MLB Player News
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Mickey Gasper 1B | MIN
Twins' Mickey Gasper: Back on bench Thursday
Gasper is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Guardians.
Gasper will hit the bench after he had served as the Twins' designated hitter in three of the past four games while going 2-for-11 with an RBI and a run. The switch-hitting 29-year-old could see an uptick in opportunities while the Twins are without Royce Lewis (hamstring), Matt Wallner (hamstring) and Willi Castro (oblique), though manager Rocco Baldelli may prefer to rotate a number of players at the DH spot rather than settling on Gasper as the team's primary option.
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Ben Rice C | NYY
Yankees' Ben Rice: Will get more defensive reps
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that he plans to use Rice at first base "a little bit here" and is "going to try" to work him in at catcher during blowout games, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
Boone has begun to think about how he will deploy Rice -- who has a .958 OPS with eight home runs -- when the Yankees get Giancarlo Stanton (elbows) back from the injured list. Rice saw one inning at catcher in the April 27 win against the Blue Jays and Boone wanted to play him behind the plate Tuesday in Baltimore but decided against it after Rice was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning. The 26-year-old Rice is a natural catcher and works out there and at first base every day. Rice could see enough game action at catcher to earn eligibility there in fantasy leagues, although it probably won't happen anytime soon. Stanton is progressing in his rehab but is not close to returning, so Boone has time to mull how to use Rice once the team is at full strength. The manager did say he is not considering using Rice at any unfamiliar positions, so when Rice plays in the field it will be at first base or catcher.
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Rafael Devers 3B | SF
Red Sox's Rafael Devers: RBI in five straight
Devers went 2-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Blue Jays.
Devers, who's had an up-and-down season, is on the rise again. He's hit safely in five straight (8-for-22) with three doubles, three home runs and an RBI in all five games. He's batting just .225 for the season, but 15 of his 27 hits have gone for extra bases. Devers ranks third on the team with 19 RBI.
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Brent Rooker DH | ATH
Athletics' Brent Rooker: Sets off ninth-inning explosion
Rooker went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in a 7-1 win against Texas on Wednesday.
The game was tied 1-1 entering the ninth inning, when Rooker unknotted the score with a two-run blast to left field. The Athletics tacked on four more runs later in the frame on a Lawrence Butler grand slam to secure the victory and move back above .500. Rooker had gone seven games without a long ball before Wednesday's blast, but he's been swinging an effective bat of late with three multi-hit performance across his past four contests. He's at a .258/.313/.508 slash line with eight homers, 17 RBI and 19 runs through 134 plate appearances on the season.
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Anthony Santander RF | TOR
Blue Jays' Anthony Santander: Starting to bounce back
Santander went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's extra-inning win over Boston.
Santander is finally starting to emerge from his early-season doldrums, going deep in two of his last three games. The slugging switch hitter still has work to do, however, as he's slashing .175/.258/.316 with four round trippers, four doubles, 12 doubles and nine runs scored through 128 plate appearances. Fantasy managers should stay patient with Santander, who should continue to see plenty of RBI opportunities while primarily batting third in Toronto's lineup.
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Jorge Polanco 2B | SEA
Mariners' Jorge Polanco: Out again versus lefty
Polanco is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Angels.
The switch-hitting Polanco still hasn't been cleared to hit from the right side of the plate while he manages a side injury, though he told Adam Jude of The Seattle Times on April 16 that he's felt well enough to hit off a tee. Polanco will continue to hold down a regular spot in the lineup at designated hitter against right-handed pitching, but the Mariners will continue to shield him from lefties like the Angels' Tyler Anderson until he's 100 percent while swinging the bat from the right side. Cal Raleigh will replace Polanco as the Mariners' DH on Wednesday.
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Yordan Alvarez DH | HOU
Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Grabbing seat Wednesday
Alvarez is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
Alvarez exited Monday's game with an undisclosed injury but was back in the lineup Tuesday, so this appears to simply be a routine day off. Jose Altuve is in the designated hitter spot Wednesday, while Zach Dezenzo will handle left field and bat eighth.
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Jorge Polanco 2B | SEA
Mariners' Jorge Polanco: Goes yard twice again
Polanco went 2-for-3 with a walk, two home runs and five RBI in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Angels.
The 31-year-old carried the M's offense with his second two-homer performance in the last three games, as he took Jack Kochanowicz deep in the second inning for a three-run blast before teeing off on a Jose Fermin sinker in the seventh. Polanco may be the hottest hitter in baseball right now, going 10-for-20 over his last six games with two doubles, six long balls and 13 RBI, and his 1.242 OPS is the highest in the majors among players with at least 75 plate appearances.
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Rafael Devers 3B | SF
Red Sox's Rafael Devers: Goes deep Tuesday
Devers went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Tuesday's win over the Blue Jays.
Devers swatted a 422-foot blast to right in the third for his only knock of the evening. It's his third home run in his last four games, a span during which he's compiled four RBI and scored six runs while posting a 3:3 BB:K. Devers is still working on upping his batting average after a very slow start to the year. He's currently hitting .217/.352/.417 with five homers, 18 RBI, 21 runs and a 24:39 BB:K in 142 plate appearances.