MLB Player News
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Riley Adams C | WAS
Nationals' Riley Adams: Taking seat Saturday
Adams is not in Washington's lineup Saturday versus Pittsburgh, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Adams missed a game earlier in the week due to a groin issue, but there's no indication that his absence Saturday is related. Upon returning to the lineup, he started back-to-back contests and went 0-fof-5 with a walk and three strikeouts. Jorge Alfaro is starting behind the dish in Adams' stead Saturday.
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Francisco Alvarez C | NYM
Mets' Francisco Alvarez: First homer since return
Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 8-3 loss to the Rangers.
The backstop got his team on the board by slicing a 98.2 mph fastball from Jacob deGrom over the wall in the right-field corner to lead off the third inning, but the Mets were already in a 6-0 hole at that point. It was Alvarez's eighth homer of the season, and his first in eight games since returning from his latest IL stint, but he's batting just .182 (4-for-22) during that span as he plays through both a fractured left index finger and a sprained right thumb, the latter of which will likely require offseason surgery. With Luis Torrens (forearm) on the shelf and New York desperately trying to hang onto a wild-card spot, however, Alvarez will get as much playing time as his pain tolerance allows.
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Agustin Ramirez C | MIA
Marlins' Agustin Ramirez: Reaches 20 homers
Ramirez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Friday's 8-2 win over the Tigers.
Ramirez put the Marlins in front early Friday by taking Tarik Skubal (side) deep in the first inning, giving the 24-year-old backstop 20 home runs in his rookie campaign. Ramirez has also amassed 63 RBI, 64 runs scored and 12 steals this season while slashing .228/.286/.415 across 525 plate appearances.
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Gabriel Moreno C | ARI
Diamondbacks' Gabriel Moreno: Continues hot stretch
Moreno went 2-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base, a home run and three RBI in Friday's 9-8 loss to Minnesota.
Moreno swatted a three-run shot in the ninth inning that gave the Diamondbacks a lead that went away in the bottom of the inning. He's on a hot streak with four consecutive multi-hit games (8-for-15, two HR, five RBI) and has been on a heater since returning the lineup in August following a two-month absence due to a fractured right index finger. Since returning, Moreno is slashing .351/.415/.614 with four home runs and 16 RBI over 17 contests.
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Patrick Bailey C | SF
Giants' Patrick Bailey: Stays hot with walk-off grand slam
Bailey went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Friday's 5-1 extra-inning win over the Dodgers.
Bailey has homered three times over his last four games. He took advantage Friday when the Dodgers walked the bases loaded in the 10th inning, taking Tanner Scott deep for the walk-off blast. Bailey is up to six homers, a career-best 50 RBI, 42 runs scored and one stolen base while slashing a meager .220/.276/.325 over 121 contests this season. Despite the overall lackluster level of production, Bailey's recent power surge makes him an intriguing option for fantasy managers in NL-only and two-catcher formats to close out the year.
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William Contreras C | MIL
Brewers' William Contreras: Back in starting nine
Contreras (forearm) will start at catcher and bat fourth against the Cardinals on Friday.
A bruised forearm prevented Contreras from playing in Wednesday's series finale against Texas, but after being checked out by team doctors Friday, the 27-year-old backstop has been cleared to return behind the plate. He's been hitting the ball well since the start of the month, going 10-for-30 with two RBI and seven runs scored through eight games in September.
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Will Smith C | LAD
Dodgers' Will Smith: Idle again Friday
Smith (hand) isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the Giants.
Smith will head to the bench for the second straight game and the seventh time in the Dodgers' last eight contests while he continues to nurse a sore right hand. Ben Rortvedt will receive another start at catcher as a result and bat ninth.
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Dalton Rushing C | LAD
Dodgers' Dalton Rushing: Begins rehab assignment
Rushing (lower leg) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Rushing has been sidelined since Saturday with a shin injury, but it appears that he has the chance to be activated after a minimum stint on the injured list. He went 1-for-4 with a double and caught all nine innings of Thursday's game.
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Riley Adams C | WAS
Nationals' Riley Adams: Back in lineup Thursday
Adams (groin) will start at catcher and bat third in Thursday's game versus the Marlins.
Adams had to exit Tuesday's game after taking a foul tip to the groin area, but he checked out fine and is back in there after one day of rest. The 29-year-old has been operating as the Nationals' primary catcher since Keibert Ruiz (concussion) was sidelined and is slashing .239/.316/.380 with five home runs over 43 contests during that time.