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Gary Sanchez C | MIL
Yankees' Gary Sanchez: Smacks 10th homer
Sanchez went 2-for-4 with a home run and three runs scored Saturday against Oakland.
The home run was a solo shot in the second inning off Andrew Triggs. Sanchez still has a low batting average this season, but his .209/.304/.504 overall line is perfectly respectable, especially for a catcher.
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Willson Contreras 1B | BOS
Cubs' Willson Contreras: Stays hot Saturday
Contreras continued to batter the White Sox on Saturday, going 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI.
Contreras had an RBI single in the second inning to stretch the Cubs' lead to five. He later added a two-run shot off Chris Beck in the seventh inning. Over his last three games, the catcher is 10-for-15 with three homers and 11 RBI, bringing his OPS up to .868 on the season.
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Yasmani Grandal C | PIT
Dodgers' Yasmani Grandal: Not starting Saturday
Grandal is not in the lineup Saturday against the Reds.
Grandal is hitting .267/.377/.474 with five homers on the season, though he's struggled a bit in May, going just 3-for-27 since the start of the month. Austin Barnes will catch Saturday.
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Luke Maile C | KC
Blue Jays' Luke Maile: Plays hero in 12th inning Friday
Maile went 3-for-4 with a walk, two home runs and four RBI in Friday's 5-3 extra-innings win over the Red Sox.
It was a rollercoaster night for the Jays' backup catcher. He failed to corral a third strike against Sandy Leon in the fourth inning, and his late throw to first base sailed over Justin Smoak's head and allowed Brock Holt to scamper home, giving Boston a 3-2 lead. Maile atoned for his error in the seventh when his solo shot off Chris Sale tied the score, but he saved the best for last, crushing a two-run walkoff shot off Brian Johnson in the 12th. The 27-year-old hadn't homered at any level in almost a full calendar year, so don't expect a repeat performance any time soon, but Friday's heroics pushed his slash line through 17 big-league games this season to an eye-popping .339/.418/.542.
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J.T. Realmuto C | PHI
Marlins' J.T. Realmuto: Homers and drives in two Friday
Realmuto went 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in a win over the Braves on Friday.
Realmuto doubled in the first, hit a solo shot in the third and hit an RBI single in the fourth. This was the backstop's seventh multi-hit game, bringing his average up to .325 on the season. Realmuto's .954 OPS also leads all MLB catchers. With five home runs on the season, the 27-year-old is on pace to surpass his total of 17 from last year.
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Salvador Perez DH | KC
Royals' Salvador Perez: Hits game-winning home run
Perez went 1-for-5 with two runs scored and the game-winning two-run home run in Friday's 10-9 win over the Indians.
Perez followed up Thursday's birthday grand slam with another big home run Friday, tucking a two-run shot inside the left-field foul pole off Andrew Miller to help the Royals overcome a 9-4 deficit. The 28-year-old has hit well since coming of the disabled list April 24, with a .282/.312/.535 slash line and five home runs in 71 at-bats.
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Mitch Garver C | SEA
Twins' Mitch Garver: Receives breather
Garver is not in the lineup against the Angels on Friday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Garver will be stationed on the bench following two straight starts behind the plate. Bobby Wilson will catch Lance Lynn and bat ninth during Friday's affair.
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Austin Hedges C | CLE
Padres' Austin Hedges: MRI comes back clean
An MRI revealed that Hedges' elbow has no structural damage and he was cleared to resume swinging, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Hedges is currently in San Diego, where he played catch and will take swings for the first time since suffering this injury in late April. The catcher was shut down from all activities over the past week after being officially diagnosed with right elbow tendinitis, which caused him to land on the 10-day DL. The Padres have yet to pinpoint a specific timetable for his return, but rejoining the team next weekend doesn't seem out of the question.
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Willson Contreras 1B | BOS
Cubs' Willson Contreras: Career day against White Sox
Contreras went 4-for-5 with two home runs, two runs scored and seven RBI in Friday's win over the White Sox.
The 25-year-old launched a grand slam off Carson Fulmer in the first inning, and he later added another homer and a double to give him a career-high seven RBI for the day. Contreras has racked up a whopping 20 total bases in his last two games, raising his batting line from .230/.315/.354 to .268/.343/.488. It took a little while, but Contreras is starting to live up to his draft-day price.