MLB Player News
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Gary Sanchez C | MIL
Yankees' Gary Sanchez: Uses home-field advantage for 11th home run
Sanchez went 1-for-3 with a home run and two walks in Saturday's win over the Orioles.
The rookie's opposite-field homer bounced off the top of the outfield wall and into the stands to give him an even .400 average. The 23-year-old also flashed some defense by throwing out a runner trying to steal second base. To emphasize both his outstanding performance in August, as well as the lack of available production at his position, Sanchez already ranks near the top-15 at catcher in standard mixed leagues despite having played only one month this year.
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Gary Sanchez C | MIL
Yankees' Gary Sanchez: Extends red-hot stretch with four more RBI Friday
Sanchez went 3-for-5 with a two-RBI double, two-run homer and three runs in Friday's 14-4 victory over the Orioles.
The rookie backstop's season line is now a jaw-dropping .403/.459/.883 following Friday's production. He got things off on the right foot with a two-RBI double in the second that plated Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury and then drove in the latter a second time with a 385-foot shot to left in the fifth that extended the Yankees' lead to 12-1. The 23-year-old now has multi-hit efforts in three of his last four games, with four homers and eight RBI over that span.
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Salvador Perez DH | KC
Royals' Salvador Perez: Out of Friday's lineup
Perez is out of the lineup Friday against the Red Sox, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.
Drew Butera will start behind the dish and bat eighth as Perez heads to the bench. Perez has had a rough time hitting recently and owns a .174/.208/.304 line over the last 14 days, bringing his batting average down to .254 for the season.
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James McCann C | ARI
Tigers' James McCann: Enjoys big game Thursday in Minnesota
McCann went 4-for-5 with a three-run homer in Thursday's win over the Twins.
McCann's third-inning blast, his 11th of the season, extended his hitting streak to four games, one shy of his season high. The catcher had tallied just five home runs and 23 RBI in 173 first-half at bats, but now has six longballs and 19 RBI in 82 at-bats since the All-Star break. McCann's .256 second-half batting average is also a strong improvement over the .208 he posted prior to the Midsummer Classic.
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Sandy Leon C | ATL
Red Sox's Sandy Leon: Not in Thursday's lineup
Leon is not in the lineup Thursday against the Rays, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.
After starting the last four games behind the plate, Leon will give way to Bryan Holaday on Thursday. Holaday will bat ninth in the order against Jake Odorizzi.
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Gary Sanchez C | MIL
Yankees' Gary Sanchez: Smacks ninth homer of August in victory
Sanchez went 2-for-3 with two walks and a solo shot in Wednesday's win over the Mariners.
The rookie continued his ridiculous August by smacking his ninth homer and notching his 16th RBI of the month. Now the Bombers everyday catcher, Sanchez is hitting a scorching .389 through 72 at-bats over 19 games. Producing at this pace long-term is obviously unsustainable, but there's nothing wrong with riding the catcher while he's hot.
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James McCann C | ARI
Tigers' James McCann: Out of Wednesday's lineup
McCann is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Twins, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
McCann is riding a very modest three-game hitting streak, but he's still hitting just .212 on the season and will continue receiving fairly regular days off. Jarrod Saltalamacchia will take over behind the plate Wednesday and bat eighth.
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Josh Thole C | LAD
Blue Jays' Josh Thole: Notches RBI in Tuesday's win
Thole went 0-for-3 with an RBI, his seventh of the season, in Tuesday's win over the Angels.
Making his routine spot start behind the plate with knuckleballer R.A. Dickey on the hill, Thole's third straight hitless effort lowered his batting average to a measly .151 on the season. The left-hand hitting catcher's splits have been equally as disappointing, as Thole's hitting .156 in 32 at-bats against southpaws, and .149 in 74 at-bats versus righties.
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Roberto Perez C | BOS
Indians' Roberto Perez: Out of Tuesday's lineup
Perez is out of the lineup for Tuesday's matchup against Oakland.
Chris Gimenez will start behind the plate and bat ninth for Tuesday's contest. For the season, Perez is hitting a bleak .096/.244/.137 and owns a 21 percent strikeout rate.
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Gary Sanchez C | MIL
Yankees' Gary Sanchez: Homers twice in loss to Mariners
Sanchez homered twice and drove in three runs in 3-for-4 game in Monday's loss to Seattle.
Sanchez's white hot start to his career continues, as he now has eight home runs, 15 RBI and an absurd .384/.429/.831 batting line in his first 70 plate appearances. Even if Sanchez reverts to something like his numbers at Triple-A -- .282/.339/.468 with 10 home runs in 71 games -- he'll be among the better offensive options at catcher, so there shouldn't be anything stopping you from hopping on the Sanchez bandwagon at this point.