MLB Player News
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Josh Naylor 1B | SEA
Indians' Josh Naylor: Three-hit effort Friday
Naylor went 3-for-4 with a double and two singles in Friday's 10-3 loss to the Reds.
Naylor was effective at the plate, but he couldn't drive in any runs or score in the contest. The right fielder/first baseman is slashing .273/.289/.364 with no homers, no RBI, three runs scored and no stolen bases in 12 games. He's likely to see most of the playing time in right field, although Franmil Reyes or Jordan Luplow are also in the mix at the position.
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Rowdy Tellez 1B | ATL
Blue Jays' Rowdy Tellez: Not starting Game 1
Tellez isn't starting Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against Kansas City.
Tellez had recorded hits in each of the last four games and went 6-for-16 with a home run, three runs and two RBI during that time. However, Alejandro Kirk will serve as the designated hitter for Saturday's matinee, batting sixth.
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Evan White 1B | LAA
Mariners' Evan White: Clubs first homer
White went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a victory over Houston on Friday.
White's first long ball of the season was a big one, as it tied the game in the bottom of the eighth. Seattle then went on to win the contest in the ninth inning on a Ty France single. White has struggled with a .194/.265/.355 slash line this season, but he'll look to build upon his big hit Friday going forward.
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Matt Olson 1B | ATL
Athletics' Matt Olson: Smashes solo home run
Olson went 1-for-4 with a solo homer, two walks and two runs in Thursday's win over the Tigers.
The 27-year-old smashed his second home run of the year off Buck Farmer in the fifth inning. Olson is currently slashing .235/.357/.441 -- an improvement over last season's miserable .195/.310/.424 line, but still a far cry from what we saw from him in the last three full MLB campaigns. That said, he's trimmed his strikeout rate and is still drawing walks at a healthy clip, so there's cause for optimism here.
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 1B | TOR
Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero: Crushes monster home run
Guerrero went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and two runs in a loss to the Royals on Thursday.
He smoked a solo shot off Kyle Zimmer in the seventh inning, launching the ball a whopping 456 feet. It was the third of the year for the prodigal 22-year-old, who's currently slashing .413/.526/.674 in 2021. He's picked up multiple hits in six of the last eight games, a span in which he's driven home eight runs.
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Alex Kirilloff LF | MIN
Twins' Alex Kirilloff: Sent back down
Kirilloff was returned to the Twins' alternate training site Thursday.
Kirilloff made his regular-season debut for the Twins as the 27th man for Wednesday's doubleheader against Boston and went 0-for-3 with a strikeout while appearing in both games of the twin bill. The 23-year-old could return to the major-league club on a more long-term basis in the near future, but he'll head back to the team's alternate camp in St. Paul for now.
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Matt Olson 1B | ATL
Athletics' Matt Olson: Returns to lineup
Olson (thumb) is starting Thursday's game against the Tigers.
Olson sat out Tuesday's series finale against the Diamondbacks due to a bruised left thumb, but he'll start at first base and bat fifth against Detroit on Thursday. He's off to a cold start this season, slashing .226/.324/.355 with a home run and six RBI in nine games.
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Yuli Gurriel DH | SD
Astros' Yuli Gurriel: Reaches base four times
Gurriel went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and two walks in Wednesday's 6-4 loss to Detroit.
The first baseman continued his phenomenal start to 2021, as he now boasts a .429 average with five RBI, 11 walks and only four strikeouts. Gurriel appears to have returned to form after an underwhelming 2020 campaign, again resembling the player who hit .298 with 31 homers two years ago. The 36-year-old has long gone under the radar as a strong offensive contributor, largely due to sharing a lineup with the likes of Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa, among others, but if the first two weeks are any indication, Gurriel is on his way to a stellar offensive campaign.
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Evan White 1B | LAA
Mariners' Evan White: Remains on bench
White will sit for the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Orioles.
White was sidelined for three games last week while dealing with a quadriceps issue. He returned to start the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday before sitting for the nightcap. It's likely that he'll return to the lineup for the evening game this time around.
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Nate Lowe DH | CIN
Rangers' Nate Lowe: Snaps out of slump
Lowe went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Rays.
Lowe smacked three home runs in his first five games with the Rangers, but he collected just one hit in his next 21 at-bats prior to the Wednesday's game. He snapped that cold spell by crushing a leadoff homer in the second inning for his fourth long ball of the season. Lowe also missed a golden opportunity for more production four frames later by grounding into a double play with the bases loaded and no outs. Through 50 plate appearances this season, Lowe is hitting .239/.300/.522 with four home runs, 15 RBI and six runs scored. However, to maintain that level of production, he'll need to cut back on his 36 percent strikeout rate.