MLB Player News
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Yainer Diaz C | HOU
Astros' Yainer Diaz: Pops 11th homer
Diaz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Saturday against the Dodgers.
Diaz led off the fourth inning with a home run, his 11th long ball of the season and fourth in his last 22 starts. After a slow start to the year, he has a .286/.309/.462 line in the last month.
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Carson Kelly C | CHC
Cubs' Carson Kelly: Goes deep again Saturday
Kelly went 2-for-5 with a double, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 8-6 loss to the Cardinals.
Kelly went deep for the second straight game to get to 11 home runs for the season. The catcher is in the midst of a hot streak at the moment, as he's batting .393 over his last 10 games with the two home runs, four doubles and six RBI. Overall, Kelly is slashing .268/.370/.508 with 31 RBI and 33 runs scored across 57 games, making him a solid option at his position.
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Kyle Higashioka C | TEX
Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Comes alive against former club
Higashioka went 3-for-3 with a home run, five RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 7-4 victory versus San Diego.
Higashioka played for the Padres last season and recorded career highs with 17 homers and 45 RBI. He hadn't been able to carry that production over to Texas, as the veteran backstop came into Saturday with just one homer and 16 RBI across 44 games. Higashioka tormented his former club, though, swatting a two-run homer in the third inning before adding an RBI single in the fourth and eighth frames sandwiched around a sacrifice fly in the sixth. For good measure, the catcher swiped a bag in the eighth inning, marking his first theft as a Ranger and just his third over his nine big-league campaigns. Higashioka boosted his season OPS nearly 50 points from .573 to .621, but that's still well below the .739 mark he registered last year.
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Danny Jansen C | TEX
Rays' Danny Jansen: On base four times
Jansen went 3-for-3 with an RBI, a run scored and a walk Saturday against the Twins.
Jansen recorded his first three-hit game and just his third multi-hit performance in his last 17 starts. However, he has been productive in other ways in that span, and he now has 14 RBI and 12 runs scored. Jansen remains the primary catcher for the Rays and has started five of the team's last six games.
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Gary Sanchez C | MIL
Orioles' Gary Sanchez: Removed with knee pain
Sanchez was pulled from Saturday's game against Atlanta due to right knee pain, Danielle Allentuck of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
It's unclear how Sanchez injured his knee, but he made an early exit in the fifth inning and is scheduled to undergo an MRI. With Adley Rutschman (oblique), Maverick Handley (concussion) and Chadwick Tromp (back) all on the injured list, Jacob Stallings would benefit from additional playing time if Sanchez has to miss a few starts.
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Dillon Dingler C | DET
Tigers' Dillon Dingler: Taking seat Saturday
Dingler isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Guardians.
After going 2-for-4 in Friday's series opener, Dingler will retreat to the bench Saturday while Jake Rogers catches for Casey Mize and bats ninth.
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Tyler Stephenson C | CIN
Reds' Tyler Stephenson: Not starting Saturday
Stephenson isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Phillies.
After going 5-for-11 over his last three games, Stephenson will grab a seat on the bench Saturday while Jose Trevino catches for starter Nick Lodolo and bats seventh.
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Edgar Quero C | CHW
White Sox's Edgar Quero: Slugs first career homer
Quero went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Friday's 3-2 win over the Rockies.
The rookie catcher took advantage of a trip to Coors Field to launch his first career MLB homer, and it was a big one -- Quero broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning when he hooked an Antonio Senzatela curveball over the right-field wall. While his power hasn't shown up consistently yet, Quero is slashing a respectable .273/.347/.331 through his first 193 plate appearances for the White Sox with seven doubles and 19 RBI.
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Drake Baldwin C | ATL
Braves' Drake Baldwin: Belts homer No. 10
Baldwin went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Orioles.
The rookie backstop accounted for all of Atlanta's offense when he crushed a Charlie Morton fastball to right field in the sixth inning. Baldwin has hit a bit of a wall over the last couple weeks, going just 2-for-18 since June 24, but both hits left the yard. On the season, he's slashing .274/.348/.476 with 10 homers and 28 RBI, and Atlanta seems content to deploy a timeshare behind the plate with Baldwin and Sean Murphy, with each catcher starting five of the last 10 games.
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Carson Kelly C | CHC
Cubs' Carson Kelly: Pops 10th home run Friday
Kelly went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 11-3 win over the Cardinals.
Kelly hit one of eight Chicago home runs on the afternoon, which included three from Michael Busch and two from Pete Crow-Armstrong. The veteran catcher now has 10 long balls this season, and he's been hot recently, recording a .407 batting average and 1.152 OPS over his last 10 games. Kelly should remain the Cubs' top backstop moving forward, though he'll receive competition for playing time when Miguel Amaya (oblique) returns from the injured list, which is expected sometime around the All-Star break,