MLB Player News
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Brendan Rodgers 2B | BOS
Red Sox's Brendan Rodgers: Back with Boston on MiLB deal
Rodgers (shoulder) re-signed Friday with the Red Sox on a two-year, minor-league contract, Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com reports.
Rodgers is slated to miss the entire 2026 season while recovering from right shoulder labral revision surgery, but the minor-league deal will allow him to conduct his rehab under the supervision of the Red Sox's medical staff. If healthy heading into next spring, Rodgers will likely be given the chance to compete for a spot on Boston's Opening Day roster, but he'll turn 30 in August and could struggle to earn another another opportunity in the majors. Even before his shoulder surgery, Rodgers endured a disappointing, injury plagued 2025 campaign with the Astros in which he slashed just .191/.266/.278 with a 35.9 percent strikeout rate over 128 plate appearances.
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Luke Keaschall 2B | MIN
Twins' Luke Keaschall: Used as No. 3 hitter
Keaschall went 1-for-4 with a walk in Sunday's loss at Baltimore and is hitting .182 (2-for-11) this season. He's hit third in the batting order in all three games this season.
Keaschall may be better suited to hit leadoff in Minnesota's lineup due to his high OBP (.382 last season), but new Twins manager Derek Shelton went with a platoon of Austin Martin and Kody Clemens in the leadoff role to begin the season. While Keaschall played some outfield in spring training, he's only played second base so far this season.
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Cal Raleigh C | SEA
Mariners' Cal Raleigh: Doubles Sunday
Raleigh went 1-for-4 with an RBI double in Sunday's 8-0 win over Cleveland.
Raleigh's sixth-inning double was his first extra-base hit this season. While he does have hits in back-to-back games, it's been a tough start to the year for Raleigh -- he's now 2-for-18 with 10 strikeouts through four games. While it's a safe bet that Raleigh will turn things around, some regression is certainly possible after the catcher's record-setting 2025 campaign, where he slashed .247/.359/.589 with 60 homers, 125 RBI and a career-low 26.7% strikeout rate across 705 regular-season plate appearances.
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Andruw Monasterio 3B | BOS
Red Sox's Andruw Monasterio: Enters as pinch hitter
Monasterio went 1-for-2 with a double in Sunday's 3-2 loss to Cincinnati.
Monasterio, who made his first appearance of the regular season, pinch hit for Marcelo Mayer in the seventh inning against a right-handed reliever and remained in the game at second base. The backup gave the Red Sox some hope in the ninth inning with a one-out double, but he was stranded there. With Mayer routinely hitting the bench against left-handers, Monasterio and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are positioned to be part of a platoon at second base.
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Randy Arozarena LF | SEA
Mariners' Randy Arozarena: Two hits Sunday
Arozarena went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 8-0 win over the Guardians.
Arozarena has gotten off to a strong start this season, going 4-for-18 with a pair of doubles, five walks and a stolen base through four games. In 2025, the outfielder's first full season with the Mariners, Arozarena slashed .238/.334/.426 with 31 steals and a career-high 27 home runs across 709 regular-season plate appearances.
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Connor Wong C | BOS
Red Sox's Connor Wong: Draws first start
Wong started at catcher and went 2-for-3 with a double in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Reds.
Wong made his first start of the season, as Carlos Narvaez was given a breather. The former also made an appearance in Saturday's game and didn't have a good at-bat while striking out in the 10th inning. That was a stark reminder of the struggles he endured in 2025, when Wong batted .190 with a .500 OPS and lost the starting gig to Narvaez. As such, Sunday's two-hit effort was an encouraging sign for the backup catcher, who slashed .121/.216/.152 in spring training.
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Cooper Criswell RP | SEA
Mariners' Cooper Criswell: Grabs three-inning save
Criswell earned the save in Sunday's 8-0 win over the Guardians, allowing two hits while striking out five over three scoreless innings.
Criswell was sharp Sunday, limiting the Guardians to a pair of singles to close out Seattle's shutout victory, earning his second career save. The 29-year-old Criswell made the team as a long-relief option after posting a 2.51 ERA across 14.1 innings in spring training. While he may have a defined role in the Mariners' bullpen, don't expect Criswell to be a frequent source of saves. The right-hander has a career ERA of 4.42 with a 1.42 WHIP across 158.2 major-league innings.
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Slade Cecconi SP | CLE
Guardians' Slade Cecconi: Velocity down Sunday
Cecconi said Sunday that he woke up feeling under the weather, which resulted in diminished velocity, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
Sunday's results were discouraging after Cecconi's preseason work suggested a pitcher about to take the next level. "I gave everything I had. Just all my velocities were down," Cecconi said. "Still, I think I executed pretty well. I think they got a few runs on some executed pitches and a few that weren't." His four-seamer averaged 92.3 mph, down two ticks from 94.3 it registered in 2025. In addition to reduced velocity, the right-hander also walked three and hit two batters. Cecconi will look to rebound this coming weekend against the Cubs.
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C.J. Kayfus 1B | CLE
Guardians' CJ Kayfus: Has issues in left field
Kayfus started in left field and went 0-for-2 in Sunday's 8-0 loss to the Mariners. He was also hit by a pitch.
Kayfus made his second career big-league start in left field and it showed on a couple of balls that led to Seattle rallies. Both were hit by lefties that have strong pull tendencies, and Kayfus had to range far from the gap in left-center to make the plays but couldn't. "He was in the right position," manager Stephen Vogt said of Kayfus to Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. "They had a couple of balls that found the line. It's a relatively new position for CJ. A couple of unfortunate plays that went their way. They made us pay for them." It was the first instance of Vogt's decision to have four-time Gold Glove winning left fielder Steven Kwan play center field. The position switch was designed to inject more offensive punch into the lineup at the outfield corners. One unfortunate night may not impact Vogt's decision, but continued issues in left field could result in a reduction of playing time for Kayfus.
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Ezequiel Duran SS | TEX
Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Contributes to win
Duran started at second base and went 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Phillies.
Duran entered the starting nine for the first time this season, replacing Josh Smith at second base against Philadelphia lefty Jesus Luzardo. There's been no indication Duran and Smith are in a strict platoon -- Smith started Opening Day against a lefty -- and Sunday's start could merely be manager Skip Schumaker keeping his bench players involved.