MLB Player News
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Spencer Torkelson 1B | DET
Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Back in action for series finale
Torkelson (head) will start at first base and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Royals.
The prized rookie was hit in the head by a pitch in Friday's series opener and sat out Saturday's 4-3 win as a result, but he apparently passed all concussion tests in advance of Sunday's contest and will reclaim his spot in the lineup. Torkelson closed June with a .167/.224/.205 slash line and hasn't demonstrated the improvement the Tigers were counting on after what had been an already rough start to his big-league career.
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Kole Calhoun 1B | CLE
Rangers' Kole Calhoun: Blasts two homers Saturday
Calhoun went 2-for-4 with two home runs in Saturday's 7-3 win against the Mets.
Calhoun's first long ball was a three-run shot that gave Texas its first lead in the second inning, and he added on to that with a solo homer in the fourth. Prior to Saturday, the veteran outfielder had been mired in a power drought, going deep just once over his previous 29 games. Calhoun has been a streaky hitter throughout his career, so he's worth keeping an eye on to see if Saturday's performance is the start of another hot period.
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Josh Naylor 1B | SEA
Guardians' Josh Naylor: Four hits across twin bill
Naylor went 4-for-8 with a solo home run across both halves of Saturday's doubleheader versus the Yankees.
Naylor's homer came in the second inning of the matinee, while his other three hits Saturday were singles. He's posted five multi-hit efforts in his last 15 games, batting .298 (17-for-57) in that span. For the season, the 25-year-old is up to a .273/.327/.495 slash line with 10 homers, 42 RBI, 23 runs scored, a stolen base and 13 doubles through 53 contests. He's still limited to the strong side of platoon at first base, but he's doing well with the playing time he's earned.
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Anthony Rizzo 1B | NYY
Yankees' Anthony Rizzo: Swats homer in win
Rizzo went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in a 6-1 win over the Guardians in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader.
Rizzo got the Yankees on the board with a fourth-inning blast. The first baseman has hit safely in three of the last four games after enduring a brutal 0-for-18 skid near the end of June. He's slashing .225/.338/.513 with 22 homers, 52 RBI, 47 runs scored, six stolen bases and 10 doubles through 76 contests, and he's received a couple of breathers lately to reset as he looks to get back in a rhythm at the plate.
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Kody Clemens 1B | MIN
Tigers' Kody Clemens: Starting Saturday
Clemens is starting at first base and batting eighth in Saturday's game against the Royals.
Spencer Torkelson was hit in the head by a pitch Friday, so he'll get at least Saturday's contest off. If Torkelson has to miss more time, Clemens could get an extended look at first, though Harold Castro could also enter the lineup more frequently.
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Spencer Torkelson 1B | DET
Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Not in Saturday's lineup
Torkelson (head) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Royals.
Torkelson was removed from Friday's game against Kansas City after he was hit in the head by a pitch, and he'll be out of the lineup for at least one additional matchup. It's not clear whether he'll be available off the bench, but Kody Clemens will start at first base and bat eighth.
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Gabriel Arias SS | CLE
Guardians' Gabriel Arias: Recalled by Guardians
Arias was recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Saturday.
Arias made his major-league debut in April and went 1-for-8 with two runs, an RBI and three strikeouts. He missed a month and a half of game action due to a broken hand that required surgery, but he should provide depth for the Guardians after Oscar Gonzalez (abdomen) was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday.
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Yuli Gurriel DH | SD
Astros' Yuli Gurriel: Records seventh home run
Gurriel went 1-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and two runs scored Friday against the Angels.
Gurriel led off the second inning with his seventh home run of the season, and he came around to score one frame later after earning a one-out walk. He still owns a subpar .227/.280/.396 line for the season, but Gurriel has hit .333 with a pair of long balls, four RBI and five runs scored across his last eight games.
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Anthony Rizzo 1B | NYY
Yankees' Anthony Rizzo: Not in lineup for matinee
Rizzo isn't starting the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against Cleveland.
Rizzo went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, a walk and a strikeout in Thursday's loss to Houston, but he'll take a seat for the second time in the last three games. Aaron Judge is serving as the designated hitter while Matt Carpenter starts at first base.
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Nate Lowe 1B | CIN
Rangers' Nathaniel Lowe: Homers in loss
Lowe went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Mets.
Lowe swatted his 11th homer in 70 games, which puts him on a pace to surpass the 18 he hit over 157 games in 2021. The increased power is no fluke. Lowe's launch angle increased from 5.0 to 8.8 from last season to 2022, while the first baseman is hitting more line drives (30%, up from 21%) and fewer groundballs (46%, down from 55%). Lowe's coming off a banner June, during which he posted a slash of .307/.346/.564 with seven home runs, 16 RBI and 14 runs scored.