MLB Player News
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Miguel Amaya C | CHC
Cubs' Miguel Amaya: Unlikely to play in playoffs
Amaya (ankle) rejoined the Cubs following the end of the minor-league season and is considered healthy and available to play, but Chicago has no current plans to activate him for their playoff run, MLB.com reports.
Amaya missed two and a half months earlier in the season while recovering from a left oblique strain, then landed back on the injured list in mid-August after spraining his left ankle in his first game back in action with the Cubs. The 26-year-old backstop was able to play in four rehab games with Triple-A Iowa before the minor-league concluded, but Chicago didn't activate him from the IL until after the regular season ended. Amaya is seemingly fully healed from the ankle injury, but unless the Cubs lose one of Carson Kelly or Reese McGuire at any point during the playoffs, Amaya doesn't look as though he'll play again in 2025.
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Alejandro Kirk C | TOR
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Powers Jays to Game 1 win
Kirk went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs during Saturday's 10-1 win over the Yankees in Game 1 of the ALDS.
Kirk sent a Luis Gil offering 392 feet into left field to give the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead in the second inning, and he provided some insurance by taking Paul Blackburn deep to lead off the eighth. The 26-year-old backstop finished the regular season with a career-high 15 homers and has now slugged five home runs across his last three contests.
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Will Smith C | LAD
Dodgers' Will Smith: Out of Game 1 lineup
Smith (hand) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Phillies, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
Smith said before Saturday's contest that his fractured right hand is feeling better, and he's expected to return behind the plate at some point in the NLDS, but the Dodgers will keep him out of the starting nine for at least one more game. Ben Rortvedt will catch for starter Shohei Ohtani while Smith rests.
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Will Smith C | LAD
Dodgers' Will Smith: Available to catch in NLDS
Manager Dave Roberts said Friday that Smith (hand) will be available to catch against Philadelphia during the NLDS, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Roberts didn't say whether Smith will be behind the dish in Game 1 on Saturday, but the skipper's comments are a good sign that the 30-year-old backstop is nearing his 2025 postseason debut. Smith's .901 OPS in the regular season set a new personal best for a season in which he logged at least 400 plate appearances, so his return to the starting nine will provide a significant boost to a Dodgers squad looking to defend its 2024 World Series title.
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Dillon Dingler C | DET
Tigers' Dillon Dingler: Homers in series-clinching win
Dingler went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, two strikeouts and a walk during Thursday's 6-3 win over the Guardians.
Dingler's solo shot off Joey Cantillo in the sixth inning put the Tigers in front 2-1 -- a lead the team would not give up for the rest of the game. The 27-year-old is now 1-for-10 at the plate through three games in the postseason, and Detroit's Game 3 victory will ensure he receives at least three more opportunities to start behind the plate against the Mariners.
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Sandy Leon C | ATL
Braves' Sandy Leon: Outrighted to Gwinnett
Leon cleared waivers Wednesday and was sent outright to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Leon appeared in just five games for Atlanta this season, hitting a home run for his only hit in 12 at-bats. Now off the 40-man roster, the veteran backstop will have the option to elect free agency and test his luck on the open market.
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Bo Naylor C | CLE
Guardians' Bo Naylor: Pops first career playoff homer
Naylor went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's victory over the Tigers.
Brayan Rocchio broke a tie with a solo shot with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning and Daniel Schneemann tacked on an additional run with an RBI double. Naylor then added some big insurance runs with a three-run blast off lefty reliever Brant Hurter. It was the first hit of the wild-card series and the first career postseason home run for Naylor, who hit a career-high 14 out of the yard during the regular season.
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William Contreras C | MIL
Brewers' William Contreras: Playing through hand injury
Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Tuesday that Contreras is still dealing with a nagging left hand injury but will be ready to go for the NLDS, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Contreras injured the hand on Sept. 20 when he was struck by an opposing hitter's swing. He started only three of the final seven regular-season contests after that and went 0-for-11 with a 1:4 BB:K. However, while Contreras is not 100 percent healthy, he will do his best to play through the injury once the Brewers open up postseason play.
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Will Smith C | LAD
Dodgers' Will Smith: Available to pinch hit in WC round
Smith (hand) will be included on the Dodgers' wild-card roster but available only in a pinch-hitting capacity, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Smith has played just one game since Sept. 3 due to a fracture in his right hand but did some live hitting during Monday's team workout without issue. He apparently has not improved enough to catch, at least not on a full-time basis, and with Shohei Ohtani filling the designated-hitter spot, Smith will be used only as a pinch hitter. That leaves Ben Rorvedt and Dalton Rushing to serve as the Dodgers' catchers during the wild-card round.
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Elias Diaz C | SD
Padres' Elias Diaz: Held off wild-card roster
Diaz (oblique) is not on the Padres' wild-card roster.
Diaz suffered a minor oblique strain during Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks and wasn't able to progress enough to be included on the team's wild-card roster. The Padres will carry three catchers, with Martin Maldonado and Luis Campusano behind starter Freddy Fermin.