baseman is slashing .247/.326/.482 with 27 homers, 89 RBI, 69 runs scored, 19 doubles and five stolen bases through 115 contests overall. He hasn't missed a game since sitting out for three contests due to general soreness in late July.
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Guardians' Josh Naylor: Delivers only offense in nightcap
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Naylor went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in a 6-3 loss to the Twins during the second game of Friday's doubleheader.
Naylor put the Guardians ahead 3-2 in the fifth inning, but Minnesota shot right back with a Matt Wallner three-run blast in the bottom of the frame. In the matinee, a 4-2 loss for Cleveland, Naylor was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. The first baseman has four homers and 12 RBI over his last 10 games, going 10-for-38 (.263) in that span. Overall, he has 26 homers, 85 RBI, 66 runs scored, 18 doubles, five stolen bases and a .243/.322/.484 slash line through 108 games this season.
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Guardians' Josh Naylor: Reaches 25-homer mark
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Naylor went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 7-3 loss to the Diamondbacks in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader.
Naylor reached the 25-homer mark with his fifth-inning solo shot. The first baseman also played in the second game, going 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Naylor had some cold stretches in July, but he's gone 13-for-40 (.325) with five extra-base hits and 11 RBI over his last 11 contests. For the year, he's slashing .246/.326/.483 with 82 RBI, 65 runs scored, five stolen bases and 18 doubles over 106 games.
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Guardians' Josh Naylor: Lifts three-run homer
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Naylor went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run during Sunday's 9-5 loss to Baltimore.
Naylor extended his hit streak to eight games Sunday, tagging Corbin Burnes for a three-run shot in the fifth inning. During that stretch, Naylor is 12-for-29 with two homers, nine RBI and seven runs scored. The first baseman has 24 long balls on the year and a .250/.329/.487 slash line across 430 plate appearances.
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Guardians' Josh Naylor: Knocks three hits
Rotowire
Naylor went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Friday's win over Baltimore.
Naylor singled and scored in the second inning before drilling a two-run double in the fifth. After an extended lull for most of July, he's gone 9-for-18 (.500) over his last five games. While he's already gone deep a career-high 23 times, he has just one home run over his last 15 games. Naylor is slashing .250/.330/.484 with 77 RBI through 101 games this season.
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Guardians' Josh Naylor: Cranks 23rd homer
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Naylor went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Tigers.
Naylor opened the scoring in the fourth inning, launching a 3-2 pitch from Alex Faedo for his 23rd homer of the year. Naylor's gone 3-for-8 with a pair of RBI in his last two games after missing the Guardians' previous three contests with "general soreness". Overall, the 27-year-old Naylor is slashing .241/.320/.477 through 413 plate appearances this season with 74 RBI, 58 runs scored and five stolen bases.
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Guardians' Josh Naylor: Available off bench Sunday
Rotowire
Naylor (undisclosed) is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Phillies.
Manager Stephen Vogt said Naylor was "beat up" and given a few days to recover from his various ailments, though he is available off the bench for the series finale Sunday, per Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Over his last 10 outings, Naylor has gone 5-for-34 with two RBI, four walks and seven strikeouts. David Fry will start at first base and bat in the cleanup spot.
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Guardians' Josh Naylor: Out of lineup Saturday
Rotowire
Naylor is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Phillies.
Naylor will sit for a second straight game. He went 2-for-9 with one RBI and two walks in the Guardians' three-game series against the Tigers, and for the month of July he has a .665 OPS across 76 plate appearances. Jhonkensy Noel will start at first base Saturday and bat eighth against Phillies right-hander Tyler Phillips.
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Guardians' Josh Naylor: Not in Friday's lineup
Rotowire
Naylor is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Phillies.
Naylor started the previous 10 games but will sit Friday after he went 5-for-34 with one extra-base hit during that stretch. Jhonkensy Noel will start at first base against Philadelphia lefty Cristopher Sanchez.
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Guardians' Josh Naylor: Drives in winning run
Rotowire
Naylor went 1-for-3 with a walk, one RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Tigers.
Naylor's RBI single in the eighth inning was the decisive play in this contest. The first baseman has been a bit lacking in highlight moments in July, batting a poor .215 (14-for-65) with 11 RBI through 18 games this month. For the season, he's slashing .237/.319/.469 with 22 home runs, 72 RBI, 55 runs scored, five steals and 16 doubles through 401 plate appearances.
