MLB Player News
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 1B | TOR
Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero: Power outage continues
Guerrero went 0-for-3 with a walk Sunday in the Blue Jays' 3-2 loss to the Reds.
Since smacking his seventh home run of the season May 5, Guerrero has gone without an extra-base hit, but a 15-game hitting streak from May 2 through May 18 at least allowed him to bring value for fantasy managers in the batting-average category. He wasn't able to keep up that pace in the Blue Jays' weekend series with Cincinnati, however, as he finished the three-game slate with an 0-for-11 mark at the plate. Now sitting on a .262/.347/.434 slash line for the season, the struggling Guerrero could be in line for a day off in the near future.
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Drew Ellis 1B | PHI
Diamondbacks' Drew Ellis: Doubles in MLB return
Ellis started at third base and went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Cubs.
Ellis was called up to start with Josh Rojas dealing with a bruised left hand, and it's his second spin in the majors this season. He replaced Yonny Hernandez on the roster, as Arizona manager Torey Lovullo told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that he preferred Ellis in matchups against opposing pitchers in the coming days.
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Josh Naylor 1B | SEA
Guardians' Josh Naylor: Goes deep in return
Naylor went 1-for-2 with a solo homer and a walk in Sunday's 4-2 loss to Detroit.
Naylor started for the first time since May 10 after a trip to the COVID-19 injured list and launched his sixth home run of the season off Alex Faedo in the fourth inning. He also drew a walk and was hit by a pitch. The 24-year-old slugger is 15-for-38 (.395) over his last 11 games, improving his season slash line to .351/.395/.649 with 10 extra-base hits and 22 RBI.
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Joey Votto 1B | TOR
Reds' Joey Votto: Knocks first homer
Votto went 1-for-3 with a solo homer and a walk in Sunday's 3-2 in over Toronto.
Votto launched his first home run of the year Sunday, taking Yimi Garcia deep with a go-ahead blast in the eighth inning. The lefty slugger now has three extra-base hits in three games since returning from a stint on the injured list. Prior to that, he had just one extra-base hit with a .413 OPS through 22 games.
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P.J. Higgins C | CIN
Cubs' P.J. Higgins: Drives in three Sunday
Higgins went 1-for-3 with a walk, a triple and three RBI in Sunday's win over the Diamondbacks.
Making his first start of the season for the Cubs after getting called up from Triple-A Iowa before the game, Higgins made an immediate impact from the No. 9 spot in the order. The triple was the first of the 29-year-old's MLB career, as were the RBI. Higgins appeared in nine games with Chicago last season, recording just one hit and two walks across 23 at-bats. He should provide some catching depth behind Willson Contreras, who is considered day-to-day with a hamstring strain, and Yan Gomes.
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Donovan Solano 1B | TEX
Reds' Donovan Solano: Not yet running at 100 percent
Reds manager David Bell said Sunday that Solano (hamstring) is running at approximately 75 percent, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Since suffering what was initially expected to be a short-term left hamstring injury late in spring training, Solano has made slow progress in his recovery. Nearly two months after suffering the injury, Solano still isn't back to running at 100 percent, though he could reach that benchmark within the next week. Even if that's the case, Solano will still need to prove he can perform all baseball activities before heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment, which will likely consist of several games. He doesn't appear likely to make his Reds debut before the first week of June, which could result in him being transferred to the 60-day injured list if Cincinnati needs to open up a spot on the 40-man roster.
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Ryan Mountcastle 1B | BAL
Orioles' Ryan Mountcastle: Dealing with cramps
Mountcastle was removed from Sunday's game against the Rays due to heat-related body cramps, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Mountcastle didn't show any clear signs of injury before leaving the matchup with a trainer after leading off the bottom of the ninth inning with a single. It seems unlikely that his cramps will prompt a trip to the injured list, and he should tentatively be considered day-to-day.
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Ryan Mountcastle 1B | BAL
Orioles' Ryan Mountcastle: Exits with trainer
Mountcastle exited Sunday's game against the Rays in the bottom of the ninth inning due to an apparent injury, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.
Mountcastle led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a single, but he was visited by a trainer and left the game after reaching first base. Prior to his departure, he went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, two runs, a walk and a strikeout. The nature of his injury isn't yet known, and it's not clear whether he'll be available for Monday's series opener against the Yankees.
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Kevin Padlo 1B | LAD
Giants' Kevin Padlo: Heads to big leagues
The Giants called up Padlo from Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday.
He'll join San Francisco as a replacement on the 26-man active roster for first baseman Brandon Belt (knee), who was moved to the 10-day injured list. Wilmer Flores and Darin Ruf are the main candidates to pick up work at first base while Belt is on the shelf, so Padlo is likely to serve as corner-infield depth while he's up with the parent club.
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Dominic Smith DH | ATL
Mets' Dominic Smith: Sitting against southpaw
Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies.
Southpaw Austin Gomber is on the hill for the Rockies in the series finale, so the lefty-hitting Smith will head to the bench. J.D. Davis will serve as the Mets' designated hitter while Smith sits after going 0-for-5 with a run scored between both ends of Saturday's doubleheader.