MLB Player News
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Ernie Clement 2B | TOR
Athletics' Ernie Clement: Returns to bench
Clement is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Clement started each of the Athletics' last three games, going 1-for-12 with a double and a run. He's produced just one hit in 17 at-bats since being activated by the Athletics on Sept. 24 after the team claimed him off waivers from Cleveland.
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Marcus Semien 2B | NYM
Rangers' Marcus Semien: Swipes bag No. 25
Semien went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Yankees.
After going 0-for-5 in the matinee, Semien got the Rangers on the board in the bottom of the first inning of the nightcap, coming home on an Adolis Garcia single after stealing his 25th base of the year. Semien's prior career high in that category was only 15, but his power numbers took a major step backward from his massive 2021 performance with Toronto. With another six years and $150 million left on his contract with Texas, he'll get plenty of chances to try and put it all together.
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Harold Castro 2B | KC
Tigers' Harold Castro: Finishes season as bench player
Castro is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.
After holding down a regular spot in the lineup for much of the second half of the season, Castro will end up sitting out for a second straight contest as Detroit wraps up the 2022 campaign. Even on a rebuilding squad like the Tigers, the 28-year-old is probably still ideally suited for a utility role. He provided a strong .271 batting average over his 443 plate appearances this season, but a low walk rate (3.9 percent) and lack of power (.110 ISO) or speed (no stolen bases) limited his usefulness.
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Santiago Espinal 3B | TEX
Blue Jays' Santiago Espinal: Prepping for potential playoff return
Espinal (oblique) took live batting practice and was involved in infield drills during a workout Wednesday in Toronto, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Espinal won't be activated from the 10-day injured list in advance of the Blue Jays' season-closing doubleheader in Baltimore on Wednesday, but he looks like he could be a candidate for inclusion on Toronto's wild-card round roster in advance of the team's Game 1 matchup with the Mariners on Friday. If he shows enough progress in his recovery from the oblique strain for the Blue Jays to include him on the postseason roster, Espinal may have to settle for a utility role. While Espinal has been on the shelf since Sept. 22, Whit Merrifield has seized control of the keystone and has produced a monstrous 1.237 OPS over his last 10 contests.
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Jeff McNeil 2B | ATH
Mets' Jeff McNeil: Closing in on batting title
McNeil went 3-for-8 with a double, a solo home run and a second run scored across both games of Tuesday's doubleheader sweep of the Nationals.
The Mets launched back-to-back-to-back homers to lead off the nightcap, with McNeil following Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor in that train. The 30-year-old utility player is on the verge of winning his first career batting title, as McNeil leads the NL with a .326 batting average -- well ahead of the Dodgers' Freddie Freeman at .322 with only one day left on the calendar.
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Brendan Rodgers 2B | BOS
Rockies' Brendan Rodgers: Continues recent surge
Rodgers went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a 5-2 win against the Dodgers on Tuesday.
Rodgers took Los Angeles starter Julio Urias deep to left in the first inning and added a single in the third for his third multi-hit performance in his last five games. During the stretch, the 26-year-old is 9-for-18 with two home runs, a double and three walks and has boosted his season OPS from .710 to .736.
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Owen Miller 2B | CHC
Guardians' Owen Miller: Accounts for margin of victory
Miller went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Royals.
Miller capped off the Guardians' five-run fifth inning with his homer, which was his sixth of the season. It also ended up being just enough for Cleveland to earn the win. Since the start of September, Miller has gone 16-for-63 (.254) with three extra-base hits, seven RBI and six runs scored. That's just a tick better than his .243/.301/.351 slash line for the year. The infielder has added 51 RBI, 53 runs scored, 26 doubles, a triple and two stolen bases while serving as a short-side platoon option at designated hitter, first base and second base.
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Luis Arraez 2B | PHI
Twins' Luis Arraez: Goes 1-for-4 in return
Arraez (hamstring) went 1-for-4 in Tuesday's 8-3 loss to the White Sox.
Arraez missed the last two games while dealing with a hamstring issue, and he served as the designated hitter in this contest. He extended his hitting streak to eight games, a span in which he's gone 12-for-35 (.343) with one double, one RBI and five runs scored. The infielder is slashing .315/.372/.418 with eight home runs, 49 RBI, 86 runs scored and four stolen bases through 143 games.
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Elvis Andrus 2B | ARI
White Sox's Elvis Andrus: Another strong game Tuesday
Andrus went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run, an additional run scored and a stolen base in Tuesday's 8-3 win over the Twins.
Andrus has racked up three homers among his six hits over four games to begin October. The shortstop's hot stretch to close out the year has lifted his season slash line to .250/.304/.407 with 17 homers, 18 steals, 58 RBI and 66 runs scored through 148 games between the White Sox and the Athletics.
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Jose Altuve 2B | HOU
Astros' Jose Altuve: Will sit Wednesday
Manager Dusty Baker said Altuve will rest Wednesday against the Phillies in the final game of the regular season, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Altuve went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a run scored during Tuesday's 10-0 victory, raising his slash line to .300/.387/.533 through 141 games. The 32-year-old totaled 39 doubles, 28 home runs, 18 stolen bases, 57 RBI and 102 runs this season, and he'll now turn his attention to the playoffs, which the Astros will begin Oct. 11 in the ALDS.