MLB Player News
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Yandy Diaz 1B | TB
Rays' Yandy Diaz: Stays hot in win over Milwaukee
Diaz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 3-2 win over the Brewers.
Diaz led off the game with a solo blast off Kyle Harrison, and he later singled off Harrison in the second inning. The veteran designated hitter is swinging a hot bat to begin the season, as Diaz is 11-for-20 with one double, one home run, six RBI, four runs scored and a 1:1 BB:K through four contest.
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C.J. Kayfus 1B | CLE
Guardians' CJ Kayfus: Idle Monday
Kayfus is not in the Guardians' starting lineup against the Dodgers on Monday.
Kayfus will take a seat for Monday's series opener while the Guardians roll with Steven Kwan, Daniel Schneemann and Angel Martinez in the outfield from left to right. Kayfus went 0-for-8 with two walks, one run and four strikeouts across three games against the Mariners this past week. He also struggled in his start in left field Sunday, which could limit the amount of at-bats he sees until he shores up that part of his game.
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Rhys Hoskins 1B | CLE
Guardians' Rhys Hoskins: Sitting again Monday
Hoskins is not in the Guardians' starting lineup against the Dodgers on Monday.
Hoskins opened the regular season strongly, going 3-for-3 with one double and one run scored against the Mariners on Thursday before following that up with an 0-for-3 performance with two strikeouts Friday. He will not be in the Guardians' lineup for a third consecutive game, with Kyle Manzardo starting at first base while Chase DeLauter serves as the designated hitter for Monday's series opener.
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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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Yandy Diaz 1B | TB
Rays' Yandy Diaz: Matches career high in hits
Diaz went 5-for-6 with a double and four RBI in Sunday's 11-7 win over the Cardinals.
Diaz couldn't be contained Sunday, matching his career high in hits while tallying his 10th career game with at least four knocks. The 34-year-old first baseman is coming out of the gates furiously, going 9-for-16 (.563) in his first three games while hitting safely in each outing so far as Tampa Bay's leadoff man.
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Munetaka Murakami 1B | CHW
White Sox's Munetaka Murakami: Stays hot with another homer
Murakami went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored during the White Sox's 9-7 loss to the Brewers on Sunday.
Murakami continued his excellent start to his MLB career Sunday with a solo home run off Brandon Sproat in the second inning. All three of Murakami's hits through three games have resulted in solo homers, and he's also shown discipline at the plate with four walks across 13 plate appearances. The 26-year-old has clearly brought his power over from Japan, where he recorded 246 home runs over an eight-season span in Nippon Professional Baseball.
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Rhys Hoskins 1B | CLE
Guardians' Rhys Hoskins: Idle Sunday
Hoskins isn't in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.
Hoskins will sit down for a second consecutive game after going 3-for-6 with two walks and a run scored over the first two games of the series. Kyle Manzardo will start at first base while Hoskins sits, putting Jose Ramirez in the DH spot and Daniel Schneemann at third base.
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Kody Clemens 1B | MIN
Twins' Kody Clemens: Second straight start vs. RHP
Clemens will start at first base and bat leadoff in Sunday's game against the Orioles, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
After taking a seat against lefty Trevor Rogers in Thursday's season opener, Clemens has now handled the leadoff role in two straight contests against righties. At least for the early part of the season, Clemens looks set to occupy the strong side of a platoon at first base, with Victor Caratini having received the nod at the position in the Twins' lone matchup with a lefty thus far.
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Kyle Manzardo 1B | CLE
Guardians' Kyle Manzardo: Makes debut in field
Manzardo started a first base and went 1-for-5 with an RBI in Saturday's 6-5 extra-inning win over the Mariners.
Manzardo served as the designated hitter for the first two games of the season before finally getting a chance to play some defense. The Guardians initially planned to give him more starts at first base this season, but for now he's sharing the position with Rhys Hoskins. Manzardo is 2-for-13 with eight strikeouts through three contests.
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Munetaka Murakami 1B | CHW
White Sox's Munetaka Murakami: Homers again
Murakami went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Saturday against the Brewers.
Murakami has kicked off his MLB career in style, homering in both of his first two starts. He led off the fourth inning with a home run Saturday, which came after he worked a walk in his initial plate appearance. While it's a small sample, Murakami has struck out only once in eight plate appearances.