MLB Player News

Kwan batted seventh and went 1-for-2 with a walk, a double, an RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Tigers.

After years serving as the Guardians' primary leadoff batter, Kwan's early-season slump prompted a recent drop in the batting order. Over the last four games he's hit either sixth or seventh, and he's been an on-base machine, going 2-for-8 with eight walks and five runs scored. He's also provided the usual Gold Glove defense in left or center field. He told Tim Stebbins of MLB.com that his swing feels better, and he's being aggressive when appropriate. To Kwan's credit, the slump hasn't led to him chasing (91st percentile), and Kwan will take the free base (15.7 BB%) if pitchers aren't in the zone.

Benintendi went 1-for-4 with one RBI and one stolen base in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Mariners.

Benintendi delivered an RBI single in the ninth inning for the go-ahead run. He promptly stole second but was left on base. The veteran outfielder hasn't used his speed as much this season, and he's primarily worked as the designated hitter. He's batting .239 with a .673 OPS, three home runs, 20 RBI, 17 runs scored, seven doubles and two triples through 44 contests. His theft Tuesday was his first attempt of the year.

Taylor struck out three batters in a perfect inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Mariners.

Seranthony Dominguez wasn't used Monday but threw 32 pitches Sunday, so he may have been given some extra rest. In any case, Taylor was able to get the job done for his first save of the season, continuing a strong May in which he's allowed one unearned run while adding a 15:4 K:BB across 10 innings. He has a 1.78 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 38:8 K:BB through 25.1 innings over 19 appearances, including four outings as an opener. His background as a starter gives him multi-inning capabilities out of the bullpen, but he's been dominant enough so far to work his way into high-leverage work as well. In addition to the save, he's added two holds and a blown save.

Kay allowed one run on one hit, three walks and two hit batsmen while striking out five over 5.1 innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners on Tuesday.

Kay didn't have his best control, but the Mariners' bats failed to punish him for it. He's now allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his last four starts, adding a 19:8 K:BB across 21.1 innings in that span. For the season, he's at a 4.27 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 34:22 K:BB through 46.1 innings over 10 appearances (eight starts). The southpaw is projected to make his next start at home versus the Twins.

Castillo (1-5) allowed two runs on a hit, two walks and a hit batsman while striking out four over 2.1 innings, taking the loss Tuesday versus the White Sox.

Castillo was fine through two innings, but manager Dan Wilson left him in for the start of the ninth. That ended up being a mistake, and Andres Munoz failed to stop the White Sox's rally after coming in for mop-up duty. Castillo's poor relief outing stands in contrast to a superb start from Bryce Miller, who appears to have bumped Castillo out of the rotation. Castillo is at a 6.41 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 47:18 K:BB through 46.1 innings over 10 outings (nine starts). It'll likely take an injury to another pitcher for Castillo to get back in the rotation at this point.

Munoz was charged with his third blown save of the season Tuesday in a 2-1 loss to the White Sox, allowing two inherited runners to score while striking out two over two-thirds of an inning.

Munoz wasn't charged with a run, but he failed to clean up the mess Luis Castillo left him in the ninth inning. Munoz hasn't been able to stretch a scoreless streak beyond four innings this season in what's been an uneven start to the campaign. He's 8-for-11 in save chances while pitching to a 4.82 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 32:7 K:BB through 18.2 innings over 20 appearances. Despite his struggles, Munoz remains in the driver's seat for saves in Seattle.

Miller allowed one hit and one walk while striking out seven over 5.2 scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the White Sox on Tuesday.

Miller threw 50 of 72 pitches for strikes, a drop from the 81 pitches he threw in his season debut. Miller was in line for the win, but Luis Castillo and Andres Munoz combined to give up the one-run lead in the ninth inning. With two runs allowed on nine hits and two walks over 11 innings across two starts, Miller has looked superb since returning from an oblique strain. He's done well enough to earn another start as the Mariners continue to try to set their rotation in some way. Miller is tentatively lined up to pitch on the road against the Athletics in some capacity early next week.

Contreras went 2-for-5 with three RBI in Tuesday's 7-1 win over the Royals.

Contreras got the scoring started early with an RBI single in the first inning before adding another run-scoring single later in the ninth. The veteran continues to swing the bat well, now recording a hit in five of his last six games while homering twice during that stretch. Contreras owns an impressive .839 OPS alongside a .258 batting average, 10 home runs, six doubles, 30 RBI and 21 runs scored this season.

Trout went 1-for-3 with a home run, an additional RBI and two walks in a loss to the Athletics on Tuesday.

Trout produced the Angels' first run with a solo blast to center field in the third inning. The long ball was his first since May 5 -- a span of 12 games. Trout has been streaky this season, and he previously had a 13-game homerless stretch that was followed by a run of five long balls in four contests. That should provide hope that Trout can begin another productive stretch after entering Tuesday having gone 1-for-18 across his previous five games.

Duran went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run, a double, two walks, a stolen base and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 7-1 win over the Royals.

Duran reached base in four of his five plate appearances, walking in his first two trips before doubling in the fifth inning and later launching a 366-foot three-run homer in the eighth to put the game away. The homer was his fifth of the season, and his stolen base gave him 10 on the year. After a power surge earlier in May, Duran had cooled off significantly entering Tuesday, batting just .125 with a 5:16 BB:K over his previous 12 games.