MLB Player News
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 1B | TOR
Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero: Should play through finger issue
Guerrero picked up a minor finger injury in Friday's loss to the Brewers, but Blue Jays manager John Schneider indicated after the game that the first baseman is expected to be in the lineup Saturday, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
Guerrero's left index finger clipped Jorge Barrosa on a play at first base, but he remained in the game Friday and doesn't look like he'll miss any time. Toronto can ill afford to lose Guerrero too given all their other injuries, and through 19 games he's slashing .319/.427/.420 with one homer and eight RBI.
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Nolan Schanuel 1B | LAA
Angels' Nolan Schanuel: Racks up three hits in win
Schanuel went 3-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored in Friday's 8-0 win over the Padres.
Schanuel's three hits were a season high, and it's just his fourth multi-hit effort of the year. The first baseman is regarded for his contact skills, so this has been an unusually quiet start to the campaign for him. He's batting .227 with a .631 OPS, two home runs, 12 RBI, five runs scored, two doubles and no stolen bases over 18 games. His plate discipline (8:12 BB:K) is in line with his norms, so it's just a matter of Schanuel getting the bat to the ball at an acceptable rate.
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Munetaka Murakami 1B | CHW
White Sox's Munetaka Murakami: Powers ChiSox with grand slam
Murakami went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and two runs scored in Friday's 9-2 win over the Athletics.
Murakami singled and scored in the third inning and then busted the game open with a grand slam off Elvis Alvarado in the top of the seventh to give Chicago a 9-1 lead. After going just 1-for-23 at the plate from April 5 to April 12, Murakami has hits in three of his last four games, including two homers and six RBI. Murakami is slashing .200/.361/.477 with six home runs, 13 RBI, 14 runs scored and a 17:28 BB:K across 83 plate appearances. He's homered, walked or struck out in 61.4 percent of his trips to the plate.
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Ben Rice 1B | NYY
Yankees' Ben Rice: Homers again in win
Rice went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and an additional run scored in Friday's 4-2 win over the Royals.
Rice gave the Yankees an early lead with a two-run blast in the fourth inning before adding a single and scoring a run in the eighth. It marked his second straight game with a homer and his sixth overall this season. While he's sitting against most lefties to open the campaign, the 27-year-old is slashing an impressive .339/.459/.746 with 12 extra-base hits, 16 RBI, 18 runs scored and one steal across 74 plate appearances.
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Vinnie Pasquantino 1B | KC
Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino: Homers again in loss
Pasquantino went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Yankees.
Pasquantino provided the only offense for the Royals, driving in a run on a groundout in the sixth inning before tying the game with a solo shot in the eighth. After a slow start, the first baseman has recorded hits in three straight contests, highlighted by back-to-back games with home runs. For the year, he's slashing .173/.256/.293 with four extra-base hits, 10 RBI and six runs scored across 86 plate appearances.
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Vinnie Pasquantino 1B | KC
Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino: Slaps first home run
Pasquantino went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Thursday's 10-9 loss against the Tigers.
Pasquantino was held hitless through his first four at-bats before breaking through in the ninth inning with a 412-foot solo shot off Connor Seabold to extend the lead. The homer was Pasquantino's first of the season and provided a small bright spot amid a difficult start to the year. The 28-year-old is now slashing .155/.244/.239 with nine RBI and five runs scored across 82 plate appearances.
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Nick Kurtz 1B | ATH
Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Racks up season-high three RBI
Kurtz went 2-for-4 with a double, three RBI and a walk in Thursday's 9-6 loss to Texas.
The 23-year-old slugger collected a season-high three RBI on Thursday, also posting his fourth multi-hit effort of the year. Although Kurtz mashed right-handed pitching to the tune of a 1.153 OPS a year ago, he's off to a sluggish start versus right-handers in 2026. He has a .650 OPS through 42 at-bats against righties so far, though Kurtz did enter Wednesday with an elite 58.6 percent hard-hit rate overall and should find his power stroke soon enough.
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Jonathan Aranda 1B | TB
Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Getting first day off Thursday
Aranda is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the White Sox.
Aranda has started each of the Rays' first 17 games to begin the season, so Thursday's series finale against the White Sox will be his first breather. The first baseman has slashed .227/.316/.424 with three home runs, 15 RBI, nine runs scored and a 10:17 BB:K across his first 79 plate appearances. He's in the midst of a seven-game homer-less streak. Ryan Vilade is making the start at first and batting fifth Thursday.
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Jac Caglianone 1B | KC
Royals' Jac Caglianone: Reaches safely four times
Caglianone went 3-for-3 with a triple and a walk in Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Tigers.
Caglianone snapped out of a recent slump with his best game in weeks, reaching base in all four plate appearances. The outfielder ripped a 113.5-mph triple to lead off the third inning for Kansas City's first baserunner of the day, before drawing a walk in the fifth and being stranded at third. He added singles in both the seventh and ninth but never crossed the plate. Entering Wednesday, the former sixth overall pick had gone just 3-for-27 (.111) with a 2:12 BB:K over his previous eight games. Following the breakout performance, Caglianone is now batting a respectable .275 with a .754 OPS on the season.
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Dustin Harris 1B | CHW
White Sox's Dustin Harris: Booted from 40-man roster
The White Sox designated Harris for assignment Wednesday.
Harris will cede his spot on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster to one of the organization's top prospects in Sam Antonacci, who received a call-up from Triple-A Charlotte. After receiving a promotion of his own from Charlotte on April 7, Harris proceeded to go 3-for-12 with a double, two stolen bases and a 4:1 BB:K in six games for the White Sox. He'll now go through the waiver process and will have the ability to elect free agency if he goes unclaimed.