MLB Player News
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Rowdy Tellez 1B | ATL
Blue Jays' Rowdy Tellez: Smokes third homer
Tellez went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a second run scored in Friday's win over the Rays.
Sahlen Field in Buffalo is suddenly playing like a bandbox, with the Jays clubbing 13 homers over their last two games, and Tellez has two of them. The 25-year-old still has a mediocre .227/.300/.500 slash line with three home runs and nine RBI in 12 games, but if Tellez keeps slugging, manager Charlie Montoyo may have little choice but to give him more consistent playing time.
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Ryan O'Hearn RF | PIT
Royals' Ryan O'Hearn: Not in Saturday's lineup
O'Hearn isn't in the lineup for Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Twins.
Since returning from a shin injury Tuesday, O'Hearn has gone 2-for-8 with a double, two RBI and two strikeouts. Ryan McBroom will take over at first base in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader.
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Yuli Gurriel DH | SD
Astros' Yuli Gurriel: Lifts homer in blowout
Gurriel went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional run scored and a walk in Friday's 11-1 win over the Mariners.
Gurriel went deep back-to-back with Yordan Alvarez in the middle of a nine-run first inning for the Astros. In the second, Gurriel laced a triple to right field and scored on a Carlos Correa groundout. Through 19 games, Gurriel has four homers, eight RBI, 12 runs scored and a .267 batting average.
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Yandy Diaz DH | TB
Rays' Yandy Diaz: On base four times in win
Diaz went 3-for-5 with an RBI single, a walk and three runs in a win over the Red Sox on Thursday.
Diaz's run-scoring single in the first inning opened the scoring on what would be a momentous 17-run barrage for the Rays. The Cuban infielder has been highly productive at the plate during August after a slow start to the season, but curiously, the big hits continue to avoid him. Of Diaz's 19 hits on the season, only two -- a pair of doubles -- have gone for extra bases, this after he laced a career-high 35 XBH (20 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs) in 2019. Part of the explanation seems to lie in Diaz's batted-ball metrics -- he's seen drops in exit velocity (91.6 mph to 83.0 mph), hard-contact rate (42.4 percent to 33.9 percent) and flyball rate (32.0 percent to 10.7 percent) compared to last season. On the bright side for his fantasy managers, the 29-year-old's line-drive rate is up from 17.2 to 21.4 percent, which typically leads to more batted balls falling in for hits.
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Matt Olson 1B | ATL
Athletics' Matt Olson: Keeps mashing Wednesday
Olson went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in a win over the Angels on Wednesday.
Olson opened the scoring on the afternoon for either club with one of his mammoth trademark homers, blasting a 454-foot shot to right in the first inning. The 26-year-old has had an interesting statistical month thus far, as five of his six hits in August have left the yard and he's also drawn 10 walks. However, Olson has also struck out on 12 occasions and is hitting just .136 (6-for-44) during that span, leaving him with an unorthodox .149/.313/.418 slash over his first 83 plate appearances of 2020.
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Yandy Diaz DH | TB
Rays' Yandy Diaz: Another multi-hit effort
Diaz went 3-for-5 with an RBI single in a win over the Red Sox on Wednesday.
Diaz continues to see the ball drop in after experiencing some tough luck in that regard earlier this season. Factoring in Wednesday's production, the 29-year-old is hitting .341 across 11 August games, raising his season average 163 points to .258.
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Rowdy Tellez 1B | ATL
Blue Jays' Rowdy Tellez: Big night at plate
Tellez went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Wednesday's extra-inning loss to the Marlins.
The homer was his second of the season, and first since July 27. Tellez has had trouble getting going so far, slashing .200/.283/.425 through 11 games, but his power potential should keep him in the lineup most nights.
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 1B | TOR
Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero: Goes yard
Guerrero went 2-for-5 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Marlins.
Guerrero ended his home run drought at nine games, as he took James Hoyt deep in the seventh inning. It was second home run of the season, though he has also recorded four doubles in his last eight contests. Overall, Guerrero is hitting a disappointing .237/.286/.407 across 47 plate appearances to this point in the campaign.
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Evan White 1B | LAA
Mariners' Evan White: Sitting Wednesday
White is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Rangers.
White will head to the bench for Wednesday's series finale following a string of four straight starts. Dylan Moore is starting at first base in place of White, who is just 7-for-66 with one home run and 31 strikeouts through 18 games.