MLB Player News
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Tyler Heineman C | TOR
Blue Jays' Tyler Heineman: Drawing start for day game
Heineman will start at catcher and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the White Sox.
With top backstop Alejandro Kirk resting for the matinee contest, Heineman will get the nod behind the plate. Since being activated from the 7-day injured list June 3, Heineman has started 11 games and has gone 7-for-29 (.241 average) with one home run, six RBI and eight runs.
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Alejandro Kirk C | TOR
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Resting during day game
Kirk is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the White Sox.
The Blue Jays and White Sox are wrapping up their series with a day game, so Kirk will get a breather after starting each of the last four contests. Tyler Heineman will step in at catcher and bat eighth as Toronto goes for its 11th straight victory.
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Ryan Jeffers C | MIN
Twins' Ryan Jeffers: Homers as part of three-hit day
Jeffers went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, a double, three RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's win over the Cubs.
Jeffers notched his second three-hit game in as many starts, which included a two-run homer in the eighth to push the Twins ahead 4-0. The runs batted in were his first since June 24. He's now up to a .246/.342/.400 slash line with seven homers, 32 RBI, 28 runs and a 31:50 BB:K in 275 plate appearances this season.
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Francisco Alvarez C | NYM
Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Faring well at Triple-A level
Alvarez is slashing .256/.326/.590 with four home runs and a 3:13 BB:K in 11 games for Triple-A Syracuse since he was demoted June 22.
Though Alvarez's poor pitch framing played a factor in his demotion, the Mets sent him down to the minors largely due to the middling production he had provided at the plate after he made his return from the injured list in late April upon completing his recovery from hand surgery. Over his 138 plate appearances with the Mets, Alvarez slashed .236/.319/.333 with a 27.5 percent strikeout rate, prompting New York to turn over primary catching duties to Luis Torrens. The Mets still view the 23-year-old Alvarez as their long-term solution behind the plate, and the improved power output he's shown thus far with Syracuse could put him in the mix for a call-up shortly after the All-Star break.
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Austin Wells C | NYY
Yankees' Austin Wells: Homer streak at three games
Wells went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in Tuesday's 10-3 win over the Mariners.
The 25-year-old catcher took Casey Legumina deep in the sixth inning to help break the game open. Wells has gone yard in three straight games as he heats up after a 15-game homerless drought, and on the season he's slashing .221/.284/.459 with 14 homers, three steals, 29 runs and 50 RBI over 74 contests.
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Cal Raleigh C | SEA
Mariners' Cal Raleigh: Makes more history Tuesday
Raleigh went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in Tuesday's 10-3 loss to the Yankees.
The All-Star backstop saw Aaron Judge close to within one of him for the major-league home run lead in the seventh inning, but Raleigh answered back in the eighth by taking Geoff Hartlieb deep. In the process, Raleigh set a new Seattle franchise record with 36 homers before the All-Star break, eclipsing a mark set by Ken Griffey Jr. in 1998. Improbably, Barry Bonds' MLB record of 39 is within his sights, as Raleigh has two more contests to aim for the short porch at Yankee Stadium, plus a three-game set in Detroit, before the break.
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Hunter Goodman RF | COL
Rockies' Hunter Goodman: Pops 17th homer
Goodman went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run Tuesday against the Red Sox.
Goodman waited until the ninth inning to pop the home run, his 17th long ball of the season. He's been on a power surge, with 10 of his homers coming since the start of June in a span of 26 games. He's also hit .307 with 21 RBI and 20 runs scored in that timeframe.
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Patrick Bailey C | SF
Giants' Patrick Bailey: Delivers winning homer
Bailey went 2-for-4 with a three-run inside-the-park home run in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Phillies.
Bailey's blast was a clutch one, as he homered in the ninth inning. The deep fly ball bounced off the bricks in right field and caromed away from the fielders -- while officially a walk-off, Bailey had to hustle around the bases, making it more of a run-off in practice. It's just the second homer of the year for Bailey, who hadn't posted a multi-hit effort since June 18 versus the Guardians. The catcher is still batting just .194 with a .553 OPS, 26 RBI, 22 runs scored, 11 doubles and two triples over 72 contests this season.
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J.T. Realmuto C | PHI
Phillies' J.T. Realmuto: Resting Tuesday
Realmuto isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Giants, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
After going 1-for-4 win Monday's series opener, Realmuto will step out of the starting nine Tuesday. Rafael Marchan will fill in as Philadelphia's catcher and bat eighth.
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Joey Bart C | PIT
Pirates' Joey Bart: Sitting third straight
Bart isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Royals.
Tuesday will mark the third consecutive game Bart has begun on the bench, and the fifth time he has done so in Pittsburgh's last seven contests. His dramatic drop in playing time suggests that Henry Davis, who will be behind the dish Tuesday, is now the Pirates' preferred option to start at catcher.