MLB Player News
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Josh Naylor 1B | SEA
Diamondbacks' Josh Naylor: Still sitting Sunday
Naylor (neck) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Naylor was unable to play in Saturday's 8-7 loss after he exited Friday's 9-8 loss due to neck stiffness, and he'll remain on the bench for the start of Sunday's series finale. Pavin Smith will man first base while Randal Grichuk serves as the designated hitter versus Miami righty Cal Quantrill.
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Freddie Freeman 1B | LAD
Dodgers' Freddie Freeman: Getting afternoon off
Freeman is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.
Freeman had gone just 2-for-25 with eight strikeouts in six straight starts before getting back on track Saturday, reaching base in all five of his plate appearances and slugging his first home run since May 11. After the big performance, Freeman will be given a breather, affording Enrique Hernandez the chance to make a start at first base.
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Dominic Smith 1B | ATL
Giants' Dominic Smith: Losing work to Flores
Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox.
After Rafael Devers made his Giants debut June 17, Smith remained in the lineup at first base for San Francisco's ensuing two matchups against right-handed pitchers. Since then however, Smith appears to have faded into a part-time role in favor of Wilmer Flores, who was displaced at DH by Devers. Smith is on the bench Sunday for the fifth time in the Giants' last eight matchups with a righty.
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Bryce Harper DH | PHI
Phillies' Bryce Harper: Steps in against live pitching
Harper (wrist) traveled with the Phillies to Atlanta this weekend and took swings in live batting practice Saturday, Bill Trocchi of the Associated Press reports. "He was great," Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said. "Looked like he got his bat speed and his timing looked fine."
Harper isn't scheduled to do any on-field work Sunday, but if his wrist checks out OK after Saturday's BP session, the two-time NL MVP could bypass a rehab assignment and return from the 10-day injured list ahead of Monday's game against the Padres. While Harper has been on the shelf, rookie Otto Kemp has stepped in as the Phillies' primary first baseman.
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Luis Arraez 2B | SF
Padres' Luis Arraez: Launches rare homer Saturday
Arraez went 1-for-5 with a solo home run Saturday in a 6-4 win against Cincinnati.
Arraez put the Padres on the board in the fifth inning with a solo shot to right field. The long ball was his first since April 18 and just his fourth overall this season. Of course, fantasy managers who roster Arraez don't expect much power from him, as he's never hit more than 10 home runs in a single MLB campaign. The three-time batting champion has been somewhat disappointing in other areas this season, though, as he's batting a mortal .283 -- well below his career average.
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Michael Busch 3B | CHC
Cubs' Michael Busch: Knocks in three runs in rout
Busch went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk and three total RBI in a 12-3 victory versus Houston on Saturday.
Busch plated the first run of the game when he drew a bases-loaded walk in the first inning. He added a solo homer in the fourth and capped his performance with a run-scoring single in the eighth. The first baseman has been quite productive of late, swatting three homers and driving in 10 runs over his past eight contests. He has 14 long balls and 49 runs batted in on the campaign, putting him well ahead of pace to surpass his marks of 21 home runs and 65 RBI last season.
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Willson Contreras C | BOS
Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Homers, swipes bag in victory
Contreras went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double, a walk and a stolen base in a 9-6 win against Cleveland on Saturday.
Contreras provided an insurance run in the top of the ninth inning with a 430-foot solo blast. Prior to that, he reached base twice and swiped third base in the seventh frame. This was the first time this season that Contreras has homered and stolen a base in the same game. He had been in the midst of a cold spell coming into Saturday, batting .182 with 15 strikeouts over his previous 44 at-bats.
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Freddie Freeman 1B | LAD
Dodgers' Freddie Freeman: Perfect at plate in loss
Freeman went 3-for-3 with a solo home run, two walks and an additional run scored in Saturday's 9-5 loss to the Royals.
Freeman reached base in all five plate appearances, highlighted by a 421-foot home run that got the Dodgers on the board in the seventh inning. It was a much-needed breakout for the 35-year-old, who hadn't gone deep since May 11 and entered Saturday in a 2-for-28 slump over his previous seven contests. For the season, he's slashing .312/.386/.509 with 10 homers, 43 RBI and 44 runs scored across 306 plate appearances.
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Josh Naylor 1B | SEA
Diamondbacks' Josh Naylor: Not in lineup Saturday
Naylor (neck) isn't in the starting lineup Saturday versus Miami.
Naylor was removed from Friday's loss to the Marlins before the start of the seventh inning due to neck stiffness, and he's beginning Saturday on the bench. It's not yet clear how much time the veteran first baseman is expected to miss. With Naylor not starting Saturday, Pavin Smith is in the lineup at first base. Per Jack Sommers of SI.com, Arizona plans to monitor Naylor and see how he feels Sunday before deciding whether he's ready to return.
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Luis Arraez 2B | SF
Padres' Luis Arraez: Settling into leadoff spot
Arraez is batting leadoff and starting at first base against the Reds on Saturday.
This is the third straight game in which Arraez has batted leadoff, while Fernando Tatis -- who had previously spent much of the campaign in the leadoff role -- has shifted into the cleanup spot. Arraez is having a subpar season by his standards with a .705 OPS (on pace the for the lowest mark of his career), but he has plenty of experience atop the order after having hit in that spot for most of his career. Arraez collected three hits Wednesday upon moving back to batting leadoff before going 0-for-4 on Friday.