MLB Player News
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Brent Rooker DH | ATH
Athletics' Brent Rooker: Slugs second homer
Rooker went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Tigers.
The 29-year-old slugger took Kenta Maeda deep in the first inning for a two-run shot before driving in an insurance run with a single in the eighth. Rooker was streaky even in his breakout campaign last year, and his 2024 has already been a roller coaster -- after going 0-for-11 with nine strikeouts over his first three games, he's racked up three multi-hit performances in the last four with a double, two homers, five RBI and only five Ks.
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Daniel Vogelbach DH | TOR
Blue Jays' Daniel Vogelbach: Starting at DH vs. Yankees
Vogelbach will start as the designated hitter and bat fourth in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Yankees.
It'll be Vogelbach's first start since March 30, as the left-handed batter will face off against Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt. Vogelbach is 1-for-5 with one walk and one strikeout to start the season.
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Joc Pederson DH | TEX
Diamondbacks' Joc Pederson: Not starting against lefty
Pederson isn't in Arizona's lineup for Saturday's matchup against Atlanta.
Southpaw Max Fried will take the mound for Atlanta on Saturday, meaning the lefty-swinging Pederson will stay put in the dugout to begin the game. Randal Grichuk will fill in as the D-backs' DH and bat sixth.
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Andrew McCutchen DH | TEX
Pirates' Andrew McCutchen: Idle Saturday
McCutchen isn't in the Pirates' lineup for Saturday's game versus Baltimore, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
McCutchen will get a breather after going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts during Friday's series opener. His absence will allow Edward Olivares to serve as Pittsburgh's DH while batting fifth.
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Manny Machado 3B | SD
Padres' Manny Machado: Remains weeks away from playing 3B
Manager Mike Shildt said Friday that Machado has been extending distance when playing catch and is "a little ahead of schedule" in terms of rehabbing from offseason elbow surgery, though the Padres won't consider having him return to the field for a few more weeks, 97.3 The Fan San Diego reports.
Machado has been limited exclusively to designated-hitter duties to begin the campaign, and that appears unlikely to change for at least a few more weeks. Nonetheless, Shildt indicated that the veteran third baseman is "in a good place" and has been feeling good after recent throwing sessions. It's uncertain if Machado's offseason surgery has affected his swing, but he's off to a slow start at the plate, slashing .184/.295/.395 with two home runs, seven RBI and a 6:7 BB:K through 44 plate appearances.
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Harold Ramirez DH | WAS
Rays' Harold Ramirez: Getting on track
Ramirez went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored Friday against the Rockies.
Ramirez has benefitted from the absence of Jonathan Aranda (finger) early this season, as he's been in the lineup in seven of the first eight games. He started the campaign slowly with only one hit across his first 17 at-bats, though he now has a three-game hitting streak, during which he's gone 6-for-13 with two runs scored and two RBI.
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Bryce Harper 1B | PHI
Phillies' Bryce Harper: Laces two doubles
Harper went 3-for-5 with two doubles and one RBI in Friday's win over the Nationals.
After opening the season with a tough 0-for-11 streak, Harper has come alive this week, with both doubles Friday coming off left-hander Patrick Corbin. With seven hits in the last three games, Harper has boosted his batting average to .292 (7-for-24) with three homers and seven RBI.
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Brent Rooker DH | ATH
Athletics' Brent Rooker: Cranks first homer
Rooker went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Tigers.
Rooker got Oakland on the board with two outs in the sixth inning, launching a two-run homer off Tarik Skubal to cut the Tigers' lead to 3-2. It's the first home run of the season for Rooker after he broke out with 30 long balls in 2023. After going 0-for-11 in his first three games this year, Rooker now has four hits in his last three games. While the 29-year-old offers impressive power, making consistent contact is still an issue for him -- he's struck out 14 times against just one walk in 25 plate appearances.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Homers again Friday
Ohtani went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer, a double and an additional run scored in Friday's 9-7 loss to the Cubs.
Ohtani cut the Dodgers' deficit to 6-4 with a long ball off Kyle Hendricks in the fifth inning that stayed just inside the right-field foul pole. After going eight games without a home run to start his Dodgers tenure, Ohtani has now gone yard in back-to-back games. He's 12-for-42 with six RBI, nine runs scored and a stolen base so far this season.
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Eloy Jimenez DH | TOR
White Sox's Eloy Jimenez: Placed on injured list
Jimenez was placed on the 10-day injured list by the White Sox on Friday with a left adductor strain, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Jimenez suffered the injury Sunday, but the White Sox had kept him on the active roster in hopes that he could be ready to play this weekend. Clearly, that didn't happen, though Jimenez will be eligible to return in a week since the roster move is retroactive to Tuesday. Gavin Sheets will continue to fill in at designated hitter against righties, and Robbie Grossman has assumed Jimenez's roster spot.