MLB Player News
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Michael Massey 2B | KC
Royals' Michael Massey: Tallies four hits
Massey went 4-for-5 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 9-2 victory over the Athletics.
Massey capped the regular season swinging well, tying his season high with four hits -- his second four-hit effort in the past five games. Even with that strong finish, it's been a rough year for the utility man, who battled multiple injuries and struggled when on the field, slashing .244/.268/.313 with nine doubles, three homers and 20 RBI across 77 games.
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Maikel Garcia 3B | KC
Royals' Maikel Garcia: Finishes breakout year
Garcia went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI, a run scored and a walk in Sunday's win over the Athletics.
Garcia wasted no time, ripping a leadoff double on the first pitch of the game before adding a sacrifice fly in the second inning and an RBI single in the fourth. The strong regular-season finale lifted his 2025 OPS to an even .800 with 39 doubles, five triples, 16 homers, 74 RBI and 23 stolen bases across 160 games, cementing a breakout year after he posted just a .613 OPS in 157 games last season.
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Carter Jensen C | KC
Royals' Carter Jensen: Monster homer in win
Jensen went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and two additional runs scored in Sunday's victory over the Athletics.
Jensen capped Sunday's regular-season finale with three hits, highlighted by a towering 482-foot homer in the seventh inning that stretched the lead to six. The young catcher hasn't looked overmatched since his Sept. 2 call-up, batting .300/.391/.550 with six doubles, three homers and 13 RBI across 20 games. Despite having a disappointing 2025 in which they missed the postseason, the Royals may have a future star behind the plate in Jensen, especially as Salvador Perez ages.
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Brady Basso RP | ATH
Athletics' Brady Basso: Takes loss as opener
Basso (1-1) took the loss Sunday, allowing a run on three hits and two walks over 1.1 innings against Kansas City. He recorded no strikeouts.
The 27-year-old opened the game Sunday but couldn't find a rhythm, loading the bases before exiting in the second inning with one out. Tyler Ferguson then allowed an inherited runner to score. Basso didn't make his first big-league appearance of the year until Aug. 27 after dealing with a left shoulder strain and beginning with Triple-A Las Vegas. He managed strong results with a 2.31 ERA across 11 outings and 11.2 innings, though a 1.80 WHIP, 4.07 FIP and 6.9 BB/9 suggest trouble beneath the surface.
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Nick Kurtz 1B | ATH
Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Caps off season with 36th homer
Kurtz went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Sunday's 9-2 loss against the Royals.
The rookie slugger provided Oakland's only offense of the night with a 423-foot blast off Sam Long in the eighth inning, marking his 36th homer of the season and his seventh since September 10. Over that span, he hit .233 with 13 RBI while continuing to show his game-changing power. Kurtz looks like the clear favorite for AL Rookie of the Year honors, as he'll finish the regular season with an impressive .290/.383/.619 slash line, 26 doubles, 86 RBI and 90 runs scored to go along with his outstanding long-ball total across 488 plate appearances.
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Mike Yastrzemski LF | ATL
Royals' Mike Yastrzemski: Blasts two homers in win
Yastrzemski went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs, a walk and a stolen base in Sunday's 9-2 victory over the Athletics.
The veteran outfielder broke out of his home run drought in emphatic fashion, launching a deep shot to right field off Michael Kelly in the seventh inning before adding another solo blast to right against Osvaldo Bido an inning later. Earlier in the game, Yastrzemski also swiped his seventh base of the season after a third-inning walk. The pair of long balls pushed his season total to 17, with nine of those coming since joining the Royals at the trade deadline. Yastrzemski hadn't gone deep in his previous 24 games, a stretch in which he hit just .176 with a .549 OPS and three RBI, making Sunday's performance a strong way to finish the regular season.
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Cole Ragans RP | KC
Royals' Cole Ragans: Ends season on high note
Ragans didn't factor into the decision Sunday against the Athletics, allowing two hits and one walk over 4.1 scoreless innings. He struck out eight.
The left-hander was electric despite the short outing, piling up 17 swinging strikes on 72 pitches while leaning heavily on his fastball. He put together a particularly dominant stretch during which he struck out six of eight batters faced. Since returning from the injured list, Ragans has been exactly what the Royals hoped for, looking sharp across three outings. Over that span, he's delivered a 2.77 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and a 22:4 K:BB across 13 innings, showing not only that his strikeout ability remains intact but also that there are no lingering concerns about his durability or effectiveness heading into the offseason.
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Ben Rice 1B | NYY
Yankees' Ben Rice: Powers Yanks with pair of homers
Rice went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Orioles.
Rice was a majority of the Yankees' offense Sunday as he took Kyle Bradish deep in the first inning to open the scoring before launching another long ball in the eighth that gave New York a late lead for good. The performance marked Rice's second multi-homer game of the season and pushed his total to 26 on the year. The 26-year-old wraps up the year with a respectable .255/.337/.499 slash line alongside 28 doubles, 65 RBI and 74 runs scored across 528 plate appearances.
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David Bednar RP | NYY
Yankees' David Bednar: Earns 27th save
Bednar earned the save in Sunday's 3-2 win against the Orioles, striking out two while issuing a walk in a scoreless ninth inning.
The right-hander was tasked with protecting a one-run lead and worked around a leadoff walk to Adley Rutschman by punching out two of the next three hitters to close the door. The 30-year-old has been great of late, allowing just six baserunners over his last 10 appearances while converting seven saves in that span. Since joining the Yankees, Bednar has converted nine of his 12 save chances and posted a 2.19 ERA and 35:9 K:BB across 24.2 innings.
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Kyle Bradish SP | BAL
Orioles' Kyle Bradish: Fans eight in no-decison
Bradish didn't factor into the decision Sunday against the Yankees, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out eight over four innings.
Bradish came out hot, striking out Trent Grisham to begin the day, but was tagged for a solo homer by Ben Rice before he could generate any more momentum. Later, three consecutive singles brought home another run in the fourth but the right-hander responded by striking out the side to escape further damage and keep Baltimore in the game. The 29-year-old has been sharp in limited action this season, never allowing more than two runs in any of his six starts while racking up a 13.2 K/9. Bradish posts a 2.53 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 47:10 K:BB across 32 innings.