MLB Player News
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Harrison Bader CF | SF
Twins' Harrison Bader: Third career multi-homer effort
Bader went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs in Friday's 4-3 win over the Rays.
Friday marked the third career multi-homer game for Bader, who played the role of hero with his first career walk-off blast in the ninth inning. It was also Bader's first multi-hit effort since June 13, but he continues to play a semi-regular role in the Twins' outfield. Bader is slashing a respectable .251/.328/.420 with nine big flies, 10 doubles, 29 RBI and seven stolen bases over his 247 plate appearances.
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Joel Kuhnel RP | MIL
Yankees' Joel Kuhnel: Signs with Pinstripes
Kuhnel signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on Friday.
Kuhnel didn't have to wait long to find his next gig after being released by the Phillies on Thursday. The 30-year-old reliever turned in a 3.62 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over 32.1 frames at Lehigh Valley and will remain an organizational depth piece upon joining his new club.
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Cal Raleigh C | SEA
Mariners' Cal Raleigh: Prolific campaign continues Friday
Raleigh went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in Friday's 6-0 win over the Pirates.
Raleigh left the yard twice for the seventh time already this season, pushing his major-league lead up to 35 homers for the year in the process. With Friday's showing, the slugging backstop surpassed his homer total of 34 through 154 games in 2024 to set a career high. Across his first 86 outings this year, Raleigh is slashing a prolific .271/.379/.648 with 16 doubles, 74 RBI, 62 runs scored and a career-high nine stolen bases covering 380 trips to the plate.
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Dylan Moore 1B | PHI
Mariners' Dylan Moore: Goes deep in rare start
Moore went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Friday's 6-0 win over the Pirates.
The Mariners gave the lefty-hitting Dominic Canzone the day off versus southpaw Bailey Falter, enabling Moore to draw a rare start in right field and belt his first homer since May 22. Moore had briefly handled nearly an everyday role when Ryan Bliss (triceps) and Victor Robles (shoulder) went down earlier this year, but he's fallen into a utility role off the bench since Canzone and Cole Young joined the big-league club. Moore has taken just 39 at-bats over his last 25 games, going 2-for-39 with one steal during that span.
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Zach McKinstry 2B | DET
Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Knocks big homer
McKinstry went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Friday's 2-1 win over the Guardians.
McKinstry has seen a more reliable, consistent role since the injury to Kerry Carpenter (hamstring), and he rewarded his team with what turned out to be the game-winning homer Friday. The 30-year-old McKinstry now has six home runs as part of a season in which he is slashing .289/.361/.462 with eight doubles and 26 RBI.
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Cody Bellinger LF | NYY
Yankees' Cody Bellinger: Extends hitting streak with homer
Bellinger went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Mets.
With his 13th homer of the season, Bellinger extended his hitting streak to 10 games. The veteran outfielder has recovered well from a miserable start to the year, which saw him post a .198 batting average through May 3. Over his last 221 plate appearances (50 games), Bellinger has slashed .305/.357/.527 with 23 extra-base hits, 29 RBI, 30 runs scored and six stolen bases.
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Wenceel Perez RF | DET
Tigers' Wenceel Perez: Hits seventh homer
Perez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Friday's 2-1 win over the Guardians.
Perez hit his first home run in July, and seventh of the season, in the third inning to get the Tigers on the board. It's been a small sample size of just 31 games this season, but the 25-year-old is enjoying a breakout campaign so far, slashing .269/.316/.565 on the season, well past his .242/.300/.383 line in 112 games from 2024.
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Jose Ramirez 3B | CLE
Guardians' Jose Ramirez: Breaks out of slump with homer
Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run during Friday's 2-1 loss to the Tigers.
Ramirez created the only fireworks of the evening for the Guardians, knocking his 14th home run of the season in the first inning. That was much-needed for the switch-hitting third baseman, who broke out of a six-game hitless drought. The 32-year-old is still in the midst of another good hitting season, slashing .299/.360/.490, which is comparable to last season, but his 38 RBI nearing the end of the first half lags way behind the pace necessary to get near his 118 RBI from 2024.
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Will Vest RP | DET
Tigers' Will Vest: Nabs four-out save
Vest picked up a four-out save, allowing one hit and one walk while also picking up a strikeout, during Friday's 2-1 win over the Guardians.
Vest worked more than an inning for the first time in his past nine appearances. The 30-year-old put out a fire in the bottom of the eighth, then worked around allowing a baserunner in the ninth on his way to his 14th save in 17 tries this year. The right-hander picked up at least one strikeout in his ninth straight outing for a total of 12 in his last 8.2 innings. Vest hasn't surrendered a run in five straight appearances, and his ERA is now at 2.25 for the season.
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Reese Olson SP | DET
Tigers' Reese Olson: Earns no-decision in return
Olson settled for a no-decision after throwing 4.1 innings, allowing one run on six hits and one walk while striking out three during Friday's 2-1 win over the Guardians.
In his first big-league start since hitting the injured list with a finger injury, Olson slogged through just over four innings of work, not making it through the requisite five required to be credited for a win in the game. The only damage came courtesy of a Jose Ramirez solo home run, just the third long ball the 25-year-old has allowed this season in 53 innings. It might take some time for Olson, who has a solid 2.89 ERA on the season, to fully get back into a rhythm, and he is scheduled to make what will likely be his last start before the All-Star break at home against the Rays on Wednesday.