MLB Player News
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Not in Sunday's lineup
Stanton is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at Houston.
Stanton started the previous six games and will receive a day off after he went 6-for-26 with two homers, four RBI, five runs and 10 strikeouts during that stretch. Aaron Judge will rest his legs as the Yankees' designated hitter Sunday while Everson Pereira, Jasson Dominguez and Oswaldo Cabrera start from left to right in the outfield.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Blue Jays' Brandon Belt: Scratched with back tightness
The Blue Jays scratched Belt from the lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the Rockies due to lower-back tightness.
Just 10 minutes before Sunday's 3:10 p.m. ET opening pitch, the Blue Jays opted to hold Belt out of the lineup while he continues to deal with the back issues that first cropped up this past Tuesday. After missing three days, Belt returned to the lineup for the first two games of the series in Colorado, going 2-for-5 with a solo home run, a walk and two additional runs. Spencer Horwitz was added to the lineup as a replacement for Belt and will start at first base and bat fifth Sunday.
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Brent Rooker DH | ATH
Athletics' Brent Rooker: Squares up for key homer
Rooker went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in a win over the Angels on Saturday.
Rooker's 23rd blast of the season was a noteworthy one, a 436-foot shot with Ryan Noda aboard in the fourth inning that would prove to be the difference in the game despite it coming relatively early in the contest. Rooker has been swinging a particularly productive bat since mid-August despite still struggling with making consistent contact -- he owns a .277 average and .852 OPS over his last 17 games, a stretch that includes eight extra-base hits (four doubles, four homers) and eight RBI.
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Miguel Cabrera DH | DET
Tigers' Miguel Cabrera: Heads to bench Sunday
Cabrera is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox.
Cabrera will head to the bench for the day game after he went 4-for-5 with a double, three RBI and a run in Saturday's 10-0 win. With Riley Greene (elbow) landing on the injured list Saturday, the Tigers are likely to deploy Kerry Carpenter in right field more frequently and open up more starts at designated hitter for Cabrera down the stretch for the final stanza of the 40-year-old's prolific career.
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Miguel Cabrera DH | DET
Tigers' Miguel Cabrera: Four hits in blowout
Cabrera went 4-for-5 with a double, three RBI and one run scored in Saturday's 10-0 win over the White Sox.
The 40-year-old Cabrera got the scoring started on his first-inning, run-scoring double and added RBI base hits in the fourth and sixth before miraculously legging out an infield single in the eighth. The first four-hit effort of Cabrera's final season brings his slash line to .257/.322/.349 with three home runs, 27 RBI and 17 runs across 81 games.
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Byron Buxton DH | MIN
Twins' Byron Buxton: Knee issue not major setback
Buxton has been diagnosed with a flareup of patella tendinitis in his right knee after leaving Friday's rehab game for Triple-A St. Paul, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "He didn't hurt himself. It's just a matter of, the more he's on his feet, the more his knee is feeling it right now," Baldelli said of Buxton. "He's had this before. We'll continue to treat it day-to-day, like we have all along."
Buxton played the first game of a rehab assignment Wednesday in center field, took Thursday off and then left Friday's game after two at-bats while serving as a designated hitter. It's not clear when he may play another rehab game, but the Twins apparently don't believe that he's dealing with a serious setback.
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Belts 21st long ball
Stanton went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, an additional run and a walk against the Astros in Friday's 6-2 victory.
Stanton hit one of four Yankees homers against Justin Verlander, smashing a 433-foot two-run shot in the third inning. The long ball was his second in three contests and his 21st of the year over 84 games. Stanton's 14.7 AB/HR on the campaign is in line with his career mark, but his .728 OPS and all three marks in his .205/.283/.445 slash line will be his lowest as a major leaguer if he isn't able to pick up the pace over the closing weeks of the campaign.
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Nick Loftin 1B | KC
Royals' Nick Loftin: On base three times in debut
Loftin went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run scored in Friday's 13-2 win over the Red Sox.
Loftin's MLB debut can be considered a success as he was one of six Royals with multiple hits in the blowout win. The infield prospect slashed .270/.344/.444 with a 13.1 percent strikeout rate and 9.7 percent walk rate over 82 games with Triple-A Omaha this year. With the Royals playing out the string, there should be plenty of chances for Loftin to get accustomed to the majors in September, especially since he boasts defensive versatility.
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Byron Buxton DH | MIN
Twins' Byron Buxton: Exits with knee injury
Buxton experienced soreness in the patella tendon of his right knee while playing for Triple-A St. Paul on Friday as the DH, and he was removed from the game after two at-bats, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Buxton played the first game of his rehab assignment Wednesday, which was his first game in center field this year. He then had an off day Thursday. This sounds like a setback which could put his return from the injured list in doubt, as the Twins had been hoping he could return and play center field on a semi-regular basis in September. Buxton has been on the injured list since Aug. 4 with a strained right hamstring and has served exclusively as a designated hitter in the majors this season due to limitations related to his September 2022 right knee surgery.