| Date | News | Comment |
| Jun 27 2025 | Santana is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana will yield to Kyle Manzardo at first base Friday, ending Santana's three-game start streak. The veteran first baseman is 13-for-77 (.169) with a pair of home runs in June. |
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| Jun 25 2025 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's 10-6 loss to the Blue Jays. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The veteran switch hitter got the Guardians on the board in the sixth inning by taking Eric Lauer deep, Santana's ninth homer of the season. The multi-hit effort was his first in June, however, and through 19 games on the month he's slashing just .186/.230/.286 with two home runs and eight RBI. |
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| Jun 22 2025 | Santana is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Kyle Manzardo will cover first base and David Fry will serve as the Guardians' designated hitter while Santana receives his first day off since June 7. Since clubbing a grand slam in the Guardians' 11-2 win over the Reds on June 11, Santana has gone 4-for-31 with no extra-base hits over his last eight games, though he contributed two stolen bases during that stretch. |
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| Jun 11 2025 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Wednesday's 11-2 win over the Reds. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The veteran switch hitter broke the game open when he drove a Nick Lodolo changeup over the right-center field fence in the third inning. It was Santana's eighth homer of the season, but his first off a left-handed pitcher, while the grand slam was the sixth of his career among his 332 long balls. Through 63 contests in 2025, Santana is slashing .251/.350/.388 with 34 RBI, putting him on pace to reach 80 for only the second time since 2019. |
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| Jun 7 2025 | Santana is not in the Guardians' starting lineup against the Astros on Saturday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana saw his 14-game hitting streak come to an end Friday when he went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in a 4-2 loss to Houston. He'll be in the dugout for the beginning of Saturday's game while Kyle Manzardo shifts to first base and bats fourth. |
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| May 31 2025 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Angels. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana tied things up at 5-5 in the seventh inning, when he took Ryan Zeferjahn deep to right field for a solo home run. It was Santana's seventh home run of the season, five of which have come in May. He'll end the month with a .994 OPS with 18 runs scored and 22 RBI across 100 plate appearances. |
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| May 28 2025 | Santana started at first base and went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored in Tuesday's 9-5 loss to the Dodgers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana was back in the lineup after missing two games due to a leg injury. He picked up where he left off prior to the injury, extending his hitting streak to seven games, during which the 39-year-old is 10-for-24 with two doubles, two home runs, six walks, six RBI and eight runs scored. |
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| May 27 2025 | Santana (leg) is starting at first base and batting fifth Tuesday versus the Dodgers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The veteran first baseman sat out the past two games due to left leg tightness but will rejoin the starting nine Tuesday against Los Angeles righty Dustin May. Santana is in the midst of a modest six-game hit streak, and he's gone 8-for-21 with five walks, two doubles, two homers, six RBI and six runs during that span. |
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| May 26 2025 | Santana (leg) isn't part of the starting nine for Monday's game against the Dodgers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana was scratched from Sunday's lineup due to left leg tightness, and his removal was deemed precautionary. The Guardians have opted to withhold Santana from the lineup again Monday, allowing for Kyle Manzardo to draw the start at first base while Lane Thomas starts at DH. |
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| May 25 2025 | Santana was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers due to left leg tightness, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The Guardians are labeling Santana's removal from the starting nine as a precautionary measure, in part due to the quick turnaround from Saturday night's game and Sunday's early start time. Kyle Manzardo will step in at first base and bat fifth against Detroit ace Tarik Skubal. |
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| May 24 2025 | Santana went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Friday's 3-1 win over Detroit. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana delivered a two-out, run-scoring single in the first inning that turned out to be the game-winning hit. He's knocked in at lease one run in five consecutive games and has eight RBI over the last seven. After driving in seven runs over his first 29 contests, the veteran slugger has accumulated 20 RBI over his last 19 games. |
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| May 21 2025 | Santana went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional run scored during Wednesday's 5-1 win over Minnesota. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana notched his sixth long ball of the campaign, tagging reliever Cole Sands for a solo shot in the eighth inning to put the Guardians up 3-1. The first baseman is 13-for-51 (.255) with three home runs, 16 RBI and 10 runs scored in 16 games this month. |
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| May 14 2025 | Santana is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Brewers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana will get a routine day off after starting in each of the previous 11 contests. Kyle Manzardo will play first base for the Guardians on Wednesday. |
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| May 8 2025 | Santana went 1-for-5 with a double, three RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 8-6 win over the Nationals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The Guardians were held in check for the first five innings, but they eventually solved Washington starter Michael Soroka the third time through the lineup. Cleveland scored all eight of its runs in the sixth inning, when Santana kicked off the scoring with a three-run double. It was the second straight game with three RBI for Santana, who has driven home nine over the last six contests. |
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| May 6 2025 | Santana went 4-for-9 with a walk, a home run, three RBI and four runs scored across both games of Tuesday's doubleheader split with the Nationals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 39-year-old was productive in both contests, rattling off three singles and scoring twice in the matinee before launching a three-run homer off Brad Lord in the sixth inning of the nightcap. Santana is slashing .236/.329/.350 through 34 games this season with four homers, two steals, 13 RBI and 18 runs. |
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| May 3 2025 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and and RBI single in Friday's 5-3 loss to Toronto. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana put the Guardians on the board in the second inning on a solo home run off Chris Bassitt, and the former tied things up at 3-3 in the eighth after his single to right field brought Daniel Schneemann home. Santana is up to three home runs on the season, though his last one before Friday was April 9 against the White Sox. He's slashing .229/.306/.330 with two stolen bases, 13 runs scored and nine RBI in 124 plate appearances this season. |
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| May 3 2025 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and and RBI single in Friday's 5-3 loss to Toronto. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana put the Guardians on the board in the second inning on a solo home run off Chris Bassitt, and the former tied things up at 3-3 in the eighth after his single to right field brought Daniel Schneemann home. Santana is up to three home runs on the season, though his last one was April 9 against the White Sox. He's slashing .229/.306/.330 with two stolen bases, 13 runs scored and nine RBI in 124 plate appearances this season. |
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| May 1 2025 | Santana is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The Guardians will give Santana a breather for the day game after he started in each of the last four contests while going 4-for-11 with two walks, a stolen base and a run scored. Kyle Manzardo will fill in for Santana at first base. |
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| Apr 9 2025 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana took Sean Burke deep to center field for a 410-foot solo home run, which turned out to be the deciding run in Wednesday's game. Santana is off to a good start in 2025, and over his last eight outings he's gone 10-for-30 with three walks, four runs, two home runs and three RBI. |
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| Apr 5 2025 | Santana went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, an additional run, an additional RBI and a walk against the Angels in Saturday's 10-4 loss. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana knocked in half of Cleveland's runs in the contest, launching a solo homer to center field in the first inning and adding an RBI groundout in the third. The veteran first baseman has been a steady presence in the Guardians' lineup this season, as he's gotten at least one hit in six of his eight games and is slashing a sturdy .290/.343/.452 through 35 plate appearances. |
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| Apr 1 2025 | Santana started at first base and went 2-for-4 with a double in Monday's 7-2 loss to San Diego. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana has started at first base and served as Cleveland's cleanup hitter for all four games thus far. He's hit safely in three of those four games, going 6-for-16 with two doubles, three runs scored and one RBI. The 38-year-old (turns 39 on April 8) is projected to have an everyday role for the Guardians. |
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| Feb 18 2025 | Santana will likely occupy an everyday role to start the 2025 season, Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com reports. The soon-to-be 39-year-old is expected to serve as the primary first baseman. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana returned to Cleveland in the offseason and still is a productive hitter in the twilight of his career. He credited former big leaguer Nelson Cruz, who taught him how to age gracefully. "I don't feel 38," Santana said. "This is my No. 1 priority. I eat healthy, sleep well, I'm not doing alcohol, I have training, I have a chef." The Guardians have up-and-comer Kyle Manzardo in the pipeline, but Santana is viewed as the primary replacement for Josh Naylor's power bat at first base. Santana crushed lefties in 2024 (.286/.356/.578), but a repeat of his line against righties (.219/.318/.358) could eventually create a platoon situation. |
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| Dec 21 2024 | The Guardians signed Santana to a one-year, $12-million contract Saturday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana's signing came shortly after Cleveland traded Josh Naylor to Arizona for pitcher Slade Cecconi, so Santana appears set to take over as the starter at first base for the Guardians. The $12-million contract represents a nice pay raise for the veteran slugger, who joined Minnesota on a one-year $5.25 million dollar deal last February and enjoyed a solid campaign with a .748 OPS -- his highest since 2019 -- while slugging 23 homers and notching 71 RBI over 594 plate appearances during the regular season. Santana is nearing the end of his career -- he'll turn 39 years old in April -- but should provide a decent amount of run production in the middle of Cleveland's lineup while serving as a bridge to the team's future. |
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| Nov 4 2024 | Santana's agent, Ulises Cabrera, said Monday that his client wants to play for 3-to-4 more seasons, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: It seems unlikely that Santana will be able to hang around that much longer, considering he'll turn 39 in April. However, he's coming off a strong 2024 season, having slashed .238/.328/.420 with 23 home runs over 150 games for the Twins while winning his first-ever Gold Glove at first base. |
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| Sep 15 2024 | Santana went 3-for-4 Sunday with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored against the Reds. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana homered and doubled to finish just a triple shy of the cycle. The 15-year-vet's two-run blast in the seventh doubled the Twins' lead and served as the springboard to a five-run inning that sealed the game. Santana is now batting 8-for-18 (.444) with two homers, a double, six RBI and six runs scored during a modest five-game hitting streak. |
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| Sep 14 2024 | Santana isn't in the Twins' lineup Saturday against Cincinnati. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana has put together a nice four-game hitting streak, during which he's gone 5-for-14 with a homer and three RBI, but he'll take a seat Saturday against Nick Martinez and the Reds. Jose Miranda will start at first base and bat eighth. |
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| Sep 9 2024 | Santana (illness) is starting at first base and batting in the leadoff spot in Monday's series opener against the Angels. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana appears to be over the illness that forced him to exit Saturday's game against the Royals and sit for Sunday's series finale. Since the beginning of August, Santana has slashed .196/.304/.393 with six home runs and 12 RBI over 125 plate appearances. |
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| Sep 8 2024 | Santana (illness) is absent from Sunday's lineup against Kansas City. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana left in the fifth inning of Saturday's game due to an illness, and he will sit for the series finale Sunday. Jose Miranda will start at first base while Ryan Jeffers serves as the designated hitter. |
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| Sep 7 2024 | Santana left Saturday's game against the Royals due to an illness, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana went 0-for-2 before exiting in the fifth inning of Saturday's contest. Kyle Farmer replaced Santana at first base. |
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| Sep 5 2024 | Santana went 1-for-3 with two walks and a two-run home run in Wednesday's 9-4 loss to the Rays. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The veteran first baseman took Tyler Alexander deep in the seventh inning, giving Santana homers in back-to-back games. He's up to 20 long balls on the year, the ninth time in his career he's reached that mark, but as per usual he isn't doing much for fantasy GMs in batting average -- over 30 contests since the beginning of August, Santana's slashing .206/.322/.423. |
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| Sep 2 2024 | Santana is absent from the lineup for Monday's game in Tampa Bay. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana was also out of the lineup for Sunday's win over the Blue Jays, although he received a couple plate appearances off the bench. The veteran switch hitter has gone 5-for-29 at the plate over his last nine contests, and the slump might be starting to cost him some playing time. Jose Miranda will pick up a second straight start at first base. |
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| Sep 1 2024 | Santana is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, LaVelle E. Neal III of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana started the previous six games and will receive a day off after going 1-for-19 with a double and a 4:6 BB:K during that stretch. Jose Miranda will take over at first base and bat second in the series finale versus Toronto. |
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| Aug 18 2024 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Rangers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana has gone just 3-for-16 over his last five games, but all three of those hits have been homers. He tied the game at 5-5 in the ninth inning Sunday, though the Twins would fall in the 10th. Santana is up to a .241/.330/.432 slash line with 18 homers, 55 RBI, 48 runs scored, 22 doubles and four stolen bases through 115 contests in a near-everyday role this year. |
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| Aug 16 2024 | Santana went 0-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a stolen base in Thursday's win over the Rangers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana walked in his third trip to the plate before swiping second base, giving him his fourth stolen base of the season. The first baseman then came through in the clutch, driving home Matt Wallner with a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning to put Minnesota on top. Santana has struggled at the dish in August, batting just .195 (8-for-41) with two homers, three RBI and eight runs scored. However, he's driven in a run in back-to-back games and has scored at least one run in three of his last four. |
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| Aug 11 2024 | Santana is out of the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Guardians. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana started the previous six games but will sit Sunday after going 6-for-22 with a double and a homer during that span. Jose Miranda will receive a start at first base and bat sixth in the series finale versus Cleveland. |
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| Aug 4 2024 | Santana is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Jose Miranda will get the starting nod at first base while Santana takes a seat for the first time since July 8. Santana went hitless in the first two games of the series, but he owns a respectable .734 OPS over his 13 starts since the All-Star break. |
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| Jul 20 2024 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in Saturday's 8-4 extra-innings loss to the Brewers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana hit just .133 over his first nine games in July, but he's gone deep twice over his last three contests while going 3-for-9 in that span. The first baseman is up to a .244/.327/.434 slash line with 14 homers, 43 RBI, 36 runs scored, two stolen bases and 17 doubles through 90 games. Santana's always been fairly disciplined at the plate, but he's getting by on a 9.7 percent walk rate this year, the lowest of his career. |
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| Jul 13 2024 | Santana went 2-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Giants. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana ended June hot, but this was his first multi-hit effort over 10 games in July. The first baseman is 6-for-32 (.188) with three extra-base hits this month. Despite the slump, he's maintained a decent .247/.328/.431 slash line for the year while adding 13 homers, 41 RBI, 35 runs scored, 17 doubles and two stolen bases across 88 contests. |
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| Jul 8 2024 | Santana is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Jose Miranda will pick up the start at first base while Santana rests for the series opener in Chicago. Santana had started all three games of the Twins' weekend series with the Astros, going 3-for-11 with a double, a walk, a run and an RBI. |
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| Jul 4 2024 | Santana is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Tigers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana started the previous 13 games but will head to the bench Thursday after he posted a .288/.351/.442 slash line with five doubles, two RBI and six runs during that span. Jose Miranda will move to first base while Trevor Larnach serves as the designated hitter, opening up left field for Manuel Margot against Detroit righty Kenta Maeda. |
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| Jun 30 2024 | Santana went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Saturday's win over the Mariners. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana reached base in three of his first four trips to the plate, starting with a leadoff double in the top of the fourth. It was the veteran first baseman's fourth three-hit performance this month and the fourth multi-hit effort in his last six games. Over that latter stretch he's batting .400 (10-for-25) with three doubles, one RBI and four runs scored. |
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| Jun 20 2024 | Santana went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, double and an additional run scored Thursday against the Rays. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana extended his modest hit streak to six games and posted his second three-hit game of the season while blasting his 12th home run. The 38-year-old veteran has found the fountain of youth in the month of June, going 20-for-55 (.364) with four homers, five doubles, 15 RBI, 10 runs and even managing a couple of steals through 16 games this month. |
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| Jun 18 2024 | Santana is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rays. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana will get the day off Tuesday after making five consecutive starts at first base. Jose Miranda will fill in for Santana at first and bat sixth. |
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| Jun 16 2024 | Santana went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, a walk and a stolen base in a 6-2 win over the Athletics in Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana also went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run scored in the nightcap. The first baseman is batting .326 (15-for-46) with three homers and two steals over 13 contests in June, a stretch that's helped him claim a starting role at first base since Alex Kirilloff was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul. Santana is at a .235/.316/.425 slash line with 11 homers, 36 RBI, 26 runs scored and two steals through 66 games this season. |
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| Jun 10 2024 | Santana went 1-for-5 with a double, a walk, two RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 11-5 extra-inning win over the Pirates. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: With Royce Lewis getting Sunday's game off following his recent return from the injured list, the Twins were able to open up a prominent spot in the lineup for Santana, who occupied the leadoff spot after hitting higher than fifth in the order on just one other occasion this season. Santana had a quiet afternoon until he delivered a two-run double as part of the Twins' seven-run outburst in the top of the 10th to salt away the win. The 38-year-old is slashing .294/.385/.529 over his last 10 games, and after he looked to have moved into more of a part-time role toward the end of May following an underwhelming start to the season, he now appears to be pushing the struggling Alex Kirilloff for primary duties at first base. |
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| Jun 5 2024 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in a loss to the Yankees on Wednesday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana's sixth-inning solo shot was a faint murmur of protest with New York up big, but it did put an end to opposing starter Carlos Rodon's run of retiring 16-straight batters. The long ball was just the second for the veteran slugger since he homered in three straight contests May 10-12. Santana has nine home runs overall on the campaign and is slashing .217/.302/.392 with 24 RBI, 19 runs and a stolen base. |
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| May 27 2024 | Santana is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Royals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana will hit the bench against a right-handed starting pitcher (Alec Marsh) for the third time in five games. The downturn in opportunities comes while Santana has fallen into a 5-for-33 skid at the plate (.152 average) over his last 10 starts, bringing his slash line down to .201/.282/.361 over 188 plate appearances on the season. The Minnesota infield will become more crowded when Royce Lewis (quadricep) returns from the 10-day injured list, potentially as soon as later this week, so Santana could be on the way out of the everyday lineup, if he hasn't lost his spot already. |
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| May 24 2024 | Santana is not in the lineup for Friday's game against Texas. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana will get his third break from the starting lineup in the month of May as Minnesota kicks off their series against the Rangers with Star Wars Night. Alex Kirilloff will move to first base and bat sixth in place of Santana. |
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| May 22 2024 | Santana is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana will take a seat for the series finale in Washington, ending a stretch of 12 consecutive starts during which he's run hot at the plate with a .283/.298/.522 slash line. Alex Kirilloff will fill in for Santana at first base. |
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| May 12 2024 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Blue Jays. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana took Toronto's starter Alek Manoah deep for a three-run shot in the top of the seventh inning, breaking a 0-0 tie. The homer was his seventh of the season, and he has now gone deep in three consecutive contests. Since May 5, Santana has gone 9-for-23 with three home runs, eight RBI and five runs scored over eight games. |
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| May 11 2024 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a double, a three-run home run and a second run scored in Saturday's 10-8 loss to the Blue Jays. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: His third-inning homer off Kevin Gausman gave the Twins a 7-1 lead, but things went south for the visitors after that. Santana has gone deep in back-to-back games, giving him six home runs and 15 RBI in his last 16 games as he digs his way out of an early-season hole. |
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| May 8 2024 | Santana is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana will take a seat after going 0-for-5 with a walk through the first two games of the series with Seattle. Father Time may be starting to catch up with Santana, whose .588 OPS so far during the 2024 campaign would represent the worst mark of his career by 73 points. |
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| Apr 29 2024 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run during Monday's 3-2 win over the ChiSox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana went yard once again Monday, tallying his fourth long ball in his last five games with a two-run homer off Garrett Crochet in the second inning. He's been on an absolute tear in his last five outings, batting .333 with 10 RBI. Despite the hot streak, Santana owns a poor .185/.265/.348 slash line through 102 plate appearances. |
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| Apr 27 2024 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a double, home run, four RBI and three runs scored in Saturday's victory over the Angels. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana hit a home run for a third consecutive game. After slumping to begin the season (.347 OPS and one extra base hit in his first 16 games), he's 5-for-12 with three homers and a double in his last three games. |
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| Apr 25 2024 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a home run, one RBI and one run scored in Thursday's 6-3 victory over the White Sox. It was his first home runs of the season. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: After a dreadful start to the season (.347 OPS and one extra base hit in his first 16 games), Santana is finally showing some signs of life at the plate. He's 4-for-21 with a double and home run in his last five games. |
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| Apr 20 2024 | Santana isn't in the Twins' lineup for Saturday's game against the Tigers, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana has now sat out three of Minnesota's last four games after slashing .125/.210/.143 across his first 15 games. His absence Saturday will move Alex Kirilloff to first base while Austin Martin, Byron Buxton and Trevor Larnach start across the outfield. |
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| Apr 17 2024 | Santana isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Baltimore. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana will take a seat for the second straight game, as he's getting a chance to regroup while he's struggled to a .135/.224/.154 slash line to start the season. Jose Miranda will handle first base for Minnesota on Wednesday. |
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| Apr 16 2024 | Santana is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's game in Baltimore. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Alex Kirilloff will get the nod at first base while Santana takes a seat. It's the second day off of the season for Santana, who is slashing an ugly .135/.224/.154 over his first 14 contests. |
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| Apr 9 2024 | Santana is not in the lineup for Tuesday's contest versus the Dodgers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: It's the first day off this season for Santana, who had been in the lineup for each of the first eight games. Alex Kirilloff will occupy first base, while Jose Miranda will get a start at designated hitter. |
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| Mar 31 2024 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a double in Sunday's loss at Kansas City. He's started all three games this season at first base and is 3-for-11 with a walk. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana may get more playing time with Royce Lewis out a month or more with a quad injury as Alex Kirilloff has been used in the outfield the last two games with Willi Castro playing more third base. Santana did not bat leadoff against a left-handed starter in the season opener, but could still be an option to lead off against southpaws as had been talked about in spring training. Santana looks set to play against both right-handed and left-handed pitching at first base with an occasional game at DH, while Alex Kirilloff primarily will be used at DH and the outfield and sit against most lefties. |
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| Mar 15 2024 | Santana is likely to bat leadoff against left-handed pitchers, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports. "I think he will hit leadoff. I don't know if it's going to be the whole year," said manager Rocco Baldelli. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana looks set to be an everyday player at first base and will likely hit 6th or lower in the order against righties. Alex Kirilloff will also get time at first base, but will mostly be used at DH and will sit most days against left-handed pitchers. Santana has a career .819 OPS vs. lefties, including .807 OPS last season. His ability to draw walks and takes pitches is viewed as a plus at the top of the lineup, but the Twins frequently change their batting orders during the season under Baldelli - especially against lefties. |
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| Mar 4 2024 | Santana looks set to be used against both right-handed and left-handed pitching at first base with Alex Kirilloff primarily being used at DH, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports. Santana is hitting 6-for-17 with a home run in six games this spring. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: When the Twins signed Santana it was assumed he'd platoon with the lefty Kirilloff at first base, but this report makes it sound like Santana could be set for everyday duty. Kirilloff would then platoon with several right-handed batters at DH. Last season marked Santana's best year at the plate since 2019, as he slashed .240/.318/.429 with 23 homers and 86 RBI between the Pirates and Brewers. |
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| Feb 2 2024 | Santana signed a one-year, $5.25 million contract with the Twins on Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Last season marked Santana's best year at the plate since 2019, slashing .240/.318/.429 with 23 homers and 86 RBI between the Pirates and Brewers. He will compete with Alex Kirilloff (shoulder) during the spring for the starting first base job, but Santana would likely still make regular appearances as Minnesota's designated hitter if he were to miss out on a spot in the field. |
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| Oct 4 2023 | Santana (hand) is starting at first base and batting third in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series on Wednesday versus the Diamondbacks. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana jammed his left (glove) hand while applying a hard tag Tuesday in the Brewers' Game 1 loss to Arizona, but he wasn't forced to make an early exit and is right back in action Wednesday as Milwaukee sticks with the same exact starting nine and batting order against the visiting D-backs. |
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| Sep 27 2023 | Santana is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game versus St. Louis. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana started the previous four games and went 8-for-17 with two doubles, a homer and six RBI during that span, but he'll take a seat after Milwaukee clinched the NL Central crown Tuesday. Rowdy Tellez will start at first base and bat fifth. |
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| Sep 23 2023 | Santana went 3-for-6 with a double, two RBI and a run in Friday's 16-1 win over the Marlins. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana doubled home Christian Yelich for the fourth run in the Brewers' 12-run second inning and then plated Yelich again on a fifth-inning base hit. The 37-year-old has just three home runs to his name since Aug. 20, but he's hitting .275 and getting on base at a .353 clip over that stretch to keep his spot secure in Milwaukee's everyday lineup. |
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| Sep 21 2023 | Santana is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game at St. Louis. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Rowdy Tellez will start at first base and bat fifth versus the Cardinals and right-hander Miles Mikolas. Santana grabs a bit of rest after going 0-for-4 in the Brewers' win Wednesday. |
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| Sep 16 2023 | Santana went 2-for-3 with a walk and two solo home runs in Friday's 5-3 win over the Nationals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The veteran first baseman accounted for Milwaukee's final two runs of the night, getting hold of a Jake Irvin sinker in the fifth inning before launching a Hunter Harvey fastball deep to right field in the eighth. Santana is putting together a strong September as the Brewers push for the NL Central title, slashing .280/.357/.480 through 13 games with three of his 21 homers on the season. |
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| Sep 14 2023 | Santana is not in the lineup Thursday versus the Marlins. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Rowdy Tellez will start at first base and bat cleanup as the Brewers take on impressive young right-hander Eury Perez. Santana, 37, has slashed just .230/.295/.395 in 166 plate appearances since being acquired from the Pirates ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline. |
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| Aug 30 2023 | Santana (ankle) will start at first base and bat third in Wednesday's game versus the Cubs. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana missed the previous two games with a sprained right ankle but is feeling well enough to give it a go Wednesday. The veteran first baseman comes into the series finale with the Cubs with a .701 OPS but six home runs in his first 25 contests as a member of the Brewers. |
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| Aug 29 2023 | Santana (ankle) is out of the lineup again Tuesday versus the Cubs. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana sprained his ankle in Sunday's series finale against the Padres and remains day-to-day. Mark Canha will start at first base and bat third for the NL Central-leading Brewers on Tuesday as they look to notch their 10th straight victory. |
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| Aug 28 2023 | Santana is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Cubs. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana recorded four homers, 12 RBI and a .935 OPS over his last 12 games, but per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he also sprained his ankle in Sunday's victory over the Padres, and he will get at least one day to rest and recover. Rowdy Tellez will start at first base for the Brewers on Monday night. |
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| Aug 18 2023 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Friday's victory over Texas. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana's seventh inning blast put the Brewers in front to stay. In 18 games since being traded from the Pirates, Santana only has twelve hits in 74 at-bats for a .162 average, but five of those hits have left the yard. Overall, his season totals of 17 home runs and 63 RBI each rank second on the team. |
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| Aug 15 2023 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Dodgers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana's blast was one of just two hits for the Brewers in the contest. It was his second game in a row with a homer, though he's still hitting a meager .176 (9-for-51) in August. The first baseman is at a .226/.304/.405 slash line with 16 long balls, 60 RBI, 51 runs scored, six stolen bases and 25 doubles through 109 contests between the Brewers and the Pirates, but his Milwaukee stint has been largely unimpressive. He's also posted a 2:10 BB:K over 15 games with his new team, an unusually poor walk rate for the well-disciplined batter. |
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| Aug 14 2023 | Santana went 1-for-5 with a three-run homer in Sunday's win over the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana's blast proved to be the difference in Sunday's contest after it put the Brewers up 5-0 and they went on to win 7-3. It was Santana's second long ball this month, and those are the only two games in which he has driven in runs. The 37-year-old is slashing .226/.305/.400 with 15 home runs, 59 RBI, 50 runs and a 47:78 BB:K in 453 plate appearances. With Rowdy Tellez (finger) set to return soon, Santana could begin to lose out on starts against right-handed pitching. |
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| Aug 11 2023 | Santana (illness) is starting at first base and batting third Friday against the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana missed two starts due to illness, but he was able to serve as a pinch hitter during Wednesday's win over Colorado and will return as Milwaukee's first baseman to begin the Brewers' series with the White Sox. Santana is slashing .163/.200/.302 across 45 plate appearances since joining the Brewers. |
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| Aug 9 2023 | Santana (illness) remains out of the lineup Wednesday against the Rockies. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana will miss a second straight start while he battles an illness. He should be ready to return to action this weekend versus the White Sox following the Brewers' off day Thursday. Mark Canha will handle first base again for the Brew Crew on Wednesday. |
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| Aug 8 2023 | Santana isn't starting Tuesday against Colorado due to illness, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana is slashing .167/.205/.310 with two homers and three RBI across 10 games as a Brewer. He'll be considered day-to-day as he fights off his illness, and Mark Canha will step in as Milwaukee's first baseman Tuesday. |
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| Jul 31 2023 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 8-6 loss to Atlanta. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana is now just 1-for-7 since he was traded to the Brewers, but he made his first hit count, homering off AJ Smith-Shawver in the third inning Sunday to give Milwaukee a 3-2 lead. The 37-year-old Santana has cooled off after a fast start to the season -- he's batting just .185 (15-for-81) in 23 games since the beginning of July. Overall, the veteran first-baseman is slashing .233/.321/.415 with 13 homers, 54 RBI, 46 runs scored and six stolen bases through 402 plate appearances this season. |
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| Jul 27 2023 | Santana was traded to the Brewers on Thursday in exchange for Jhonny Severino, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana is well past his prime at age 37, but he was sporting a decent .723 OPS with 12 home runs and 53 RBI through 94 games this season for the Pirates, who signed him to a one-year, $6.73 million contract over the winter and have now flipped him into a promising young shortstop prospect. Brewers first basemen have posted a combined .212/.272/.340 batting line this year, so Santana represents an upgrade at the position for Milwaukee. He can also cycle in at designated hitter. |
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| Jul 24 2023 | Santana went 3-for-4 with two home runs, a double, four RBI and a walk in Monday's 8-4 win over the Padres. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana hit two-run blasts in the third and fifth innings, ending his 18-game power drought. He'd gone just 10-for-63 (.159) in July prior to this breakout effort. Santana is up to 11 homers, 52 RBI, 43 runs scored, 25 doubles and six stolen bases through 92 contests, and his .237/.322/.408 slash line is his best since 2019. |
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| Jul 1 2023 | Santana went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs and a walk-off two-run home run in Friday's 8-7 win over the Brewers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 37-year-old capped a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning by taking Matt Bush deep down the right-field line. Santana has caught fire at the end of June, reeling off four straight multi-hit games and going 10-for-18 (.556) with three doubles, three homers, five runs and six RBI. The surge has pushed his slash line on the year up to .247/.326/.421, giving him his highest OPS since 2019. |
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| Jun 29 2023 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run Wednesday against the Padres. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana got the Pittsburgh offense off to a hot start with a two-run blast in the first inning. It was his second home run in as many games, and he now has five long balls in his last 17 starts. Despite that hot stretch, Santana has only a .156 ISO across 298 plate appearances on the campaign. |
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| Jun 27 2023 | Santana went 3-for-5 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's win over San Diego. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana put the Pirates ahead 4-3 with a home run off Reiss Knehr to lead off the third inning, his seventh of the season. Santana would drive in a second run with an RBI single in the sixth. It's the first multi-hit game since June 17 for the veteran first baseman -- he'd gone 4-for-27 (.148) over his previous seven contests. Overall, Santana is slashing .233/.316/.380 with 39 RBI, 32 runs scored and six stolen bases through 294 plate appearances this season. |
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| Jun 21 2023 | Santana is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: With the Pirates wrapping up their series with the Cubs with a day game, manager Derek Shelton likely viewed it as an ideal time to give Santana a breather. The 37-year-old had started in each of Pittsburgh's last 12 games, producing a .680 OPS during that stretch. Connor Joe will fill in for Santana at first base and serve as Pittsburgh's cleanup hitter. |
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| Jun 17 2023 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored Friday against the Brewers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana took Julio Teheran deep in the second inning to tally his sixth homer of the season. Three of those long balls have come in his last seven starts, during which he's also driven in seven and scored six runs. Santana has maintained an everyday role at first base and primarily hits fourth in the Pirates' order. |
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| Jun 15 2023 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Wednesday's 10-6 loss to the Cubs. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana extended Pittsburgh's lead to 3-0 in the first inning with a two-run shot off Drew Smyly. It's Santana's fifth homer of the year and his second in five games. The 37-year-old first baseman had cooled off after a quick start to the year -- he's batting just .188 (22-for-117) in 33 games since the beginning of May. Overall, Santana is slashing .228/.319/.367 with 32 RBI, 26 runs scored and five stolen bases. |
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| Jun 10 2023 | Santana went 2-for-5 with a solo homer and three total runs scored in Friday's victory over the Mets. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana launched a 409-foot blast in the eighth inning for his fourth home run of the season. The long ball was just the second for the 37-year-old veteran since April 7. He finally looks as though he's over a lingering back injury that had bothered him for the past two weeks. |
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| Jun 3 2023 | Santana went 3-for-4 with a double, a run scored and two RBI in Friday's 7-5 win over the Cardinals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The veteran switch hitter missed the Pirates' last three games due to back trouble, but he seemed 100 percent healthy in Friday's comeback victory. Santana hadn't had a multi-hit performance since May 4, however, so it's possible his back was an issue longer than he'd been letting on. Since the beginning of May, the 37-year-old is slashing just .193/.299/.301. |
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| Jun 2 2023 | Santana (back) is starting at first base Friday against the Cardinals, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana was forced to miss three games after exiting Sunday's game against Seattle with back tightness, but the 37-year-old first baseman will return to action Friday. Santana has been struggling at the plate as of late, slashing .176/.288/.294 over the past three weeks. |
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| May 31 2023 | Santana (back) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He'll get a third consecutive game off while he contends with lumbar spine muscular tightness. Santana said earlier in the week that he expects to avoid a stint on the injured list, but the Pirates will likely wait until after Thursday's team off day before making a decision on his status one way or another. |
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| May 30 2023 | Santana (back) is not in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Giants, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana left Sunday's loss to the Mariners with a back injury, and while it's not expected to be a long-term issue, the veteran infielder will miss at least one more game while recovering. Connor Joe will be the first baseman in Santana's absence and hit third. |
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| May 29 2023 | Santana (back) said Monday that he doesn't expect to go on the 10-day injured list, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana isn't in the lineup for Monday's series opener in San Francisco after his back injury forced him out of Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Mariners, but he said he's receiving more of a scheduled day off and hopes to be ready "in the next couple of days." The veteran first baseman has a .678 OPS with three home runs in 49 contests this season. |
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| May 28 2023 | Santana was removed from Sunday's game against the Mariners due to lumbar spine muscular tightness, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana went 0-for-2 with a walk to begin Sunday's matchup, but he was replaced defensively in the bottom of the sixth inning. He's being examined and treated following his removal, and it's unclear whether he'll be available for Monday's series opener in San Francisco. If Santana is sidelined, Connor Joe could see increased time at first base with Ji-Man Choi (Achilles) still on the 60-day injured list. |
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| May 26 2023 | Santana went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 11-6 win over the Mariners. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana spent part of 2022 with the Mariners, launching 15 homers in 79 contests with the club. His power didn't follow him to Pittsburgh -- this was his third homer in 198 plate appearances as a Pirate, though he's maintained a near-everyday role at first base. He's shown some life lately by hitting safely in nine of his last 12 games, but he hasn't logged a multi-hit effort since May 4. Santana is slashing .234/.328/.368 with 24 RBI, five stolen bases, 20 runs scored and a still-solid but career-worst 12.6 percent walk rate in 47 games this season. |
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| May 17 2023 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run scored Wednesday against the Tigers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana did his damage in the seventh inning, driving in a run with a double prior to also coming around to score. He entered Wednesday's game having collected only seven hits across 43 at-bats in May, though he now has a double in each of his last two games. Santana continues to serve as the Pirates' cleanup hitter, which has helped him rack up 22 RBI across 40 games on the campaign. |
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| May 8 2023 | Santana went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a steal in Sunday's loss against the Blue Jays. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana drove in Pittsburgh's lone run Sunday with an RBI single in the eighth inning. He also snagged his fourth stolen base of the year, swiping second on the backend of a double steal. The 37-year-old veteran is a perfect 4-for-4 on stolen base attempts this year after not attempting a steal in 131 games last season. While Santana shouldn't be counted on as a long-term speed threat, he's provided some value with the bat, slashing .263/.346/.407 with two homers, 14 runs scored and 20 RBI through 136 plate appearances this season. |
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| May 4 2023 | Santana went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI in Thursday's 3-2 loss against Tampa Bay. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana spearheaded the Pirates' ninth-inning rally, plating Tucupita Marcano and Bryan Reynolds with a double off Jason Adam to bring Pittsburgh to within one. However, the first basemen would not advance past second base, as Connor Joe struck out to end any hopes of a Pirates victory. Santana is now up to 19 RBI on the season, despite only having two homers, and is tied for fourth in MLB with 11 doubles. |
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| Apr 5 2023 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a home run and two RBI in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Red Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 36-year-old switch hitter put together a vintage performance as he displayed his patience while also launching his first homer as a Pirate. Santana hasn't hit above .214 in any of the last three seasons but has been able to maintain a solid OBP, and the early returns in Pittsburgh have been more of the same as he's gone 4-for-23 (.174) with a 3:6 BB:K in six games. |
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| Mar 19 2023 | Santana (knee) is starting at first base and batting cleanup in Sunday's spring game versus the Orioles. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana exited Thursday's Grapefruit League game with left knee discomfort, but he's back in the lineup Sunday after requiring only a couple days off. The veteran slugger had a .692 OPS in 131 games last year, and he is expected to split playing time between first base and designated hitter with Ji-Man Choi this season. |
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| Mar 17 2023 | Santana (knee) was able to go through a full workout Friday, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana had to depart Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees due to left knee discomfort, but it sounds like he'll be fine. Expect the veteran first baseman/designated hitter to return to action within a few days. |
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| Mar 16 2023 | Santana was removed from Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees due to left knee discomfort, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana slipped on the infield grass while attempting to field a flyball and was removed from the game immediately. He's still undergoing testing on the injury, so it's unclear if he'll be forced to miss additional time. If Santana misses any regular-season contests, Connor Joe is a potential beneficiary. |
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| Nov 25 2022 | Santana has agreed to a one-year, $6.7 million deal with the Pirates, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana played for both the Mariners and Royals during the 2022 season. He finished the year with OPS splits of .202/.316/.276. The 31-year-old will be a prime candidate to play DH for Pittsburgh due to his plate discipline and power. |
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| Oct 11 2022 | Santana (hamstring) will start at designated hitter and bat sixth for Game 1 of the ALDS against the Astros on Tuesday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana aggravated a hamstring issue during the previous round against Toronto but was always expected to be ready for the ALDS. He homered against the Blue Jays but is a .198/.305/.396 hitter overall in 25 career playoff games. |
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| Oct 10 2022 | Santana aggravated a pre-existing hamstring injury during Saturday's Game 2 against Toronto but is expected to be ready for Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Tuesday against Houston, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: A few days of rest has been beneficial for Santana, who was able to take batting practice and participate in running drills Monday. He expects to be ready for Tuesday's Game 1, but his status leading up to first pitch will be worth keeping an eye on. |
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| Oct 5 2022 | Santana went a combined 4-for-8 with two walks, an RBI and two runs over both games of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Tigers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The veteran went 3-for-4 with an RBI single, a walk and a run in the first game before lacing another knock, drawing another free pass and crossing the plate again in the nightcap. Santana heads into Wednesday's regular-season finale swinging a hot bat of late, hitting .412 (7-for-17) over his last five games. |
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| Oct 3 2022 | Santana isn't in Monday's starting lineup against Detroit, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: After going 3-for-8 with an RBI and two runs scored over his last two games, Santana will miss a second consecutive start Monday. Julio Rodriguez will fill in as Seattle's designated hitter, allowing Jarred Kelenic to start in center field and bat sixth. |
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| Oct 2 2022 | Santana went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and two runs in a win over the Athletics on Saturday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana provided a key early hit for the Mariners with his first-inning RBI single, which plated Dylan Moore to erase an early 1-0 deficit. The veteran's ugly .196/.312/.376 slash line is naturally a concern overall, but he's now reached safely in seven of his last eight games. |
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| Sep 29 2022 | Santana is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rangers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana started the past 17 games and posted an .804 OPS with seven home runs and 15 RBI during that stretch, though he's 2-for-25 over Seattle's last seven contests. Jesse Winker will serve as the designated hitter Thursday after sitting out a couple games with a wrist issue. |
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| Sep 19 2022 | Santana went 2-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI in Monday's 9-1 win over the Angels. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana hammered a grand slam in the fifth inning before tacking on a solo shot in the ninth. It's the second time he's hit a pair of homers in his last four games and he's gone deep seven times over the last nine games. He's now slashing .200/.317/.392 with 35 extra-base hits and 57 RBI through 116 games with the Mariners and Royals this season. |
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| Sep 16 2022 | Santana went 2-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI and a walk in Friday's 8-7 loss to the Angels. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana's pair of blasts got the Mariners within a run each time, but they failed to pull even. He's homered five times in his last six games, accounting for all but one of his hits in that span. The 36-year-old is up to 17 long balls, 52 RBI and 44 runs scored through 113 contests, but he's slashing just .199/.320/.379 between the Mariners and the Royals this year. |
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| Sep 14 2022 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's victory over the Padres. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana launched a three-run shot off Mike Clevinger in the bottom of the fifth inning, giving the Mariners a 6-0 lead. The 36-year-old has now gone deep 15 times this year and three times in his last five games. Santana has gone 5-for-29 with three homers, six RBI and six runs scored over 10 games in September. |
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| Sep 9 2022 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs and three RBI during Friday's 6-4 loss to Atlanta. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana provided nearly all of Seattle's offense with a two-run homer in the second and solo shot in the seventh, both off Atlanta starter Charlie Morton. The power surge follows a 2-for-24 stretch and three of the 36-year-old's last four hits have left the yard. Santana has connected on 10 home runs in 56 games since joining Seattle though he's slashing just .179/.291/.382. |
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| Sep 7 2022 | Santana isn't starting Wednesday against the White Sox, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana has gone just 1-for-15 with two runs, two walks and four strikeouts over his last five games and will head to the bench for the third time in the last four matchups. Mitch Haniger is serving as the designated hitter and batting third. |
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| Sep 6 2022 | Santana is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game versus the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana is 2-for-24 over his past eight contests and will take a seat for Tuesday's game. Jake Lamb will bat eighth as the designated hitter versus Chicago righty Johnny Cueto. |
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| Sep 5 2022 | Santana will start at first base and bat cleanup in Monday's game against the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Even though he's the owner of a poor .619 OPS since the beginning of August, Santana looks to have a hold on a near-everyday role. Santana was expected to lose out on opportunities when Sam Haggerty recently healed up from shoulder and finger injuries, but since starting Thursday, Haggerty has sat in four straight contests. Meanwhile, Santana finds himself in the lineup for the third time during that four-game stretch. |
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| Sep 1 2022 | Santana is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Tigers, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: While starting in each of the last nine games -- including eight at designated hitter -- Santana slashed .207/.303/.345 with a home run and a 4:7 BB:K. Santana had started to transition into more of a part-time role in early August, but his opportunities picked up in the back half of the month while Sam Haggerty dealt with shoulder and finger injuries. However, with Haggerty making his second straight start in the outfield Thursday, Santana will likely find himself on the bench more frequently while Mitch Haniger gets deployed at DH on a regular basis. |
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| Aug 31 2022 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in a win over the Tigers on Tuesday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana took Daniel Norris deep in the fifth inning with Ty France aboard for the Mariners' final two runs of the game. The veteran had last left the yard Aug. 10, and his productive effort Tuesday pushed his slash line over the last seven games to an impressive .273/.360/.455 across a sample of 25 plate appearances. |
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| Aug 25 2022 | Santana will serve as the Mariners' designated hitter and No. 6 batter in Thursday's game against the Guardians. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana will pick up his fourth consecutive start after going 3-for-11 with a double and a walk over the past three contests, but his run of steady playing time will likely come to an end as soon as Sam Haggerty (shoulder) is ready to rejoin the lineup. Haggerty was able to take some swings with a fungo bat Tuesday and has been deployed off the bench twice since suffering the shoulder injury, so the Mariners appear to be optimistic that he'll avoid a stint on the 10-day injured list. |
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| Aug 16 2022 | Santana is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Angels. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Lefty Jose Suarez is pitching Tuesday for the Halos, and Santana finds himself on the bench for the third time in the past four games. The switch-hitting first baseman has a .668 OPS through 12 games in August. |
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| Aug 15 2022 | Santana is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Angels. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana tallied just two hits in 26 at-bats over his last eight games, so manager Scott Servais decided to hold him out for the second time in three days. The Mariners are as healthy as they have been in a while, so Santana will need to get back on track in order to continue playing regularly. |
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| Aug 13 2022 | Santana will sit Saturday against the Rangers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana has gone cold at the plate recently, slashing .127/.206/.291 over his last 17 games. He'll sit for the third time in the last six games Saturday, with Mitch Haniger serving as the designated hitter. |
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| Aug 11 2022 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in a win over the Yankees on Wednesday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The veteran squared up on an Albert Abreu offering in the seventh inning to plate Mitch Haniger and erase a 3-2 deficit. Santana's blast ended up as the difference in the game and snapped an 0-for-17 slump that had encompassed his last five-plus contests. |
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| Aug 9 2022 | Santana is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game versus the Yankees, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana is mired in an 0-for-14 slump and will take a seat for the second time in Seattle's past three games. Mitch Haniger will serve as the designated hitter while Sam Haggerty starts in right field. |
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| Aug 7 2022 | Santana is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Mitch Haniger (ankle) returned Saturday from a lengthy stay on the injured list and will step in as the Mariners' designated hitter Sunday, leaving no room in the lineup for Santana while Ty France handles duties at first base. Haniger should end up seeing most of his playing time in right field for the rest of the season, but his return could force Santana to battle with Kyle Lewis for one spot in the Mariners' everyday lineup. |
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| Aug 4 2022 | Santana, who went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a win over the Yankees on Wednesday, now has 16 RBI in 30 games with the Mariners after posting just 21 in 52 contests with the Royals prior to being traded. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana's blast off Gerrit Cole on Wednesday locked in double-digit homers for the veteran for the 11th time in 12 seasons and extended a welcome stretch of RBI production for him since arriving in Seattle via trade June 27. Santana is hitting just .196 over his first 115 plate appearances with the Mariners, but he's managed a much more palatable .243 figure with men on base and has laced nine (three doubles, six home runs) of his 19 hits for extra bases. |
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| Aug 3 2022 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a double and three RBI in Tuesday's 8-6 win over the Yankees. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana drove in two runs on a fifth-inning double and plated another on a sacrifice fly. Since being acquired from the Royals in late June, Santana is slashing .183/.297/.376 across 29 games. He'll remain in the starting lineup for Wednesday's series finale, manning first base and batting cleanup. |
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| Jul 30 2022 | Santana isn't starting Saturday against the Astros. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana will head to the bench after he hit .050 with a double, three RBI and three strikeouts over the last five games. Ty France is starting at first base while Kyle Lewis serves as the designated hitter. |
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| Jul 24 2022 | Santana is not in the starting lineup Sunday against the Astros. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana will get a breather after he went 1-for-6 with a solo home run and two walks in the first two games of the series. Ty France will start at first base while Sam Haggerty enters the lineup in right field and bats ninth in the series finale. |
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| Jul 17 2022 | Santana went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in a 3-2 win over the Rangers on Saturday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana went deep off innings-eater Spencer Howard for his eighth long ball of the season and his fourth in 16 games since being traded to the Mariners on June 29. The first baseman had hit only four home runs in 52 games with the Royals before the trade, so the new team environment appears to be to his liking. Santana's third-inning blast helped lift the Mariners to their 13th win in a row. He figures to be an everyday starter over the second half of the season. |
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| Jul 16 2022 | Santana (personal) was reinstated from the restricted list Saturday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana was away from the team Friday while addressing a family emergency, but he'll rejoin the club prior to Saturday's matchup against the Rangers. He should be the team's top option at first base for the final two games ahead of the All-Star break. |
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| Jul 15 2022 | Santana (personal) was placed on the restricted list Friday as he addresses a family emergency. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana will be away from the team for a few days while with his family, likely making him unavailable until after the All-Star break. Kevin Padlo was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma on Friday to replace him on the active roster. |
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| Jul 10 2022 | Santana went 2-for-3 with two home runs, three RBI, three runs scored and a hit-by-pitch in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Blue Jays. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana's two blasts were both key hits -- his second-inning solo shot tied the game at 1-1, and he put the Mariners ahead for good with a two-run homer in the eighth. He's hit safely in six of his last eight games, going 10-for-27 (.370) with three homers, six RBI and eight runs scored in that span. In 64 contests between Seattle and Kansas City, Santana owns a .228/.359/.377 slash line with seven long balls, 27 RBI, 26 runs scored and 11 doubles, though it certainly looks like he's more comfortable with the Mariners since he was traded June 27. |
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| Jul 9 2022 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Blue Jays. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Alek Manoah stymied the Mariners for six innings, but Santana struck with a two-run blast in the seventh, and that was all they needed to win. Since he was traded from the Royals on June 27, Santana is 9-for-36 (.250) with a homer, three RBI, six runs scored and a 7:10 BB:K across 11 games as a Mariner. He's slashing .222/.353/.344 with five long balls, 24 RBI, 23 runs scored and 11 doubles in 63 contests overall in 2022. While Ty France (elbow) has been back for three games, he's served as the designated hitter each time, and Santana continues to draw starts at first base. |
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| Jul 8 2022 | Santana went 2-for-4 with an RBI single, a double and a run in a win over the Blue Jays on Thursday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The veteran handled cleanup duties and came through with one of three multi-hit efforts for the Mariners on the night. Santana has been quite the find offensively for Seattle thus far, producing a trio of two-hit tallies in the last five games and generating a solid .276 average and stellar .400 on-base percentage over the 35 plate appearances he's logged across his first nine contests with the team. |
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| Jul 4 2022 | Santana went 2-for-2 with three walks and two runs in Monday's 8-2 win against the Padres. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana produced his first vintage performance since arriving in Seattle June 28, walking in the first, fourth and sixth and singling in the third and eighth. The five times reaching base nearly match his total of six tallied in his first six games with the team and the 36-year-old is now 5-for-21 with six walks with Seattle, though he's yet to record an extra-base hit or RBI. |
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| Jun 28 2022 | Santana is batting fifth and starting at first base in his debut for the Mariners on Tuesday against the Orioles, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He didn't join the team after the trade from Kansas City in time to get into action Monday, but Santana slots right into the middle of the lineup for his debut. The veteran first baseman is hitting .357/.478/.554 with two home runs in 17 games this month. |
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| Jun 27 2022 | Santana isn't starting Monday's game against Baltimore. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Although Santana was traded from the Royals to the Mariners on Monday, Dylan Moore is starting at first base while Justin Upton serves as the designated hitter during the series opener against the Orioles. It's not yet clear whether Santana will be available to make his team debut off the bench. |
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| Jun 26 2022 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in Saturday's loss against the Athletics. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana scored on a Cam Gallagher double in the fourth inning and a Michael Taylor homer in the eighth. The first baseman has had a rough season, starting June with a .161 batting average, but has since raised it to .207. He has 18 hits in 15 games this month, giving him a .340/.462/.528 slash line during that span. Santana will need to continue to produce to keep seeing consistent playing time, especially with several talented prospects in the Royals' farm system. |
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| Jun 21 2022 | Santana went 4-for-5 with a home run, a double, five RBI and two total runs scored in Tuesday's 12-11 extra-innings win over the Angels. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana hasn't hit a triple since 2019, so a cycle was never really on the radar. He was steady in this one, posting an RBI double in the second inning, a two-run homer in the fourth and RBI singles in the sixth and eighth. This was just his sixth multi-hit game of the year, though it was also his second four-hit effort, both of which have come in June. The veteran first baseman has a .210/.347/.333 slash line with four homers, 18 RBI, 15 runs scored and eight doubles across 196 plate appearances. |
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| Jun 20 2022 | Santana isn't in the lineup for Monday's game against the Angels. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana will get a breather after he went 1-for-5 with three walks over the last two games. Hunter Dozier is shifting to first base while Kyle Isbel draws the start in right field. |
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| Jun 17 2022 | Santana is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Athletics. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana started eight of the past nine games and will receive a day off after posting a 1.060 OPS during that span. Hunter Dozier will move to first base while Kyle Isbel starts in right field. |
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| Jun 15 2022 | Santana will start at first base and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Giants. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Manager Mike Matheny suggested earlier in June that Santana was likely to see his playing time take a hit moving forward, but that hasn't come to fruition just yet. The 36-year-old will stick in the lineup for the eighth time in nine games, with his improved production at the plate likely playing a major factor in him receiving steady at-bats. Dating back to June 7, Santana has slashed .409/.552/.636 while walking seven times and striking out just once. |
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| Jun 10 2022 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 7-5 win over the Orioles. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana started to lose playing time early in June, but with Hunter Dozier (side) out, the former has thrived at first base. The homer Thursday was Santana's third of the year and his first since May 20. The first baseman has a .190/.323/.307 slash line with 13 RBI, 11 runs scored and seven doubles overall, but he's now 6-for-13 in his last four contests. It's still tough to trust him to keep up a surge at the plate for more than a handful of days. |
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| Jun 9 2022 | Santana went 4-for-4 with a walk, two doubles, a run scored and an RBI in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Blue Jays. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: It's the first time all year the veteran slugger has recorded multiple extra-base hits in a game. Santana has begun to show flickers of life at the plate, going 7-for-13 over his last four starts with four walks, but his career-worst .611 OPS and woeful power numbers on the season -- two homers and 11 RBI in 39 games -- make him tough to roster in any fantasy format without a more prolonged hot streak. |
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| Jun 3 2022 | Santana is being moved to a part-time role, Josh Vernier of 610 Sports Kansas City reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He is not in Friday's lineup and manager Mike Matheny said it's something Santana will have to adjust to going forward. Hunter Dozier is starting at first base in this one, and it may not be long before top prospect Vinnie Pasquantino gets the call from Triple-A. |
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| May 31 2022 | Santana is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Guardians, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: With the Royals giving Whit Merrifield a day out of the field and having him serve as the team's designated hitter, Santana will retreat to the bench while Hunter Dozier covers first base. Santana's move to the bench comes after he went 1-for-18 with three walks against five strikeouts in the Royals' last five games. |
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| May 23 2022 | Santana went 3-for-5 in Monday's 9-5 loss to the Diamondbacks. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: All three of Santana's hits were singles. He's now hit safely in four straight games, going 6-for-16 (.375) with a home run, a pair of doubles, four RBI and two runs scored in that span. It's an encouraging burst of offense from the 36-year-old, who has been slumping at the plate for much of the year. He owns a .163/.305/.276 slash line with two homers, 10 RBI, nine runs scored and five doubles through 118 plate appearances. |
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| May 20 2022 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-4 loss to the Twins. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana entered Friday 0-for-19 in six games since returning from a stint on the injured list due to an ankle injury. He looked well on his way to another empty stat line before unleashing a solo shot in the seventh inning. The first baseman is batting a dreadful .128/.286/.233 with two homers, seven RBI, eight runs scored and three doubles through 105 plate appearances. His 18.1 percent walk rate is still solid, but he'll need to do more with the bat to avoid a potential reduction in playing time once the Royals' lineup gets healthier. |
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| May 19 2022 | Santana is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana will get a routine maintenance day with Kansas City concluding its series with Chicago with a day game after a night game. Hunter Dozier replaces Santana at first base. |
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| May 17 2022 | Santana will sit for the first half of Tuesday's doubleheader against the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The Royals will likely rest several of their regulars in one of the day's two games. Ryan O'Hearn will start at first base Tuesday, but Santana should return for the nightcap. |
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| May 14 2022 | Santana isn't starting Saturday against the Rockies. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana returned from the injured list for Friday's series opener in Colorado and went 0-for-3 with a run, two walks and a strikeout. Ryan O'Hearn will start at first base and bat cleanup Saturday. |
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| May 13 2022 | Santana (ankle) was activated from the 10-day injured list and will bat cleanup as the designated hitter Friday in Colorado. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The veteran slugger landed on the shelf with right ankle bursitis May 3 and will return after being sidelined for the 10-day minimum. Santana struggled this season prior to the injury with a .159/.312/.254 slash line through 19 games. |
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| May 4 2022 | Santana was placed on the 10-day injured list with right ankle bursitis Wednesday, retroactive to May 3. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana was slated to miss a second consecutive game Wednesday after being scratched from Tuesday's lineup, and he'll get additional time to recover since he's dealing with some inflammation. Hunter Dozier and Ryan O'Hearn should see increased playing time at first base, while Emmanuel Rivera was recalled from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday. |
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| May 3 2022 | Santana was scratched from Tuesday's lineup versus the Cardinals due to right ankle soreness, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana was a late scratch from Tuesday's lineup for previously undisclosed reasons, and it's unclear when exactly he picked up the ankle injury. The veteran slugger should be considered day-to-day, and he could sit out again Wednesday since the Royals have a scheduled off day to follow Thursday. |
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| Apr 24 2022 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, two walks and an additional run in a 13-7 loss to the Mariners on Saturday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana walked in the first and fifth innings, scoring following the latter, and launched a two-run homer during a seventh-inning rally to tie the game. This was almost a necessary performance for Santana, who still draws walks but was just 2-for-32 on the season prior to Saturday's game. He'll need to string together a few more quality performances before he can be seen as an a potential option. |
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| Apr 21 2022 | Sanatana (undisclosed) is back in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins, batting fifth and playing first base, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana missed the last two games after being scratched from Tuesday's lineup. His absence may have been primarily due to Salvador's eye issue, however, which prevented him from catching but didn't prevent him from serving as the designated hitter. Perez will catch again Thursday, freeing up the designated hitter spot for Hunter Dozier and the first base spot for Santana. |
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| Apr 20 2022 | Santana (undisclosed) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Twins. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The Royals made Santana a late scratch from the lineup ahead of Tuesday's 4-3 win, but an explanation for his removal from the starting nine wasn't immediately provided. Until more information behind the nature of his absence is available, Santana can be viewed as day-to-day. Hunter Dozier will pick up another start at first base in Santana's stead. |
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| Apr 19 2022 | Santana was scratched from the lineup for Tuesday's' game against the Twins for undisclosed reasons, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Hunter Dozier will move to first base, with Salvador Perez serving as the designated hitter and Cam Gallagher entering the lineup behind the plate. Santana has struggled to an .077/.226/.115 line through eight games despite posting a 9.7 percent strikeout rate. |
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| Apr 14 2022 | Santana will start at first base and bat fifth in Thursday's game against the Tigers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana has batted out of the No. 5 spot in each of the Royals' games to date, but hitting directly beyond four-time Silver Slugger winner Salvador Perez has yet to bear fruit for the veteran. Through 19 plate appearances, Santana has produced one hit (a double) and has drawn three walks. On a positive note, Santana has struck out just once, so he hasn't looked completely lost at the plate. Expect his average to climb once his .067 BABIP normalizes. |
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| Apr 2 2022 | Santana has gone 10-for-26 with two doubles, six RBI and three runs scored through nine Cactus League games. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana's always been a bit questionable from a batting average standpoint -- he's only hit at or above .260 in three of his 12 major-league campaigns. He's usually more solid with plate discipline, but he faltered there in 2021 as well with career-low marks in walk rate (13.2 percent) and on-base percentage (.319) in 158 games. He added 19 home runs, 69 RBI, 66 runs scored and a pair of stolen bases. He'll turn 36 a day after Opening Day, so it's tough to bet on a bounce-back campaign here. If Santana declines further, Hunter Dozier, Ryan O'Hearn or prospect Nick Pratto could get a longer look at first base. |
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| Oct 3 2021 | Santana went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Sunday's 7-3 loss to Minnesota. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: While the first baseman could be counted on for solid on-base abilities in the first half of the season, he slumped badly after the All-Star break. In the end, Santana posted a .214/.319/.342 slash line, leading to a career-low .660 OPS in 158 games. Outside of a resurgent 2019, Santana's been on a noticeable downward slide since 2016. He's still under contract for 2022, but top prospect Nick Pratto could force Kansas City's hand in spring training after batting .266 across 123 games between Double-A and Triple-A. |
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| Sep 16 2021 | Santana is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: It's been a disappointing season for the veteran first baseman, who's hit just .219/.322/.359 on the season. He's still playing regularly at this point, starting 15 straight games prior to Thursday's day off, but it's possible the Royals elect to turn to younger options more frequently down the stretch. Ryan O'Hearn will be the first baseman Thursday. |
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| Sep 8 2021 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 7-3 loss to the Orioles. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He took Alexander Wells deep in the fourth inning, but the Royals were already in a 6-1 hole at that point. Santana is now one homer shy of his eighth season with 20 or more, but his .703 OPS (on a .225/.329/.374 slash line) would be the worst mark of his career over a full schedule. |
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| Sep 5 2021 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Saturday in a loss to the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana clubbed a 441-foot solo shot in the sixth inning for the Royals' final run. The long ball snapped 35-game streak without a homer for the veteran, during which he batted only .185 with a mere five RBI over 130 at-bats. Santana has recently been dealing with a hip injury, so Saturday's power display could be a sign that he is feeling better. |
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| Aug 31 2021 | Santana (hip) is batting cleanup and playing first base Tuesday against Cleveland. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: An aggravation of his hip injury caused Santana to miss a couple contests, but he's back in action for Tuesday's series opener. Santana's hitting .262 with four doubles in his last 10 games, largely due to a four-hit effort Aug. 22 against the Cubs. |
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| Aug 29 2021 | Santana (hip) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: After missing three straight games with a Grade 1 right hip flexor, Santana returned to the lineup for Friday's 8-7 win in 12 innings, but he aggravated the injury in that contest and will now be on the bench for the second day in a row. Hunter Dozier will fill in at first base for Santana, who should be viewed as day-to-day heading into the Royals' upcoming six-game week. |
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| Aug 28 2021 | Santana was scratched from Saturday's lineup against Seattle with lingering soreness from his recent hip flexor injury, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana exited Monday's game and was out through Thursday with the hip issue, and apparently he isn't totally over it despite starting Friday. It's unclear whether he'll be available off the bench Saturday, and he should be considered day-to-day until further notice. Emmanuel Rivera entered the lineup to play first base. |
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| Aug 27 2021 | Santana (hip) is starting Friday's game against the Mariners. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana missed the last three games due to a Grade 1 hip flexor strain, but he'll serve as the designated hitter and bat fourth Friday. The 35-year-old has gone 5-for-17 with a double, a run, an RBI and a walk across his last four appearances. |
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| Aug 26 2021 | Santana (hip) is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mariners. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana's Grade 1 right hip flexor strain will relegate him to the bench for the third game in a row. His absence indirectly opens up a spot in the lineup for Hanser Alberto, who will bat seventh as Kansas City's designated hitter. |
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| Aug 25 2021 | Santana (hip) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Astros. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He'll take a seat for the second straight game while he continues to manage a Grade 1 right hip flexor strain, an injury he sustained in Monday's series opener. Hunter Dozier will step in at first base for Santana. |
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| Aug 24 2021 | Santana (hip) is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Astros, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana exited Monday's series opener with a Grade 1 right hip flexor strain, so his absence from the lineup a day later comes as little surprise. For now, the Royals are labeling Santana as day-to-day, but he'll likely need to make some noteworthy progress in his recovery by the end of the week in order to avoid a trip to the injured list. Ryan O'Hearn will cover first base in Santana's stead Tuesday. |
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| Aug 23 2021 | Santana left Monday's game against the Astros with a Grade 1 hip flexor strain, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana is being considered day-to-day by the club, per manager Mike Matheny. Ryan O'Hearn would see time at first base if Santana is forced to miss significant time. |
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| Aug 11 2021 | Santana isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Yankees. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana went 0-for-10 with two strikeouts in the first two games of the series, and he'll get a chance to reset in Wednesday's series finale. Ryan O'Hearn will start at first base while Salvador Perez serves as the designated hitter. |
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| Aug 10 2021 | Santana went 0-for-6 with a strikeout in Monday's 8-6 extra-innings loss to the Yankees. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: it's very rare for the first baseman not to get on base in some way -- he has a .341 on-base percentage and 14.6 percent walk rate this season. Santana has gone 10 games without a multi-hit effort, going just 5-for-38 (.132) with six walks and three runs scored in that span. All five hits in his slump have been singles. |
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| Jul 25 2021 | Santana went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Saturday's 9-8 win over the Tigers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The Royals took the lead for good with a five-run seventh inning, and Santana's blast was the highlight of the rally. The 35-year-old has gone yard in back-to-back games and hit safely in six straight, boosting his slash line on the season to .241/.358/.421 with 17 homers and 55 RBI through 96 contests. |
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| Jul 23 2021 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-3 win over Detroit. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana added some insurance for Kansas City with his fifth-inning homer. The first baseman has hit safely in five straight games, although he's gone just 5-for-21 in that span. The 35-year-old has a .242/.360/.415 slash line with 16 long balls, 52 RBI, 50 runs scored and a pair of stolen bases through 403 plate appearances. He remains stronger in fantasy formats that use on-base percentage given his 15.1 percent walk rate. |
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| Jul 16 2021 | Santana (wrist) is in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Orioles. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana missed the last game before the All-Star break because of a wrist issue, but the first baseman now appears to be fine after getting five full days of rest. He'll bat second in the series opener. |
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| Jul 11 2021 | Santana is not starting Sunday due to a wrist issue that arose during Saturday's loss to Cleveland, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana was replaced by Jarrod Dyson as Ryan O'Hearn shifted to first base late in Saturday's contest. The reason for Santana's departure wasn't clear initially, but it's now known that he banged up his wrist. He'll sit for the first time this season Sunday, and it's not currently clear if he'll be available off the bench. If Santana is given the entire game off, he'll have five full days to rest his wrist prior to the season resuming next Friday. |
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| Jul 8 2021 | Santana went 2-for-3 with a pair of solo home runs and a walk Thursday against Cleveland. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana went yard off starter Zach Plesac in the fourth inning, then he took Cleveland closer James Karinchak deep in the ninth to tie the game at 4-4. The homers were the 15th and 16th of the season for the veteran first baseman, owns an .893 OPS over his last 15 games. Santana has been a productive free-agent addition for the Royals, slashing .252/.373/.430 with 50 RBI and a team-leading 58 walks over 367 plate appearances. |
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| Jun 28 2021 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer in Monday's 6-5 loss to Boston. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana gave the Royals an early lead with his three-run blast off Garrett Richards in the first inning. The veteran slugger is slashing .243/.365/.410 with 13 homers and 45 RBI on the year. He's hitting just .228 with three long balls in June. |
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| Jun 24 2021 | Santana went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and two walks in Wednesday's loss to the Yankees. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The veteran first baseman looked to be the potential hero for the Royals, belting a 432-foot solo shot in the eighth inning to put the team ahead by a run. The Yankees responded with a solo shot of their own in the bottom of the frame, however, and ultimately pulled off the win. Santana's homer was his first since June 13th, but he wasn't dormant in the seven games between long balls, slashing .310/.375/.345 with three RBI and four runs over that span. |
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| Jun 13 2021 | Santana went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Sunday's 6-3 loss against the Athletics. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana hit a solo shot off Yusmeiro Petit in the seventh inning. The 35-year-old has struggled as of late, going 5-for-35 in his last nine games. His 11 long balls are second-highest on his team, but he went 16 games since his last home run before Sunday. He is slashing .236/.365/.405 with 37 RBI and 36 runs in 271 plate appearances. |
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| Jun 5 2021 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a two-RBI single, two walks and a run scored in Friday's 14-5 win over Minnesota. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The first baseman's two-run single came in the second inning, staking Kansas City to a 12-0 lead. Santana continues to show an excellent eye at the plate with a .393 OBP. He's added 10 home runs, 36 RBI, 34 runs scored and two stolen bases across 234 plate appearances. |
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| May 26 2021 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Rays. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: His fourth-inning shot off Rich Hill got the Royals on the board. Santana has gone yard in back-to-back games and four times in the last nine, giving him 10 homers and 32 RBI on the year to go along with a .256/.393/.474 slash line. |
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| May 23 2021 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 3-2 win over Detroit. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana came up clutch in the bottom of the ninth, socking a walkoff homer off Detroit reliever Michael Fulmer. The blast was Santana's ninth of the season. The 35-year-old has added 31 RBI, 29 runs scored, a pair of stolen bases and a .257/.396/.461 slash line across 192 plate appearances. He sports an 18.2 percent walk rate and just a 14.1 percent strikeout rate as a key part of Kansas City's offense. |
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| May 15 2021 | Santana went 2-for-3 with a home run, an additional run scored and two walks in Saturday's win over the White Sox. He also stole a base. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana launched his eighth homer of the season in the top of the ninth inning, taking Jose Ruiz deep. Santana has homered in back-to-back games for the second time in 2021 and also extended his RBI streak to four appearances. |
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| May 14 2021 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: After going 1-for-2 with two walks, a run scored and an RBI in the opener, Santana took Michael Kopech deep in the third inning of the nightcap, accounting for the Royals' only run of the contest. Santana is slashing .256/.401/.450 with seven homers, 22 runs and 24 RBI through 38 games. |
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| May 8 2021 | Santana went 2-for-2 with a pair of singles and a pair of walks in Saturday's 9-1 loss to the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana has recorded seven games this season where he's gotten on base at least three times. The 35-year-old first baseman's strong day at the dish didn't directly lead to any run production in the blowout loss. Santana has a .263/.380/.456 slash line with six home runs, 21 RBI, 17 runs scored and a stolen base in 137 plate appearances. |
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| May 2 2021 | Santana went 3-for-4 in Sunday's loss against the Twins. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana continues to be one of the Royals' most consistent hitters and has extended his hitting streak to seven games, posting three multi-hit appearances in that span. He has also reached base safely at least twice five times during that seven-game period. |
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| May 1 2021 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a walk, two runs, an RBI and a strikeout in Saturday's 11-3 win over Minnesota. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana reached base and scored in each of his first two at-bats and singled in the ninth to round out a solid all-around game. He remains a much stronger option in OBP formats and points leagues due to his on-base abilities. |
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| Apr 28 2021 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored in Wednesday's 9-6 win over the Pirates. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana walked and scored on a Jorge Soler double in the first inning. In the fourth, Santana got aboard with a single and scored on a Soler single to extend the Royals' lead to 6-0. Santana's third run came in the sixth inning after he reached on an error. The first baseman has five home runs, 19 RBI, 13 runs scored, a stolen base and a .244/.364/.476 slash line through 23 games. |
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| Apr 27 2021 | Santana went 2-for-4 with an RBI single in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Pirates. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana's infield single in the third inning plated shortstop Nicky Lopez for the Royals' lone run. The 35-year-old Santana continues to get involved in run production -- he has 19 RBI in 22 games this season. The first baseman had all of 30 RBI in 60 games last year. In 2021, he's added five home runs, 10 runs scored, one stolen base and a .244/.362/.487 slash line across 94 plate appearances. |
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| Apr 26 2021 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday's 3-2 victory over Detroit. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana left the yard in the top of the third inning, giving his club an early 2-0 lead. He's just 3-for-18 over his last five contests, but two of those hits have been homers and he's also walked five times and stolen a base over that brief stretch. |
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| Apr 23 2021 | Santana went 0-for-2 with three walks, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 6-2 win over the Tigers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana walked and scored on a Jorge Soler double in the fifth inning. In the ninth, Santana added another walk before advancing to second on a double-steal with Whit Merrifield. Through 18 games, Santana has a .377 on-base percentage with four homers, 14 RBI, nine runs scored and one steal. |
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| Apr 22 2021 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer and a walk in Wednesday's 9-8 win over the Rays. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana's production came late, as his long ball in the seventh gave the Royals their first lead of the night at 7-6; he was then intentionally walked in the ninth. The 35-year-old has been on an absolute tear at the plate lately, slashing .474/.524/.947 with five extra-base hits, six RBI and three runs scored to go along with a 2:1 BB:K over his last five games. |
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| Apr 21 2021 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBI in a loss to the Rays on Tuesday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The Royals were routed in the contest, but Santana made sure the team's offense wasn't to blame. The veteran plated a pair of runs with a double in the third inning and bashed a solo homer in the fifth. After a slow start to the campaign, Santana has been coming on strong with four straight two-hit games. Over that span, he has gone 8-for-15 with four extra-base hits and four RBI. |
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| Apr 14 2021 | Santana went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run and a pair of walks in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Angels. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana's two-run blast in the seventh inning extended the Royals' lead to 5-1. The 35-year-old first baseman is up to two homers, eight RBI and six runs scored through 44 plate appearances in 10 games. He's slashing .171/.318/.371 while regularly hitting third or fourth in the order. |
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| Apr 11 2021 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's 4-3 extra-inning win over the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana took White Sox closer Liam Hendriks deep for the game-tying homer in the ninth inning. The 35-year-old Santana also drew a walk for the first time since April 3. The first baseman has a .185/.313/.333 slash line with a homer, four RBI, four runs scored and five walks across 32 plate appearances this season. |
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| Dec 8 2020 | Santana signed a two-year, $17 million deal with the Royals on Tuesday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 34-year-old first baseman is coming off a down year where he hit .199/.349/.350 with eight home runs in 60 games for Cleveland. However, he hit .281/.397/.515 with 34 home runs and a 4.4 fWAR as recently as 2019. This move signals that the Royals are ready to try to compete for a playoff spot in 2021. Santana fills a big hole at first base, so he should be an everyday staple in the middle of the lineup. |
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| Oct 30 2020 | Santana's $17.5 million team option was declined by Cleveland on Friday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana spent 10 of the first 11 years of his career in Cleveland, but he had a career-worst .199/.349/.350 slash line with eight home runs and 30 RBI during the 2020 season. It's little surprise to see the team decline his expensive contract option, although it's unclear whether the two sides have interest in a reunion on a cheaper deal. |
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| Sep 27 2020 | Santana went 3-for-3 with a homer, four RBI, three runs scored and a walk in Sunday's 8-6 win over the Pirates. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana got Cleveland on the board with a two-run homer in the third inning. He scored again on a Franmil Reyes blast in the sixth. Santana then added a two-RBI double in the seventh before scoring a third time on Reyes' sacrifice fly. The strong finale left Santana with a .199/.349/.350 slash line, eight homers, 30 RBI and 34 runs scored in 60 games this season. |
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| Sep 23 2020 | Santana went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Wednesday, as the Indians beat the White Sox 3-2. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Still south of the Mendoza Line, Santana has hit two timely home runs in this pivotal series against the White Sox. Regardless, he is still slashing a weak .160/.276/.440 over his past seven games. |
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| Sep 13 2020 | Santana went 3-for-5 with two RBI in Sunday's 7-5 loss to Minnesota. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: With three singles Sunday, Santana registered his first multi-hit game since Sep. 6 and has just two this month. The 34-year-old slugger owns an unsightly .692 OPS with 23 RBI on the season. |
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| Sep 6 2020 | Santana went 2-for-3 with a single, double, walk and two RBI in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Brewers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana drove in Jose Ramirez with a double in the first and later knocked him in again with a single in the sixth. The first baseman now has 19 RBI to go along with a .203/.362/.312 slash line on the season. |
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| Aug 28 2020 | Santana went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, four runs scored and three walks in Friday's 14-2 win over the Cardinals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana's biggest hit of the game was his second-inning homer to give Cleveland a 6-0 lead, but he was able to keep the line moving throughout the contest. The 34-year-old is slashing .229/.414/.362 with four homers, 17 RBI and 20 runs scored in 32 games this season. |
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| Aug 24 2020 | Santana went 3-for-5 with one RBI in Monday's 3-2 loss to Minnesota. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana singled three times, including his RBI single in the seventh inning. For the season, he still owns a pedestrian .208./389/.323 slash line. |
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| Aug 19 2020 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run Wednesday against the Pirates. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana took Dovydas Neverauskas yard in the sixth inning, enough offense to propel Cleveland to a win. It was Santana's third home run of the season, and second in two games against Pittsburgh. He is slowly coming around at the plate, and now has 12 RBI to go along with 13 runs scored and a .197/.408/.342 line in 103 plate appearances. |
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| Aug 18 2020 | Santana went 2-for-5 with a home run, five RBI and one run scored Tuesday against the Pirates. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana drove in five of Cleveland's six runs Tuesday. He delivered a two-RBI single in the third inning, but came through with the decisive runs on a three-run homer in the 10th frame. He now has two long balls on the season, with this being his first since July 28. After his big performance, Santana has a .194/.414/.306 line to go along with 12 runs scored and nine RBI across 99 plate appearances this season. |
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| Aug 9 2020 | Santana went 1-for-2 with two runs scored and three walks in Sunday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana's first run of the night came after he walked in the eighth inning and scored on a Franmil Reyes double. The 34-year-old Santana then reached on an infield single in the 10th and came around to score again on a Mike Freeman single for what would be the decisive run in the contest. Santana has been patient at the dish over the last four games -- he's drawn 12 walks and taken no strikeouts in that span. The first baseman is slashing .188/.451/.250 with one homer, nine runs scored and three RBI across 71 plate appearances. |
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| Aug 6 2020 | Santana went 0-for-1 with four walks, an RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 13-0 win over the Reds. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Now in his 11th big-league season, Santana remains an on-base machine. He leads the majors with 15 walks. Santana is also striking out a lot lately (10 strikeouts in his last seven games) and he still sits with just one homer, but that same discerning eye is there and the track record should buy him a lot of time on fantasy rosters. |
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| Jul 28 2020 | Santana went 4-for-6 with two walks, a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's doubleheader against the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana reached reached base in all four of his plate appearances in the opening contest of the doubleheader. He followed that up by clubbing a two-run home run in the second game. It was Santana's first long ball of the season, though he has reached base safely in all five games to this point. |
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| Jul 26 2020 | Santana went 0-for-2 with two runs and two walks in Sunday's win against the Royals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Although Santana hasn't recorded a hit over eight at-bats to begin the season, he's drawn four walks and scored twice in Sunday's 9-2 win. The 34-year-old had a career-best .281 batting average, 34 home runs and 93 RBI last season and has a .333 OBP to begin the 2020 campaign. |
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| Mar 20 2020 | Santana hit the ball up the middle at the highest rate of his career in 2019, contributing to his strong campaign at the plate, Joe Noga of Cleveland.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana recorded a .364 BABIP when he hit the ball up the middle, helping him to career-best .281 batting average. He remained one of the most shifted against players in 2019, but credited the change in batted ball profile to a more consistent routine at the plate with the help of an assistant within the organization, Victor Rodriguez. Now entering his age-34 season, it may be difficult for Santana to replicate his 135 wRC+ from last season, though it is encouraging that he purposefully changed his approach at the dish. |
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| Sep 28 2019 | Santana is not in the lineup Saturday against the Nationals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana is one of many Cleveland regulars to sit the day after the team was eliminated from playoff contention. Jake Bauers gets the nod at first base. |
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| Sep 23 2019 | Santana went 3-for-3 with a hit by pitch and a pair of runs scored in Sunday's 10-1 win over the Phillies. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana was trouble for his former team all game. He singled in the first, singled and scored in the fourth, doubled in the fifth, and was hit by a pitch and scored again in the seventh. The veteran continues to be an entirely different hitter than he was last season in Philadelphia, bouncing back from a year in which he hit .229 with 24 homers to hit .288 with 34 homers this season. |
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| Sep 20 2019 | Santana went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Friday's win over the Phillies. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Santana came through with an RBI single to left field in the second inning, and the Indians would come away with a 5-2 victory. The 33-year-old slugger has now hit safely in four straight games and sits with 34 home runs and 92 RBI over 152 contests this year for the Indians. |
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| Aug 31 2019 | Santana went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, a double and a walk in Saturday's | 9-6 loss to the Rays. |
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| Aug 27 2019 | Santana went 3-for-5 with a double and three runs scored in Tuesday's win at Detroit. | |
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| Aug 22 2019 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double, a walk and an additional run | Wednesday in the Indians' 4-3 loss to the Mets in 10 innings. |
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| Aug 17 2019 | Santana went 3-for-4 with three RBI in a 6-5 loss to the Yankees on Saturday. | |
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| Aug 15 2019 | Santana went 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs, a double, four runs scored, three | RBI and a walk in the Indians' 19-5 blowout victory over the Yankees on Thursday. |
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| Aug 14 2019 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run Tuesday | in the Indians' 7-6 loss to the Red Sox. |
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| Aug 12 2019 | Santana went 3-for-4 with a solo homer, three runs scored and a walk in Monday's | 6-5 win over the Red Sox. |
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| Aug 11 2019 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a grand slam, five RBI, two runs scored and a walk in | Sunday's 7-3 win over Minnesota. |
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| Aug 3 2019 | Santana went 1-for-2 with a home run and two walks in a 7-2 victory against the | Angels on Saturday. |
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| Aug 1 2019 | Santana went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run Wednesday in the Indians' 10-4 win | over the Astros. |
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| Jul 28 2019 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer in Sunday's 9-6 loss to Kansas City. | |
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| Jul 27 2019 | Santana (shoulder) is not in the lineup Saturday against the Royals, Jeffrey Flanagan | of MLB.com reports. |
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| Jul 27 2019 | Santana (shoulder) is not in the lineup Saturday against the Royals, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com<\/a> reports. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jul 26 2019 | Santana was scratched from Friday's lineup against the Royals due to left shoulder soreness, Zack Meisel of The Athletic<\/a> reports. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jul 4 2019 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday in the Indians' 4-0 win over the Royals. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jun 23 2019 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, two runs and a walk during an 8-3 victory against the Tigers on Sunday. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jun 21 2019 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run Friday night against the Tigers. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jun 15 2019 | Santana went 1-for-3 with two walks, a run and a stolen base in a 4-2 victory against the Tigers on Saturday. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jun 15 2019 | Santana went 1-for-3 with two walks, a run and a stolen base in a 4-2 victory over the Tigers on Saturday. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jun 13 2019 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a solo homer and walk during a 7-2 loss to the Reds on Wednesday. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jun 11 2019 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Reds. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jun 1 2019 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a win over the White Sox on Saturday. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jun 1 2019 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in the Indians' 5-2 win over the White Sox Saturday. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| May 29 2019 | Santana went 3-for-4 with two walks, a double, triple, home run, five RBI and four runs scored Wednesday against the Red Sox. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| May 22 2019 | Santana went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks Wednesday in the Indians' 5-3 loss to the Athletics. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jul 20 2018 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Friday's 11-5 win over the Padres. | The veteran switch hitter drove in the Phillies' first run of the game with a groundout in the first inning, while his three-run shot in the second put the team in the lead for good. Santana now has 15 homers on the season, but his .209/.350/.403 slash line limits his fantasy value in traditional 5x5 fantasy formats. |
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| Jul 1 2018 | Santana is out of the lineup Sunday against the Nationals. | Santana will get just his second day off of the season, as he hasn't been held out of the starting lineup since all the way back on April 18. Though he was hitless Saturday, Santana owns a .853 OPS in the month of June. He'll give way to Rhys Hoskins at first base for the series finale. |
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| Jun 30 2018 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Friday's loss to the Nationals. | The homer, Santana's 14th of the season, was a two-out shot off of Tim Collins. Santana's batting average remains low at .225 (the lowest of his career), though much of that can be attributed to a frustrating run of luck early in the season. Since May 1, the first baseman has hit .264 with 12 home runs. The veteran has been a strong all-around offensive asset this season outside of that poor early batted-ball luck. He's on pace for 28 home runs, the second-highest total of his career, while his 17.8 percent walk rate (third in the league behind Mike Trout and Bryce Harper) and 13.4 percent strikeout rate are each career bests. |
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| Jun 22 2018 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, two more RBI and three runs scored during Friday's 12-2 win over the Nationals. He also took two walks. | Hitting right-handed against reliever Matt Grace, Santana cleared the right field fences with a runner on in the sixth inning as the Phillies would pile on in the victory. Heading into this, Santana owned a .421 OBP in June but was lightly hitting with a .393 slugging percentage. This blast offers optimism he can still deliver pop on a somewhat consistent basis. |
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| Jun 8 2018 | Santana went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, a walk and two RBI in Friday's 12-4 loss to Milwaukee. | Santana drove in a run on a sacrifice fly in the fourth, followed by a solo homer in the seventh, but the Brewers had already pulled out to a huge lead. Across 61 games this season, Santana has struggled to hit for average (.223), although he's demonstrated plenty of power, smacking 10 home runs while driving in 37. |
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| Jun 5 2018 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a double, two walks, an RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's win over the Cubs. | After sitting below the Mendoza Line for much of the opening two months, Santana's batting average is slowly creeping back up to respectability. Even still, the .220 average would mark a career-worst over a full season, but the 32-year-old is finding ways to get on base in the meantime. He's sporting a .343 OBP, and with five free passes over the past two games now has more walks (39) than strikeouts (35) on the year. |
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| May 23 2018 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Braves. | Neither team produced much offense in this one, but Santana's RBI on a squib to third with the bases loaded in the third inning proved to be all the offense Jake Arrieta would need. The veteran first baseman has put together back-to-back two-hit efforts, and after a sluggish April he's now batting .271 (19-for-70) through 19 games in May with six homers, 19 RBI and 11 runs. |
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| May 17 2018 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Thursday against the Cardinals. | Santana demolished a Luke Weaver offering in the fifth inning to straightaway center field for his eighth home run of the season. It was his fifth home run in eight games, erasing concerns regarding his early season power production. He is still batting just .195 in 149 at-bats this season, but is hitting .271 in 48 at-bats in May. |
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| May 14 2018 | Santana went 2-for-3 with a walk, a homer and two runs scored Sunday against the Mets. | Santana doubled to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning and scored the tying run after Nick Williams homered. He added a solo shot of his own in the eighth off of Jeurys Familia. The homer was Santana's seventh of the year and his fifth in nine games. He's been on fire over that stretch, hitting .324/.342/.892. His wRC+ finally sits at 100 after a very slow start to the season. Even during that slow start, however, Santana's batted-ball data was very encouraging, so this seems to be a case of his results finally starting to line up with how he's been hitting the ball. |
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| May 10 2018 | Santana went 3-for-5 with a double and five RBI in Wednesday's win over the Giants. | Santana is finally starting to break out of his season-long slump, as he had a four RBI game earlier in the week and is hitting 9-for-26 (.346) with three homers and 12 RBI amidst a six game hitting streak. The 32-year-old has just a .189 BABIP, suggesting he's been suffering from a stroke of bad luck, so once that number starts to creep up the rest of his game should follow along with it. |
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| May 10 2018 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer Thursday against the Giants. | The homer, a fourth-inning shot off Ty Blach, was Santana's sixth of the year and his third in the four-game series against San Francisco. Through May 2, Santana was having a very disappointing season, hitting just .151 with two homers and a .569 OPS. Since then, he's gone on a seven-game hitting streak, going 10-for-30 with four homers and 15 RBI over the span of a week, enough to drag his OPS up to .714. That number would certainly be disappointing should it not climb any higher by the end of the year, but the recent hot streak combined with encouraging batted-ball data during Santana's early slump gives reason to believe that the veteran will eventually live up to his draft price. |
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| May 8 2018 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a homer and four RBI in Tuesday's blowout win over the Giants. | Santana hit a ball just far enough for a three-run shot in the fifth inning off Jeff Samardzija. Giants center fielder Gorkys Hernandez tracked it to the wall in dead center and had it in his glove briefly before it popped out and landed on the far side of the wall. It was a nice turn of luck for the veteran first baseman, who's still hitting just .171/.295/.358 despite Statcast numbers which suggest he deserves far better. The gap between his wOBA (.286) and expected wOBA (.385) is the 10th-largest among qualified hitters, which implies that all he has to do is keep hitting the way he's been hitting for him to return to being a capable fantasy contributor. |
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| May 4 2018 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a double and a two-run home run in Friday's 7-3 loss to the Nationals. | The homer was his third of the season, while the multi-hit performance snapped a 2-for-24 skid over his prior seven games. Santana's had a brutal start to his tenure with the Phillies, slashing .164/.301/.318, but Friday's effort might be a sign his luck is beginning to turn. |
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| Apr 30 2018 | Santana is starting at first base and hitting fifth Monday against the Marlins, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports. | Santana has gotten off to an extremely slow start to the season, as evidenced by his .160/.305/.287 line with two homers through 27 games, so manager Gabe Kapler decided to drop him a few spots in the order in an attempt to get him going. This is just the second time all season Santana hasn't hit in the two hole, which is being occupied by Rhys Hoskins on Monday. |
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| Apr 24 2018 | Santana's .151/.301/.288 line through his first 93 plate appearances does not accurately reflect how he's hitting the ball, the Phillies' official site reports. | According to Statcast's expected batting average stat (which uses the Hit Probability of each batted ball), Santana deserves a batting average of .277. The 126-point gap between his actual and expected batting average is easily the largest in the majors, 28 points larger than the next most unlucky player (minimum 50 at-bats). His 51.6-percent hard-hit rate (according to Statcast) is ninth among qualified hitters, yet he's hitting just .233 on hard-hit balls, well below the league average of .512. Santana doesn't really need to do anything new to turn his lousy start around. He's already walking more than he's striking out, so once the batted balls start finding holes in the defense, his numbers should look quite good. |
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| Apr 18 2018 | Santana is out of the lineup for the first time Wednesday against the Braves. | Santana was the last remaining Phillie to have started every game. His batting line through 73 plate appearances has been objectively terrible, as he's hit .136/.260/.288. He's been hitting the ball hard, though, it's just going directly to fielders, as evidenced by his .125 BABIP. If he keeps performing the same way, his numbers are bound to improve. Rhys Hoskins will receive a rare start in his natural position of first base in Santana's absence. |
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| Apr 13 2018 | Santana is in the 98th percentile in hard-hit rate despite an ugly .150/.245/.375 slash line through his first 49 plate appearances, MLB.com reports. | Santana's slow start can be attributed to a .118 BABIP. Sometimes, a drop in BABIP can be caused by a decline in skills, leading to a hitter making weaker contact or popping the ball up more often. That's not the case for Santana, who is hitting the ball extremely hard. Unfortunately, he's been hitting the ball right at fielders, as he leads all of baseball in hard-hit outs with 16. Only one other hitter has more than 12. His other secondary statistics universally point to a turnaround, as his groundball rate of 27.8 percent is far below his 42.2 percent career average, while his 14.3 percent strikeout rate and 12.2 percent walk rate are right in line with the numbers he's posted over the past two seasons. Santana's owners certainly won't be happy with the numbers he's posted so far, but ultimately there's nothing going on here other than a lesson in small sample sizes. Expect a turnaround if he keeps crushing the ball like he has been so far. |
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| Apr 7 2018 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored Saturday against the Marlins. | Santana has only five hits in his first 26 at-bats as a member of the Phillies, but he has made them count with four being for extra bases. He has continued to walk -- his signature skill beside hitting for power -- so there isn't reason to have major concern about his sluggish start. |
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| Mar 30 2018 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and three RBI to help the Phillies to a 5-4 extra-inning victory over the Braves on Friday. | Santana bagged his first home run for his new team with a game-tying solo shot in the fifth inning of Friday's win for Philadelphia. Santana sports just a .249 career batting average but don't let that fool you into thinking he can't be a useful asset. He's never had an on-base percentage lower than .351 in his career and he's walked at least 88 times in each of the last seven seasons. While that certainly means Santana is most valuable in leagues with an OBP category, his 20-plus home run power and abilities as a run producer mean he figures to remain a steady option in other formats as well. |
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| Mar 12 2018 | Santana is hitting .200/.313/.240 with zero home runs and a 5:5 K:BB in 25 spring at-bats. | There's no cause for concern, as the sample size is tiny and Santana is showing off his famed approach even in the absence of notable production. Santana has been primarily hitting second for the Phillies during Grapefruit League play. If that trend continues into the regular season it would give him a pretty decent shot to finish near the top of his position in runs scored, to go with quality power-hitting statistics. He appears to be a pretty good value at his current NFBC ADP of 169.3 (since Feb. 1). |
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| Dec 15 2017 | Santana agreed to a three-year, $60 million deal with the Phillies on Friday, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports. | After spending his first 11 seasons as a professional within the Indians' organization, Santana will move on to a new home following this robust agreement. It was clear that Cleveland wasn't going to be able to offer Santana this kind of contract, and after the first baseman declined the club's $17.4 million qualifying offer in November, it became apparent that he would be playing for a new team come 2018. But on the surface, this move is a tad puzzling, considering the Phillies have a first baseman for the future in Rhys Hoskins. It would appear as though the top prospect will likely move to the outfield in order to make room for Santana, as he saw time in left field during 30 of his 50 appearances in the big leagues in 2017. As for Santana, the switch-hitting 31-year-old is coming off another quality season, slashing .259/.363/.455 with 23 home runs and 79 RBI in 154 games last year. |
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| Nov 16 2017 | Santana has officially declined the Indians' qualifying offer prior to Thursday's deadline, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. | Santana will now head to free agency, with Cleveland receiving draft pick compensation should he decide to sign elsewhere. The 31-year-old is coming off another steady year of production, hitting .259/.363/.455 with 23 homers, 79 RBI and 90 runs scored in 154 games for the Indians. |
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| Nov 7 2017 | The Indians gave Santana a qualifying offer prior to Monday's deadline, the Los Angeles Times reports. | This year's qualifying offer is worth $17.4 million, and it's not completely unreasonable to think that Santana may be tempted to sign it, as he may be unable to secure a higher average annual value from a multi-year deal via free agency if he turns it down. While he failed to reach his career-high 34 homers from 2016, Santana delivered another steady line at the plate, hitting .259/.363/.455 with 23 long balls, 79 RBI, and 90 runs scored as an everyday contributor in a strong Cleveland lineup. |
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| Sep 26 2017 | Santana (shoulder) is starting at first base and batting sixth Tuesday against the Twins. | Santana sat out Sunday with a shoulder injury, but the Indians never thought the issue was anything overly serious, and he's back in the lineup after the team's off day Monday. He'll face Bartolo Colon in his return to action. |
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| Sep 24 2017 | Santana (shoulder) is out of the lineup Sunday against the Mariners. | Santana received an X-ray on his shoulder, and although the results have yet to be revealed, the team downplayed the severity of the injury Saturday. Edwin Encarnacion will start at first base Sunday with Santana out. |
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| Sep 23 2017 | Santana is getting an X-ray on his shoulder and likely won't play on Sunday, though manager Terry Francona doesn't appear concerned, Zack Meisel of The Athletic Cleveland reports. | This appears to be precautionary, but it's good to keep an eye out for the results and Santana's status before setting weekly lineups Monday -- if fantasy owners' leagues allow it. |
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| Sep 12 2017 | Santana went 1-for-3, pumping out his 36th double of the year, with a run and one walk in Tuesday's win against Detroit. | Santana matched last season's career high by crossing the plate for his 89th run Tuesday. Furthermore, the switch-hitting first baseman now sits just three doubles shy of matching his personal best (39) set back in 2013. After a somewhat slow start to the campaign, Santana his slashing .264/.373/.477 - all of which are above his career totals -- through 138 games. |
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| Sep 7 2017 | Santana went 3-for-4 with a walk, a home run, two runs scored and two RBi in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the White Sox. | The veteran switch hitter has caught fire, slashing .383/.490/.728 over his last 22 games with seven homers and 16 RBI. Santana's 23 home runs on the season still leave him short of last year's pace, but with 75 RBI he's well on his way to his fourth straight campaign with 80-plus. |
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| Aug 27 2017 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Sunday's victory over the Royals. | Cleveland's offense dismantled the Royals' pitching staff and scored 12 runs in Sunday's contest, and Santana's 20th home run of the season was responsible for bringing three of said runs across the plate. After missing three games due to back spasms, the 31-year-old has hit a homer in two consecutive games. |
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| Aug 25 2017 | Santana (back) is in the lineup for Friday's series opener against the Royals. | Santana missed the past three games after leaving Monday's contest due to back spasms. He appears to be good to go, and could've been available off the bench during Thursday's win if he was needed. Santana will draw the start in left field, while batting sixth in the order. |
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| Aug 24 2017 | Santana (back) is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Red Sox. | Santana is set to miss his third straight game as he continues to battle back spasms. He'll continue to be listed as day-to-day for now. Edwin Encarnacion is starting at first base in his stead, opening up a spot for Yandy Diaz to serve as the designated hitter. |
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| Aug 23 2017 | Santana (back) is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Red Sox. | Santana will spend another day on the bench following Monday's removal due to back spasms. He sat out Tuesday and could miss more time depending on how quickly he is recovering from the setback. Santana should be considered day-to-day for the time being, while Edwin Encarnacion draws another start at first base and Yandy Diaz gets the nod at DH. |
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| Aug 22 2017 | Manager Terry Francona said Santana, who exited Monday's game prematurely, felt discomfort in his back prior to Monday's game, but the first baseman insisted on playing through the pain, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. | Francona indicated that he almost scratched Santana from Monday's lineup after the latter experienced muscle spasms while taking pre-game swings in the cage. The first baseman talked his way into the lineup, but the discomfort eventually caught up to him. "On his last at-bat, you could see it was bothering him," said Francona. "Then when he sat down, it kind of grabbed at him." The good news is that both, player and coach, don't seem overly concerned, but owners should expect to be without Santana for at least a day or two. |
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| Aug 22 2017 | Santana (back spasms) is out of Tuesday's lineup against the Red Sox, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. | He tried to play through back spasms Monday, and but exited early and will get this game off as well as he tries to get right. Jason Kipnis is starting at DH while Jose Ramirez slides over to second base and Giovanny Urshela gets the not at the hot corner. Consider Santana day-to-day. |
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| Aug 21 2017 | Santana was forced to leave Monday's game against the Red Sox early with back tightness, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports. | This is rough timing for Cleveland, as Santana was on an absolute tear. Although he went 0-for-3 before exiting Monday, Santana was hitting .448/.556/.793 with five extra-base hits in his past eight games. Consider him day-to-day until we hear more, but with a diagnosis of merely "tightness," it sounds like there's a chance Santana could return quickly. |
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| Aug 16 2017 | Santana went 3-for-3 with two home runs, three RBI and three runs in Tuesday's win over the Twins. He also walked twice. | Following last season's career-high 34 home runs and 87 RBI, Santana hasn't delivered the results in 2017 that fantasy owners expected. Although he's on pace to match 2016's RBI total, the first baseman's .248/.353/.447 slash line through 113 games is down across the board compared to last year. The good news is that Santana has picked his game up since the All-Star break, raising his OPS to .800 for the first time since April 9. |
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| Aug 5 2017 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Saturday's loss to the Yankees. | With six homers through his past 12 games, Santana has kick-started a long-awaited power outburst. He's buoyed his fantasy value with 59 RBI and 65 runs, but his .245 batting average and 16 homers are underwhelming marks. A strong conclusion to the season is well within reach, and Santana has the potential make up for lost time in a hurry. |
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| Aug 2 2017 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a home run and three RBI in Tuesday's 12-10 loss to the Red Sox. | The homer was his 15th of the season and fifth in the last nine games, as Santana has posted a .364/.488/.848 slash line during that hot streak with eight RBI and 10 runs. His overall performance in 2017 still remains off last year's pace, but the 31-year-old is capable of a big kick to the finish. |
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| Jul 24 2017 | Santana went 2-for-3 with two solo home runs and three runs scored during Monday's win over Cincinnati. | The pair of long flies has Santana up to 12 for the campaign. He had just a single homer through his previous 24 games, and his .241/.340/.423 slash line also underwhelms. However, he's buoyed his fantasy value with 52 RBI and 55 runs. While Santana will be hard pressed to match last season's 34 homers at this stage of the game, he's still a serviceable fantasy asset in most settings. |
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| Jul 23 2017 | Santana will start at first base and lead off for the Indians in Sunday's game against the Blue Jays. | Santana manned the leadoff spot for the Indians' first 35 games, but after slashing just .227/.331/.383 during that time, manager Terry Francona moved him down in the order. With rookie Bradley Zimmer getting the day off Sunday, Santana will slot back in atop the lineup for the first time since May 13, but it remains likely that he'll bat sixth of seventh more often than not for games in which Zimmer is in the lineup. |
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| Jul 18 2017 | Santana is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Giants. | With no designated hitter available in the National League park once more, Santana will retreat to the bench for the second night in a row. Edwin Encarnacion will man first base in his place, and very well could do so Wednesday as well. |
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| Jul 17 2017 | Santana is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Giants, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports. | Santana has been a mainstay in the Indians' lineup this season but will find himself on the bench as the Indians go without a designated hitter in their interleague matchup with the Giants. Edwin Encarnacion will take over first base duties, batting cleanup. |
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| Jul 8 2017 | Santana was activated from the paternity list in advance of Saturday's game against the Tigers. | After missing the last three games to attend to the birth of his child, Santana will presumably slot back in against righty Justin Verlander. Shawn Armstrong was optioned to Triple-A Columbus in a corresponding move. |
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| Jul 8 2017 | Santana is hitting seventh and starting at first base Saturday against the Tigers. | He was activated from the paternity list earlier in the day, just in time to face Justin Verlander in the penultimate game of the first half. Santana is hitting .233 with eight home runs in 73 career at-bats against Verlander. |
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| Jul 8 2017 | Santana went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, an RBI, one run and a walk in Saturday's victory over Detroit. | Making his return from the paternity list, Santana picked up where he left off. The first baseman has now logged multi-hit performances in four of his last five games, knocking out five doubles and six RBI while raising his average to .237, its highest point since May 8. |
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| Jul 7 2017 | Santana remains away from the team while on paternity leave for Friday's game. | This will mark the third and final game that Santana will be out of the lineup, since a player only has up to three days to spend on the paternity list. In his place, Edwin Encarnacion will man first base while Abraham Almonte takes over the designated hitting duties against the Tigers. |
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| Jul 5 2017 | Santana was placed on the paternity list prior to Wednesday's game, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. | Santana will miss Wednesday's game, and could potentially be out until Saturday if he takes the full three days away from the team. In a corresponding move, the Indians activated Abraham Almonte (biceps) from the disabled list. |
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| Jun 26 2017 | Santana went 2-for-5 with a double, three RBI and three runs during Monday's win over Texas. | Despite piling up 41 RBI and 46 runs, it's been an underwhelming campaign for Santana. as his .225/.328/.384 slash line and nine home runs are disappointing marks. His fantasy floor remains high, and it wouldn't be shocking to see him improve on his 10.1 HR/FB rate after posting a 16.9 mark last season. Additionally, this could prove to be an opportune buy-low spot. |
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| Jun 3 2017 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a double, a homer and three RBI Saturday against the Royals. | Santana launched his seventh blast of the year to put the Tribe on the board in the second inning of a road loss. Across the board, the eighth-year veteran is putting up the worst slash line of his career, and until he turns things around, he's a weak fantasy option. |
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| May 29 2017 | Santana went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs during Sunday's win over Kansas City. | Things have been trending in the right direction for Santana over his past 20 games. He's posted a .267/.360/.507 slash line with three home runs, 13 RBI and 12 runs during that stretch, and now that he's hitting in the middle of the lineup, Santana stands to continue seeing plenty of RBI opportunities. |
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| May 25 2017 | Santana went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a home run and three RBI in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Reds. | The homer was his fifth of the season. Santana has come around after his cold start to 2017 and now has a .270/.370/.556 slash line over his last 17 games with three home runs, 10 runs and 10 RBI. |
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| May 23 2017 | Santana (knee) is playing right field and batting cleanup Tuesday against the Reds, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. | Santana is apparently good to go after colliding with the outfield wall during Monday's contest. He'll make his fifth start of the year in right field, sending Lonnie Chisenhall to the bench against southpaw Amir Garrett. |
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| May 23 2017 | Santana, playing his fourth game of the year in right field, banged up his left knee and lower back after colliding with the wall, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports. | After being down for several minutes, Santana gathered himself and remained the in the game. Soaking in an ice bath after the game, the 31-year-old said he expects to be back out in right field for Tuesday's contest in Cincinnati. If that holds true, Santana will be halfway to outfield eligibility in leagues that require 10 games played at the position. |
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| May 15 2017 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Sunday's win over Minnesota. | After leading off all season, Santana was dropped to the five-hole Sunday, and Jason Kipnis batted first. Kipnis hit two home runs, and Santana hit his fourth of the season, so the swap might stick. Considering Santana's underwhelming start to the year, being relegated down the lineup could be the catalyst for an uptick in production without sacrificing much fantasy upside. He'll certainly be in line for more RBI opportunities batting in the middle of the lineup. |
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| May 14 2017 | Santana will bat fifth in the order and man first base in Sunday's game against the Twins, Zack Meisel of Cleveland.com reports. | The lefty-hitting Jason Kipnis (.346 average in 26 at-bats) has enjoyed some success against Twins southpaw Hector Santiago, so perhaps in recognition of that, manager Terry Francona will move Kipnis up to the leadoff spot while Santana drops in the order. Santana has been stuck in a 1-for-13 slump over the last four games, but it's unlikely that Francona will completely pull the plug on him as the Tribe's table setter. |
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| May 7 2017 | Santana went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI during Sunday's 1-0 win over Kansas City. | The RBI was the 18th of the season for Santana, which is an impressive total for a leadoff man. However, his three home runs and .234/.326/.379 slash line are a disappointment. After hitting 34 home runs last season with a .864 OPS, Santana will need to string together a hot streak in order to approach those numbers. This was his second consecutive multi-hit game after hitting a ninth-inning homer Saturday, though, so perhaps the heater is just beginning. |
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| May 6 2017 | Santana went 2-for-5 with a solo homer in Saturday's victory over the Royals. | Santana's third homer of the season broke up in 1-1 tie in the ninth inning, leading the Tribe to a road victory. He's gotten off to a slow start to the season, and he'll really need to pick up the pace if he's to come anywhere near matching his big numbers of 2016. Those with the luxury of keeping him on the bench until he heats up would be a wise move for fantasy owners. |
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| Apr 20 2017 | Santana went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI and a run during Thursday's win over Minnesota. | While it's been a mediocre start for Santana (.254/.315/.433 slash line), he's gone 9-for-24 with three runs, two doubles, a home run and seven RBI over his past five games. Additionally, leading off hasn't hurt his RBI opportunities and improves his upside to score runs. It's also a boon in daily contests. With a career .364 on-base percentage entering Thursday, it's worth noting that Santana has more value in leagues including OBP. |
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| Apr 15 2017 | Santana went 3-for-6 with a double, a homer and four RBI in Saturday's win against the Tigers. | Santana launched his second homer of the season in the second inning to give the Indians a 5-0 lead of a game they'd win easily. After collecting just a single hit over his previous 22 at-bats, his performance moved his batting average up 38 points, but it's the homer that likely got his fantasy owners excited, as he's looking to replicate the career-high 34 of them he hit in 2016. |
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| Apr 5 2017 | Manager Terry Francona said Santana will start in the outfield against the Diamondbacks over the weekend, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports. | With the Indians headed to Arizona over the weekend, where there will be no DH available, manager Terry Francona is going to experiment with Santana in the outfield in an attempt to put forth his top offensive lineup. Santana has only played one game in the outfield in his eight major league seasons, though he saw time in left field during spring training. His performance in the outfield will be something to monitor moving forward now that he is competing for playing time with Edwin Encarnacion at first base in NL ballparks. |
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| Apr 5 2017 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two RBI and a walk in Tuesday's game against Texas. | The first baseman started the party by leading off the game with a blast to right field, his first longball of the year. Rangers' starter Martin Perez made the mistake of throwing Santana the same pitch (94 mph fastball) throughout the at-bat, and the slugger made him pay on the fourth delivery. The switch-hitter is now 4-for-8 with nine total bases through the season's first two games. |
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| Apr 3 2017 | Santana went 2-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored in Monday's 8-5 come-from-behind victory over the Rangers. | A high on-base percentage makes Santana an ideal candidate to hit leadoff for the Tribe. The switch-hitter had a career year in 2016 and could put up similar numbers with full health in 2017. He's the perfect corner infield or utility player, especially in leagues that count OBP. |
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| Mar 29 2017 | Santana is expected to open the season as the leadoff hitter for the Indians, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. | It's a role that could change with the return of Michael Brantley, but certainly a well-deserved spot for the first baseman. Santana led the Indians with 34 home runs last season (19 from the leadoff spot) and is set to form a powerful lineup alongside Edwin Encarnacion, Jason Kipnis, and Francisco Lindor. |
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| Mar 24 2017 | Santana is 2-for-6 with a strikeout in his first two Cactus League games since returning from the WBC. | Santana entertained on the world stage by hitting .308 (8-for-26) with a pair of doubles, RBI and runs scored for the Dominican Republic. Fantasy owners will hope for carry-over results similar to the ones Santana displayed coming off his previous WBC. Following the 2013 tournament, the slugger opened the MLB regular season by hitting .389 in April. A slight regression from 2016's career year should be expected, but even so, Santana brings plenty of value across all formats. |
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| Mar 4 2017 | Manager Terry Francona says Santana will be the primary first baseman this season, but should see time as the designated hitter as well, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports | The move means recently-acquired Edwin Encarnacion will serve as the main DH. Francona notes the two sluggers will flip positions every few days and expects both bats to be in the lineup on a consistent basis. Santana hit as many home runs (17) as a first baseman last season as he did as the designated hitter, despite playing 30 more games as the DH. In addition, it's reported that the switch-hitter has spoken with Francona about seeing playing time in the outfield as well. Regardless, it's safe to expect solid production from Santana no matter the position. |
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| Feb 23 2017 | Santana and his manager Terry Francona have discussed getting the slugger some outfield reps later this spring, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports. | Santana, who's expected to split time with Edwin Encarnacion between first base and designated hitter, reached out to Francona to express his willingness to play outfield. Under the current arrangement, Santana would be the odd-man out when the Tribe visits NL parks for interleague play. His at-bat total would get a slight boost if he can manage to play outfield during the team's four stops at NL venues in 2017. |
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| Feb 15 2017 | Indians manager Terry Francona said he is not sure whether Santana or Edwin Encarnacion will be the primary first baseman for Cleveland this season, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. | Santana played 64 games at first base and 92 as the designated hitter last season, but hit the same amount of home runs (17) at each position. The DH position could be a limiting fantasy value in some leagues, but Francona says he still needs to reassess the situation this spring and talk to the sluggers individually. Either way, both Santana and Encarnacion provide powerful offensive weapons within the Cleveland lineup and will likely receive equal playing time throughout the course of the season. |
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| Feb 9 2017 | Santana will once again suit up for the Dominican Republic in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. | Indians management believed the 2013 WBC had a positive effect on Santana, and the team hopes the event will do the same in 2017. Santana has historically been a slow starter in April, but following the 2013 WBC, he hit .389 in the season's first month -- the best mark for any month in his six-year career. The slugger mashed a career-high 34 homers last season, but hit just .192 with a .696 OPS during the Tribe's postseason run through the World Series. |
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| Nov 3 2016 | The Indians will pick up the $12 million team option on Santana's contract for next season, Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball reports. | Santana hit just .192 in the postseason for the Indians, but he also set career regular-season bests in 2016 with 34 home runs, 87 RBI and an .864 OPS, so the Indians did not have to think long about bringing him back for another year. Santana split his time between first base and the designated hitter spot in 2016 and figures to do the same next year. |
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| Oct 28 2016 | Santana is the starting left fielder for the Indians' World Series matchup against the Cubs on Friday, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reports. | There was wide speculation that Santana would play in the outfield in an effort to keep his bat in the lineup, and the Indians did just that. He'll slot into the lineup as the leadoff hitter as usual against Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks. |
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| Oct 27 2016 | Santana will likely start in left field for Game 3 against the Cubs, Zack Meisel of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. | The designated hitter spot is eliminated with the series moving back to Chicago, so the team is attempting to find a creative way to keep him in the lineup. The official lineup will be released on gameday, but Santana should be in it somewhere around the diamond to keep their best offensive lineup. |
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| Oct 25 2016 | The Indians are considering Santana as a potential option in left field for the World Series games at Wrigley Field, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports. | He worked out at that position Monday, and if the Indians think he can be somewhat competent out there, it would allow their top offensive lineup to be deployed, even without the DH available in National League parks. Look for Santana to play DH or first base in the first two World Series games at home. |
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| Sep 29 2016 | Santana is out of Thursday's lineup against the Tigers, the Akron Beacon Journal's Ryan Lewis reports. | There is a solid chance that Thursday's game will be rained out, but Santana will get the day off either way. If the game does get played, Jesus Aguilar will start at first base and hit seventh while Mike Napoli gets the nod at DH in the cleanup spot. |
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| Sep 23 2016 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and an RBI double in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Royals. | Santana's been enjoying the diluted pitching of September baseball, as he's having his best month, posting a .310/.451/.634 line with six homers and 17 RBI over 20 games. That's about as much average as you'll ever see him hit for, as Santana tends to hover in the .250 range (or worse), but he's still been plenty productive for fantasy owners. The 30-year-old has a career-high 34 homers already, and he's just two short of his career-high 85 RBI and one short of his career-high 84 runs. |
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| Sep 20 2016 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in a 2-1 win over the Royals on Tuesday. | Santana's blast came in the third inning, and was the only run the Indians mustered off Kansas City starter Edinson Volquez. It was Santana's 33rd homer of the year, easily a career-best. While hitting just .246, Santana's 92 walks are third in the AL, giving him a respectable enough .355 OBP to bat leadoff for the Indians despite his lack of speed. |
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| Sep 17 2016 | Santana went 2-for-5 with a two-RBI single in Friday's 11-4 victory over the Tigers. | The slugging leadoff man extended the Indians' early lead to 4-1 with a two-RBI single in the second that brought home Tyler Naquin and Abraham Almonte. Santana has now hit safely in six of his last seven games with five RBI over that span. |
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| Sep 8 2016 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a walk and a two-run homer in Thursday's game against the Astros. | With his home run, Santana joined teammate Mike Napoli in the 30 Home Run Club this season -- the first time two Indians have done so since 2002 (Jim Thome and Ellis Burkes). It's the first time in Santana's seven-year career that he's hammered 30 longballs. Although he has just five hits in 21 at-bats through early September, he's compensated by walking 11 times, tallying five RBI and scoring six runs over seven games. The switch-hitting DH has also homered in three of his last seven starts. |
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| Aug 31 2016 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBI and two runs against the Twins on Wednesday. | His 28th home run represents a new career high, and it snapped a four-game slump in which he'd gone 0-for-11 (albeit with five walks). Santana doesn't hit for much average and his OBP is down a bit from past years, but the 30-year-old is making up for that with a career-best .471 slugging percentage thanks to all those long balls. |
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| Aug 22 2016 | Santana hit a solo home run in a 1-for-3 game with a walk in Monday's win over Oakland. | The blast was Santana's 27th, tying a career high he set in both 2011 and 2014. His home run provided the only run scored by either team in Monday's game as Santana's career best power season continues to lift up Cleveland. Santana now has a .477 slugging percentage, 20 points better than his previous high set in 2011. |
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| Aug 14 2016 | Santana (head) is back in the lineup Sunday against the Angels, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports. He'll play first base and serve as the Indians' leadoff hitter. | Santana left Thursday's game with a head contusion and was held out of the lineup for the subsequent two contests, but he cleared all concussion tests and was available off the bench Saturday. He's now apparently ready for full-time duty and should be a mainstay in the lineup for the Indians over the final month and a half of the regular season. |
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| Aug 13 2016 | Santana (head) is not in the lineup Saturday but he has been cleared to play and he'll be available off the bench, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. | This is extremely encouraging news for Santana given that he was a candidate to land on the 7-day concussion DL as of Friday evening. While he'll likely get the full day off Saturday, it's still a positive that he'll be available off the bench if need be. With Santana's medical clearance, there's a distinct possibility that he'll be able to draw back into the lineup Sunday. |
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| Aug 12 2016 | Santana (head) was able to partake in some pregame activities Friday but the team still hasn't ruled out the possibility of placing him on the 7-day DL, MLB.com reports. | Santana may avoid landing on the DL with a concussion but he's still not a sure bet to return over the weekend. A lot will depend on how he reacts to an increase in activity over the next couple of days. |
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| Aug 12 2016 | Santana (head) is out of the lineup Friday against the Angels, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. | Santana will have the night off after he was hit by a line drive Thursday. Cleveland is expected to update his status before Friday's game, so more information regarding his recovery and eventual return should be available soon. Mike Napoli will start at first base during Santana's absence. |
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| Aug 11 2016 | Santana exited Thursday's game with a head contusion, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports. | According to Bastian, Santana was struck on the side of the head with a line drive during Thursday's game against the Angels and had to leave the contest. There's no word yet on whether Santana will miss additional time, but he figures to undergo further testing given the nature of his injury. If Santana is given the day off Friday, Mike Napoli could take over at first base with Brandon Guyer filling in at DH. |
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| Aug 10 2016 | Santana is out of the lineup Wednesday in Washington. | The Indians need to choose between Santana and Mike Napoli at first base when they are playing in a National League park, and while Santana got the nod Tuesday, Napoli will start the final game of the two-game series the Nation's Capital. Wednesday marks the Indians' final road game in a National League ballpark this season, so Santana's owners won't have to worry about this annoyance going forward. |
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| Aug 2 2016 | Santana went 3-for-4 with a walk and his 23rd home run of the season Tuesday versus the Twins. | Santana skidded his way out of July, going 4-for-37 (.108) in his last 11 games of the month. He's turned that around through the first two games of August, going 4-for-8 with a homer, two RBI and two runs. Santana also has history on his side moving forward, as his numbers in recent years have traditionally been better post All-Star break. |
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| Jul 30 2016 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, walk and two runs in Friday's 5-3 come-from-behind victory over the A's. | Santana got the Indians' comeback from a 3-0 deficit started with 386-foot shot to right center in the sixth, and subsequently scored a valuable insurance run in the seventh on a Francisco Lindor sacrifice fly. It was the veteran slugger's second homer since the inception of the second half of the season and keeps him well on pace to surpass the career-best 27 bombs he's managed on two prior occasions. |
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| Jul 17 2016 | Santana went 3-for-5 with a double, a run and two RBI Saturday at the Twins. | Santana's RBI double gave the Indians a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning, but the Tribe would squander the lead and eventually go on to lose. He's now hit safely in his last 13 games, and he's slashing .257/.352/.497. |
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| Jul 3 2016 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a double and scored the Indians' only run in Sunday's drubbing at the hands of the Blue Jays. | He was the only Cleveland hitter to have any real success against J.A. Happ. Santana's now begun July with three straight two-hit games, boosting his slash line on the season to .245/.342/.480. |
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| Jul 3 2016 | Santana hit his second homer in as many days-- his 18th on the season-- as part of a 2-for-3 day Saturday versus the Blue Jays that also included a walk. | The veteran slugger's season line is now up to .242/.340/.477 following the performance, and he also has back-to-back multi-hit efforts. Santana is also just one round-tripper away from equaling his 2015 total in that category, although it notably took him 550 at-bats to accomplish that feat last season. |
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| Jul 1 2016 | Santana went 2-for-8 with a double, go-ahead, 19th-inning solo homer, walk and two runs in Friday's 2-1 victory. | The veteran slugger mercifully put an end to the marathon contest with a shot off infielder Darwin Barney in the 19th inning that eventually sent the weary Indians to their 14th consecutive victory. Santana has now hit safely in four of the last five contests, and seven of his last nine. |
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| Jun 29 2016 | Santana is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Braves. | With the Indians playing in Atlanta on Wednesday, the Indians could only play one of Santana and Mike Napoli, and they opted for Napoli in this matchup. The Tribe will return to an American League ballpark Thursday in Toronto, at which point Santana should be back in the mix. |
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| Jun 26 2016 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a leadoff homer, walk and two runs in Saturday's 6-0 victory over the Tigers. | The veteran slugger got the Indians on the right track to what would be their eighth straight victory by taking Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez deep to open the game. The round-tripper marked Santana's seventh in what has been his best month of the season to date, and extended his modest hitting streak to three games. Santana is now slashing .253/.333/.527 with seven homers and 15 RBI in June. |
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| Jun 22 2016 | Santana went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, a steal, two RBI and two runs against the Rays on Wednesday. | He's been banging out base knocks pretty steadily lately, having hit safely in nine of his last 12 outings. Santana's been flashing his power in that time as well, knocking out five homers and driving in 11 runs. He's an odd sort of leadoff hitter, but hey, the former catcher did steal double-digit bases last year and could do so again this season -- he's currently 4-for-5 on the basepaths to go with his sparkling 15 homers. |
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| Jun 21 2016 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a homer, two runs scored and two RBI in Monday's 7-4 win over the Rays. | Santana was a key part of the balanced Indians attack, pulling them to within one in the sixth before some of his teammates' late-inning heroics propelled them to victory. He hit just 19 homers last season, but has already gone yard 15 times in 2016. |
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| Jun 17 2016 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a game-winning solo homer in Friday's 3-2 victory over the White Sox. | The veteran slugger blasted an 0-2 offering from reliever Nate Jones in the ninth, sending the Indians home winners with his 14th homer. The 30-year-old now four round-trippers over his last five contests, and has reached base safely in six of his last seven games. However, he continues to struggle overall in terms of getting on base consistently, as he's hitting just .226 on the season, with a .332 OBP. |
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| Jun 5 2016 | Santana went 2-for-4 with two RBI including a solo shot, his 10th home run of the season, in Sunday's win over the Royals. | For the third straight season Santana has been a liability in batting average, hitting just .223 so far in 2016, but he's walking more than he's striking out for the first time since his rookie season and he remains a solid power threat. If he can stay on his current pace, Santana has a chance at his first 30 HR season. |
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| May 22 2016 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a solo homer and walk in Saturday's 9-1 loss to the Red Sox. | After leading off Friday, Santana was in the five-hole Saturday, and prevented a shutout loss by homering with two out in the ninth. The 30-year-old has now hit safely in six of his last seven games, and has tallied five of his eight homers on the season during May. |
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| May 21 2016 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a double, two walks and a run scored in Friday's 4-2 victory over the Red Sox. | The 30-year-old continues to thrive out of the leadoff spot, and now has now hit safely in seven of his last nine games. Santana has also drawn an outstanding 25 walks in 18 May games, and appears to be regaining some of his power stroke as well. His four homers this month already exceed his April total, while his 10 RBI fall only one short of the 11 he posted in the opening month of the season. |
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| May 19 2016 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a pair of two-run homers and a walk against the Reds on Thursday. | That's as many homers as Santana hit in his last 22 games combined, so it's nice to see the three-time 20-homer man find his power stroke again. Santana's one of the most bizarre hitters in the majors -- he's a switch hitter with the reputation of a borderline star who he strikes out very little while walking plentifully, yet he's also a dead-pull hitter from both sides of the dish who's been an utter disaster against lefties (.167 with no homers). His lack of speed makes it easy for teams to run extreme shifts against him, resulting in a very low BABIP (.229 now) that's not in for as much positive regression as it may seem on the surface. But hey, at least owners in leagues that count walks or OBP are getting their money's worth. |
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| May 18 2016 | Santana is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. | The Indians are without the luxury of the DH in an NL park, and manager Terry Francona has decided to go with Mike Napoli over Santana at first base against lefty Brandon Finnegan. Santana is batting .218 so far in May (12-for-55) and the switch-hitter has struggled in a major way against lefties so far this season (.431 OPS). |
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| May 18 2016 | Santana went 2-for-4 with two walks, two RBI and two runs scored during Tuesday's 13-1 win over the Reds. | Santana's patient eye at the plate has netted him a .342 on-base percentage to date this season, making him a solid leadoff batter for the Tribe despite his lack of speed. Unfortunately for those in standard 5x5 leagues, Santana's batting average remains a sinkhole, and that's unlikely to dramatically change over the course of the season. Still, he's a solid roster option in the corner infield given the respectable pop in his bat along with the high run-scoring potential he has at the top of the order. |
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| May 2 2016 | Santana went 1-for-3 Sunday, spoiling the Phillies' shutout effort with a ninth inning solo shot off Hector Neris in a 2-1 loss. | He's climbing out of the hole he dug in the middle of April, and Santana is now hitting .333 (13-for-39) over his last 10 games with two homers, four RBI and seven runs scored. |
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| Apr 27 2016 | Santana went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, a steal and two runs in Wednesday's win over the Twins. | A stone-cold start to the season has melted away over Santana's last six games, as the Indians' first baseman has racked up four multi-hit efforts in that span, including five extra-base knocks. That's coincided with a switch to the leadoff spot -- an odd fit for a guy who isn't known for his speed, but one that seems to be working out. Batting average remains a huge question mark for the former catcher in the aftermath of two consecutive seasons at .231, but his pop and on-base ability will ensure that he remains a fixture in Cleveland's lineup. |
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| Apr 22 2016 | Santana was 2-for-4 with a solo home run as Cleveland downed the Tigers on Friday night. | Batting lead off for the first time in his seven-year major league career, he made the move to the top spot in the order look good as he smacked his third home run in the top of the first inning. It's hard to say whether the move to that spot in the batting order will last - he generally displays good on base skills, but has very little speed - but if he remains there it is likely to reduce his RBI opportunities. |
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| Apr 22 2016 | Santana will bat leadoff against the Tigers on Friday. | Friday's start is Santana's first atop the batting order in seven major league seasons. Manager Terry Francona flirted with idea of having Santana lead off during spring training, but Santana has hit almost exclusively out of the five-hole to this point. It's uncertain if this will stick, but what Santana lacks in terms of speed he makes up for with on-base ability. |
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| Apr 16 2016 | Santana was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Mets. | The veteran slugger put the screws to an Addison Reed pitch in the ninth with one one and two out, making matters highly interesting until Jeurys Familia came on to get the final out after some struggles of his own. Santana has endured a rough start to the season, managing a .207/.294/.448 line through the first eight games. However, the considerable pop he carries in his bat figures to afford him plenty of playing time and opportunity to break out of his current slump. |
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| Mar 26 2016 | Santana is 0-for-8 in his last two games since missing time with mild back discomfort. | He played in games Wednesday and Friday for the Indians, so all signs are point toward Santana being ready to go for Opening Day in just over a week. He's gone 12-for-42 with a homer and three RBI through 14 games this spring. |
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| Mar 20 2016 | Santana was scratched from Sunday's lineup due to mild discomfort in his back, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. | Manager Terry Francona stated that the injury isn't thought to be serious, meaning the respite is merely a precautionary measure to ensure Santana is ready for Opening Day. In 12 games this spring, Santana has put together a formidable .353/.421/.588 slash line, one homer, three RBI, six runs, and four walks versus one strikeout in 34 at-bats. |
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| Mar 16 2016 | Santana was sent home Wednesday with an illness, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports. | It appears the bug that's been going around Indians has reached the first baseman. Despite being sent home, this issue shouldn't linger for very long, and Santana should be back in the lineup fairly soon. |
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| Mar 1 2016 | The Indians have cooled on the idea of hitting Santana leadoff this season, MLB.com reports. | It seemed like a remote possibility at best initially and appears to be a dead issue now. Santana homered in his first game of the spring Tuesday as he looks to bounce back from last season's career-worst .395 slugging percentage. |
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| Feb 23 2016 | The Indians may consider hitting Santana leadoff this season, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. | Santana struggled when moved up to the No. 2 spot in the order last season (22-for-112 in 30 games) but manager Terry Francona does of a history of some unconventional leadoff hitters with Kevin Youkilis in Boston so it's not totally without merit. Santana's career .365 onbase percentage and dwindling power makes for a good fit in the leadoff spot but it's far too soon to see if this will come to fruition. |
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| Oct 3 2015 | Santana went 2-for-3 with a double and a solo homer in Saturday's 2-0 victory over the Red Sox. | Santana posted his third two-hit outing in the last four games, and has four RBI over the first two games of the season-ending series against the Red Sox. Although he did suffer a drop in homers this season, Santana has now matched last season's 85 RBI and has crossed the plate 72 times, four more than his total in 2014. |
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| Sep 26 2015 | Santana went 1-for-5 with a triple and three RBI in Saturday's 9-5 victory over the Royals. | Santana got the Indians offense rolling with a two-run triple in the first inning on Saturday, and has now amassed an impressive 14 RBI in September. Although he has not had a particularly productive month at the plate, he has managed to draw 22 walks, including five in the two games prior to Saturday's contest. |
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| Sep 24 2015 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Twins. | Santana went deep in the ninth inning off Glen Perkins, accounting for Santana's third homer of the season against left-handed pitching. The switch-hitter's fantasy value will take a hit next season with the loss of catching eligibility; Santana's power numbers are nothing special in comparison to other options at first base. |
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| Sep 24 2015 | Santana hit a three-run homer and drew two walks Thursday in a win over the Twins. | That's two games in a row with a homer in Minnesota for the 29-year-old Santana. He now has the curious distinction of having hit exactly three homers in every month of the season; the real trick, though, will be for him to hit three homers in the Indians' four-game October slate. It'll take just two more for Santana to collect his fourth 20-homer campaign. |
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| Sep 18 2015 | Santana went 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored in an 8-4 loss to the Royals on Thursday. | It's been a strange season for Santana as most numbers are on par with where they should be aside from the average. The power is a bit down, but his 11 steals should make up for that. The .237 average is lacking, but his .363 OBP is very good, as he ranks top-five in walks. Unfortunately, Santana is going to lose catcher and third base eligibility next season and that will drop his value significantly. |
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| Sep 18 2015 | Santana was 1-for-4 with a grand slam home run in the Indians' win over the White Sox on Friday night. | If you're only going to collect one hit, popping one over the fence with the bases loaded against a pitcher like Chris Sale is making the most of it. Santana now has 16 long ones and 72 RBI, but hasn't done much in the average department at .237 for the year. Most damaging from a fantasy perspective is the fact that he will lose catcher and third base eligibility next season. |
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| Aug 30 2015 | Santana went 3-for-4 with two doubles, three RBI and one run Sunday against the Angels. | Santana led Cleveland with three hits in a contest they would control from start to finish. After being mired in an 11-for-52 slump, he might be turning things around, as he now has five hits in his last eight at-bats. |
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| Aug 29 2015 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored in an 8-3 win over the Angels on Saturday. | The average is way down for Santana this season as he's barely cracking .220, but he's making up for it with his ability to walk. In 436 at-bats this season, Santana has 81 walks, which ranks top-five in all of baseball. Look for Santana to continue to be productive, as he's in the midst of a six-game hit streak. |
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| Aug 23 2015 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Sunday's victory over the Yankees. | Santana took Yankee starter CC Sabathia deep in the first frame, but was quiet for the remainder of the afternoon. It was just his second long ball of a month of August in which he's posted a .208/.308/.312 slash line over 77 at-bats. |
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| Jul 22 2015 | Santana went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and an RBI against Milwaukee on Wednesday. | He's known for drawing plenty of walks to begin with, but Santana's truly been an on-base machine since coming back from the All-Star break. In his first five second-half games, he's gone 6-for-17 with three doubles and six walks, good for a .522 OBP. It's a wonder that Santana's fantastic batting eye hasn't led to better average, but he's always been a low-BABIP guy thanks to his high flyball rate. |
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| Jul 3 2015 | Santana, who received didn't start Friday, will be back in the lineup Saturday, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. | The Indians are without the DH for the weekend series at Pittsburgh but the slumping Santana will apparently be back in the lineup Saturday. |
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| Jul 3 2015 | Santana is out of the lineup Friday. | Santana's average has dipped to .211 on the season, and he is slugging just .367, so there is not much to be excited about with the 29-year-old first baseman thus far. With the Indians playing in Pittsburgh this weekend, Santana may have one or two more off days in his future as the DH is not available to the Indians. |
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| Jun 17 2015 | Santana homered and knocked in four in Tuesday's win over the Cubs. | Santana now has a pair of home runs in his past three games. He finished the game 2-for-3 with a pair of walks, his first multi-hit game since June 4 and just his second of the month. His slugging percentage is up to .398, its highest mark since April 29. |
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| May 31 2015 | Santana will bat second for the Indians in his return to the lineup Sunday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. | Santana was placed on the paternity list Thursday, but will rejoin the club Sunday. He'll serve as the designated hitter in the contest, pushing Nick Swisher back to the bench Sunday and Jerry Sands off the 25-man roster. |
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| May 31 2015 | Santana (personal) was reinstated from the paternity list Sunday. | Santana's activation from the paternity list Sunday likely indicates he will rejoin the Indians' lineup, though it's yet to be released. He's batting just .205 in May, but will look to end the month on a high note Sunday assuming he retakes the field. |
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| May 29 2015 | Santana (personal) is expected to rejoin the Indians on Sunday, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. | There was talk of Santana perhaps remaining away until Tuesday, but it sounds like he will be activated from the paternity list prior the finale against Seattle. While Santana is batting just .205 in May, he has drawn 19 walks and driven in 16 runs this month. |
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| May 28 2015 | Santana (personal) may not return to the Indians until Tuesday, MLB.com reports. | The Indians have a day game Sunday and an off day Monday which may tilt the decision towards a return on Tuesday. |
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| May 28 2015 | Santana was placed on the paternity list prior to Thursday's game against the Mariners. | Santana will miss the next one-to-three games following the Thursday birth of his daughter. With relief pitcher Scott Atchison (ankle) headed for the 15-day DL, the Indians have called up outfielder Jerry Sands and reliever Austin Adams. Brandon Moss will likely start Thursday's game at first base, freeing up some room in the crowded Cleveland outfield. |
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| May 27 2015 | Santana (wrist) is in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers. | Santana underwent X-rays after being struck by a pitch in the ninth inning of Tuesday's game, but he was no worse for the wear in the morning, and will take the field Wednesday afternoon. As he has done regularly of late, Santana will man first base and bat second against Rangers starter Colby Lewis. |
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| May 27 2015 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer, a pair of walks and two runs Wednesday against Texas. | Well, it seems like his wrist is alright after he was hit by a pitch there Tuesday night. Santana's shown fantastic plate discipline this year, with 37 walks against just 30 strikeouts, but like last season, he's struggling to hit for average. And with just six home runs, he's a bit off the pace power-wise as well. |
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| May 26 2015 | Santana underwent X-rays on his left wrist following Tuesday's game after being hit by a pitch in the ninth inning, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports. | The X-rays came back negative, but the Indians will monitor Santana's status Wednesday morning and make a decision on his status for Wednesday's contest at that time. Santana snapped a four-game hitting streak by going 0-for-3 in Tuesday's game. |
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| May 22 2015 | Santana went 0-for-4 with a walk, a run and an RBI in Thursday's win over the White Sox. | Santana was back in the lineup after missing four games due to back spasms. In the first, he drew a walk, then scored on Michael Brantley's RBI single. In the second, he drove in a run with an RBI grounder. Despite his contributions, he went 0-for-4 and is now 0-for-18 in his last five games. |
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| May 21 2015 | Santana (back) is in the lineup Thursday against the White Sox. | Santana had been held out of action for the previous four games with back spasms, but he'll get slotted back into the lineup Thursday as the first baseman. The time off may help him get back on track, as Santana sports just a .220 average on the year and is 0-for-14 in his last four starts. |
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| May 20 2015 | Santana (back) is expected to return to action Thursday, Paul Hoynes of Northeast Ohio Media Group reports. | Santana has missed each of the last four games with back spasms, but manager Terry Francona said Wednesday afternoon that he expects the first baseman back in the lineup Thursday. Santana was struggling prior to the injury, hitting just .192 with 13 strikeouts in 52 May at-bats. |
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| May 19 2015 | Santana (back) is not in the lineup Tuesday against the White Sox, Joe Reedy of FOX Sports Ohio reports. | Santana will be held out of the lineup for a third consecutive game as he continues to deal with a lingering back issue. There's no indication that the situation has worsened, so he should still be considered day-to-day going forward. Brandon Moss will draw another start at first base Tuesday. |
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| May 19 2015 | Santana (sore back) was feeling better Tuesday, but it could still be "a couple days" before he's back in the Indians' lineup, the Northeast Ohio Media Group's Paul Hoynes reports. | While he should still be considered day-to-day, it sounds like Santana could be out until this weekend's series against the Reds. Ryan Raburn played right field Tuesday with Brandon Moss manning first base and Nick Swisher in the lineup as the DH with Santana out. |
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| May 18 2015 | Updating a previous report, Santana has been scratched from Monday's lineup due to back spasms, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. | Santana will now be held out for the second straight game as a result of the sore back. Consider him day-to-day in advance the second game of the series Tuesday. Brandon Moss will take over at first base Monday night. |
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| May 18 2015 | Santana (back) will return to the starting lineup Monday against the White Sox. | Santana was held out of Sunday's lineup with a sore back, but will return to action for the series opener. The 29-year-old has struggled a bit since moving up to the two-spot in the order, but that's where he'll bat once again Monday evening. The added at-bats can only be a good thing for fantasy owners, provided he can shake off the current 0-for-14 slump. |
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| May 17 2015 | Santana is out of the lineup Sunday against the Rangers. | Manager Terry Francona will give Santana a mental break with the first baseman in the midst of an 0-for-13 slump at the dish over his last three games. Brandon Moss will cover first base in place of Santana, while Nick Swisher will make his 2015 debut in right field. |
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| May 17 2015 | Santana was held out of Sunday's game with a sore back, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. "I think his back was bothering him on Saturday night. I just think he's frustrated more than anything. There have been some pitches that have not gone his way," manager Terry Francona said. | Santana is hitting just .171 in 11 games since being moved to the No. 2 spot in the batting order and this sounds more like a mental break than anything for the struggling Santana. Consider him day-to-day for now. |
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| Apr 8 2015 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout in Monday's game against the Astros. | Santana played first base Monday and should be poised for a big year, especially in OBP leagues. On Wednesday the Tribe will face righty Scott Feldman and the Astros. |
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| Mar 15 2015 | Santana hit his second homer of the spring in a 4-2 win Sunday. | Santana's days behind the plate are over as are his days at third base as he figures to spend all of his time at first base or DH this season. He should have third base eligibility in most formats due to his 26 appearances there last season but those days appear to be over going forward. |
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| Sep 15 2014 | Santana provided all the offense for the Indians Monday, going 1-for-4 with an RBI single against the Astros. | Santana's RBI hit got the Indians off to a good start Monday, but the first inning RBI was the only run that would cross the plate for Cleveland. Santana has been hitting very well this month, driving home 15 and connecting on five home runs in September. |
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| Sep 11 2014 | Santana homered in each game of Thursday's doubleheader, giving him 27 homers for the season. | Santana's homered five times in September after hitting just two homers in August and has hit safely in 12 of his last 14 games. |
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| Sep 3 2014 | Santana homered for the second straight game Wednesday. | Santana had just two homers in August but has already matched that total in September. He's driven in nine runs in his last six games as well. |
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| Aug 30 2014 | Santana homered and drove in three runs in Cleveland's win over the Royals on Friday. | Santana homered eight times in July but Friday's blast was just his second for August and his first since August 16. He's hitting just .209 for the month after hitting above .300 in both June and July. He'll need a big September as the Indians try and claw their way back into the playoff race. |
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| Aug 16 2014 | Santana went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer against the Orioles on Saturday night. | He continues to push his season line upward, now sitting with a .231/.369/.434 mark after he finished May at a .159/.327/.301 line. The home run was Santana's first since July 27, and his 21st of the season. |
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| Aug 8 2014 | Santana went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI in Friday's 10-6 loss to the Yankees. | After an outstanding July, Santana picked up just three hits during his first seven games in August. However, the switch-hitting cleanup man got back on track Friday as he doubled his hit total for the month. Even with his slump over the past week, Santana is batting .333 with six homers and 19 RBI across 22 games since the All-Star break. |
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| Jul 27 2014 | Santana continued his string of success Sunday as he launched two homers, totaled four RBIs, and recorded three hits during three at bats. | Santana is one of the hottest players in the league right now. Over the last seven days, he's been able to launch four home runs and drive in six batters. It's unlikely that he'll continue this onslaught through the end of the season, but as for now, he should be highly regarded. |
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| Jul 25 2014 | Santana went 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBI in Friday's 6-4 loss to the Royals. | Santana has been on a tear this week for the Indians, as the switch-hitting slugger has gone 9-for-16 with three homers and two doubles over his last four games. After struggling mightily through the first couple months of the season, Santana has completely turned things around. Since the beginning of June, he is batting a solid .293 with 11 home runs, 28 RBI and 22 runs scored across 43 games. |
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| Jul 23 2014 | Santana had a big night at the dish Tuesday, going 4-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored while blasting his 15th home run of the year and adding two doubles in the Indians' 8-2 win over the Twins. | After going 7-for-37 in his previous 10 games, Santana had a much-needed breakout game Tuesday. Although he is batting just .214 on the year, he does boast an impressive .754 OPS through 322 at-bats this season. |
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| Jul 8 2014 | Santana, who started at DH on Tuesday, is fine after jamming his shoulder on a dive Monday, MLB.com reports. | The Indians wanted Nick Swisher to get some playing time in the field and shifted Santana over to DH as a result. |
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| Jul 6 2014 | Santana hit a solo home run in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Royals. | Santana's 13th homer of the season came in the second inning off lefty Danny Duffy, who was touched up for another two-run blast by Yan Gomes later in the frame. While a dismal start has dampened Santana's overall line on the season, a steady track record of plus-hitting and on-base skills give him a rather sunny outlook for the second half, assuming he can find some better luck on balls in play. |
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| Jun 25 2014 | Santana exploded Wednesday with four hits including a home run, a double, two RBI and two runs scored. | Santana reached base in six of his seven plate appearances on the night, walking twice. He has been hot with the bat in the past couple weeks, recording a hit in nine of his last ten contests and multiple hits in four of those games. His average increased sharply over the last couple weeks from .176 to .214 because of the streak, and he will look to extend a four-game hitting streak to five on Wednesday in the series finale with the Dbacks. |
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| Jun 23 2014 | Santana's time at third base will be very limited going forward due to the play of Lonnie Chisenhall, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. | Santana got into 26 games at third base this season which figures to qualify him at the position in most formats but it sounds like the bulk of his time going forward will be at first base. |
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| Jun 21 2014 | Santana, who had two more hits Friday, is hitting .333 (16-for-48) with four homers in his last 14 games. | He's still hitting just .196 on the season but appears to be getting back on track after a very slow start to the season. |
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| Jun 15 2014 | Santana went 3-for-5 with a double and two singles in Sunday's win over the Red Sox. | Santana has become comfortable hitting out of the No. 8 spot in the order, and a return to the middle of the lineup should come eventually as he steadily makes his climb back to the Mendoza Line. Now batting .190 on the season, Santana finally appears to have some positive regression headed his way and is starting to look like the player who was one of the better hitters at his position over his previous four seasons in the big leagues. |
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| Jun 13 2014 | Santana was 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in a losing effort against the Red Sox on Friday night. | The Tribe didn't have a lot to cheer about in the 10-3 loss but it was Santana's eighth long one of the season to go with 24 RBI. He has shown some signs of life at the plate, but is still hitting a depressing .176 despite logging a few more quality at bats recently. Look for better days ahead for the Cleveland slugger. |
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| Jun 7 2014 | Santana went 2-for-2 with a home run, two runs, two RBI and two walks in Saturday's win over the Rangers. | Santana was starting to look a bit better before he landed on the disabled list, and he's 3-for-5 with three walks in two games since returning. He started Saturday's contest at first base, making it through the game without incident. Even after accounting for a 12.2 percent line-drive rate, Santana's .188 BABIP is flukish. |
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| Jun 6 2014 | Santana was activated from the 7-day DL Friday and will be the team's DH, batting eighth, against the Rangers, the Indians' official Twitter feed reports. | Santana could see several starts at DH right away, with Mike Aviles capable of playing third base as he is eased back into action. Feel free to deploy him as usual Friday, and hopefully he'll work his way higher up the batting order in the coming days. |
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| Jun 3 2014 | Santana may return to action Friday at Texas, if he sustains his progress through MLB's concussion protocol, according to manager Terry Francona, Nick Camino of Newsradio WTAM 1100 reports. | After he was hit in the mask on Sunday, May 25, Santana came down with a concussion. To date, he has only fielded groundballs and has yet to swing, which won't take place until he's rid himself of all symptoms. His return is subject to the medical staff's opinion, though, so there's no guarantee that a Friday return is in the cards. |
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| Jun 2 2014 | Santana (concussion) fielded ground balls Monday, but the Indians' medical staff still feels that a Friday return is more realistic than Wednesday, the team's official website reports. "Today, [Santana] went out and took some ground balls," Francona said. "He's actually doing pretty well. His [eligibility] date is Wednesday. I don't think that's realistic with the medical staff. They think Friday is realistic. To me, that's a pretty good sign." | Santana previously said that he hopes to return Wednesday, while the medical staff is standing by Friday as the more likely date. Indians manager Terry Francona seems to agree with the medical staff, but he didn't rule anything out. |
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| Jun 1 2014 | Santana (concussion) feels he can return to the Indians on Wednesday, but the team medical staff believes a Friday return is more likely, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports. | Santana has been out since May 25 after suffering a concussion, but appears as if he'll be ready to return later this week. His .159 average was one of the worst in the majors to start the year, but Santana brings power potential, and could get hot at any moment. |
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| May 31 2014 | Santana (concussion) felt "much improved" but there's still no timetable for his return, MLB.com reports. | Santana is eligible to return Tuesday but that seems optimistic at this point given his current progress. |
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| May 30 2014 | Santana (concussion) said he's not yet 100 percent and has not done any swinging, Fox Sports Ohio reports. | Santana was placed on the 7-day concussion DL on Tuesday after taking a ball off the mask Sunday. He likely won't begin swinging until his symptoms have subsided, but chances are he'll be back in the mix within the next few days, barring a setback. |
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| May 27 2014 | Santana has been placed on the 7-day concussion DL, Zack Meisel of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reports. | The injury was suffered when Santana was hit in the mask during Sunday's game. With Santana unavailable for the next week, George Kottaras was recalled by the Tribe on Tuesday. |
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| May 26 2014 | Santana was scratched from the Indians' lineup Monday at the White Sox due to an illness, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. | Santana will hand over DH to Asdrubal Cabrera in order to ease him into action following a few days off (outside of a pinch-hit appearance Sunday) due to a sore knee. Consider Santana day-to-day in the interim. |
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| May 26 2014 | Santana could be suffering from a concussion after getting hit in the mask Sunday in Baltimore, the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Paul Hoynes reports. | He was scratched from the lineup Monday due to an illness, but it turns out that the Indians aren't sure whether it's an illness or a concussion. The team sent Santana back to the hotel after he was scratched Monday, and it's not clear if he'll miss further games. For now, he should be considered day-to-day. |
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| May 24 2014 | Santana went 1-for-2 with a homer, two RBI and three walks in Saturday's 9-0 win over the Orioles. | Santana has been one of the biggest disappointments in all of baseball this season but is finally starting to show some signs of life, with five hits in his last 20 at-bats. While the Indians haven't given any indication that he's going to lose out on playing time, it does appear Santana will continue to occupy a bottom-third spot in the order until he's fully back on track. |
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| May 18 2014 | Santana was dropped from fourth in the order to seventh for Sunday's game against the Athletics. | It appears manager Terry Francona is no longer willing to let Santana break out of his lengthy slump in a prominent spot in the lineup, as Ryan Raburn occupies the cleanup spot Sunday. Santana is hitting just .156/.319/.293 on the season, but his multi-year track record of success makes it a good idea to stay patient with him. |
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| May 14 2014 | Santana homered and scored three runs in a 15-4 rout over Toronto on Wednesday. | Santana hadn't homered or driven in a run since May 2nd as his season-long slump continues but for at least a night he was back to his old self. |
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| May 2 2014 | Santana hit his fourth homer of the season and scored three runs in Friday's win over the White Sox. It was his third homer in his last four games. | Santana's still hitting .165 for the season but now has three multi-hit games in his last four games so he may be breaking out of his extended slump. |
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| Apr 28 2014 | Santana went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run off of the Angels' Tyler Skaggs in Monday's 6-3 loss. | Santana's batted ball numbers -- 11.7 percent line drive rate, 48.3 percent ground-ball rate -- are perhaps a bit concerning, but his .159 BABIP can still mostly be explained by bad luck. There isn't really any reason to believe that he's changed as a player, making him an excellent buy-low candidate, should the opportunity arise. Santana's still a talented hitter with eligibility at both catcher and third base. |
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| Apr 26 2014 | Santana is starting at third base and batting cleanup for the Indians on Saturday. | The Indians are sticking with Santana as their everyday third baseman despite his very slow start. While Santana is hitting only .133 this season, he has more walks than strikeouts -- 20:19 BB:K ratio. Santana has been hurt by a very low BABIP of .164 compared to his career average of .281. It is tough to stick with Santana given his current numbers, but the skills are still solid so a turnaround is likely. |
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| Apr 21 2014 | Santana is out of the Indians' lineup Monday versus the Royals. | In his absence, Yan Gomes will man catcher, per usual, while Lonnie Chisenhall remains at third base and the recently-activated Jason Giambi sees his first action of the season at DH. A day of rest should do Santana some good, considering a 2-for-30 stretch has diminished his slash line to .145/.226/.329 on the season. |
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| Apr 18 2014 | Santana connected on his first homer of the season in Fridays' 3-2 loss to the Blue Jays. | Santana's two run blast was just the second and third runs he's driven in all year as he's off to a very slow start at the plate. |
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| Apr 16 2014 | Santana is dealing with a sore left groin, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. | The minor ailment hasn't stopped Santana from starting 14 games for the Tribe this year, including once at catcher last Saturday. Although Santana claims it's affecting his hitting, this shouldn't be considered a major issue until it forces him out of the lineup, which it hasn't done yet. |
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| Apr 12 2014 | Santana will get his third start of the season at catcher against the White Sox on Saturday, according to ESPN Chicago's Doug Padilla. | With three games played behind the plate this season, Santana will need 17 more to qualify as a catcher in most leagues for 2015. Regardless of where he's positioned defensively, he'll remain a fixture in the lineup of fantasy owners most days. |
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| Apr 2 2014 | Santana will play catcher in the second half of Wednesday's doubleheader, the Indians' official Twitter feed reports. | It's no surprise that Yan Gomes will get a game off from catching, after sitting behind the dish for the first half of Wednesday's doubleheader. Santana went 1-for-4 with a RBI in the first game Wednesday, which was his first hit of the season. Lonnie Chisenhall will play third base with Santana behind the plate. |
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| Mar 24 2014 | Santana continues to play well at third base this spring, MLB.com reports. "He's done a terrific job," manager Terry Francona said. "I think he looks like a third baseman. No doubt, we have decisions to make, but I think he's earned our trust." | It appears as if the wind may be blowing in the direction of having Santana open the season as the team's third baseman but nothing has been decided as of yet. |
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| Mar 21 2014 | Santana received a positive report from his first appearance behind the plate Wednesday, MLB.com reports. "I was really encouraged," manager Terry Francona said. "I thought his receiving was actually really clean." | The Indians are still toying with the idea of moving Santana over to third base but he'll still continue to be the team's backup catcher and should see enough action behind the dish to maintain his eligibility in most formats. |
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| Mar 15 2014 | Santana will catch a bullpen session Monday and appear in an exhibition game behind the plate shortly, MLB.com reports. "It's kind of a unique skill set and we're trying to balance the amount of work he's done just to play third. He's out there every morning. And on top of that, doing the catching, if he can do that, it's a unique skill set", manager Terry Francona said. | The fact that the team hasn't pulled the plug on Santana's possible switch to third base is an encouraging sign so far but he'll get some reps in behind the dish this week in game action. |
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| Mar 8 2014 | Santana has looked comfortable at third base so far this spring and the Indians will map out a plan for the rest of spring in the next few days, MLB.com reports. "I would say in the next three or four days, we're going to sit down and talk through it," manager Terry Francona said. "It's a little bit of uncharted waters. You don't see anybody playing third and catching in the big leagues, but if he's able to do it, it opens up a lot of different things. The first thing we're going to do is sit and talk." | Santana's shown enough so far to not have pulled the plug on the experiment but we should have a clearer picture of things in about a week. |
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| Feb 26 2014 | Santana is scheduled to play third base in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Reds, Nick Camino of Newsradio WTAM 1100 reports. | It seems Santana's transition to third base is going about as smoothly as can be expected, as the Indians are already willing to try him out at the position in an exhibition game. How he performs at third this spring will go a long way in determining how much he'll catch during the season. |
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| Feb 17 2014 | Santana looked comfortable in practice at third base, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. | Santana will be tried out at third throughout spring training to improve his defensive skills at the hot corner. If he impresses, Santana could stay there for the Indians, and gain third base eligibility for fantasy purposes. |
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| Feb 12 2014 | Santana will spend the first four days of spring training catching, then gradually move over to start working at third base, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. | This has been in the works for a while now, with a mid-January report suggesting Santana was preparing for move to third base. The Indians aren't saying anything definitive at this point, just that they will see if Santana can handle playing third during spring training. Yan Gomes figures to take over as primary catcher in 2014, but Santana will likely still catch here and there, and his potent bat should keep him in the lineup on a daily basis, be it at third, first, DH or behind the plate. |
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| Jan 17 2014 | Santana is currently preparing for a potential move to third base, ESPN Deportes reports. | Santana had actually played third early on in his career, so the potential move isn't exactly coming from out of the blue. With the emergence of Yan Gomes and the difficulties the Indians have had filling their hole at the hot corner, Santana becomes an interesting option here. The move to third would allow the Tribe to go with Nick Swisher at first full-time and potentially make another move in the free agent market for a full-time DH. Though Santana is obviously more valuable to fantasy owners as a catcher, adding third base eligibility in 2014 would certainly increase his overall value. |
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| Jan 6 2014 | Santana is hitting close to .400 in a dozen games in the Dominican Republic winter league, Gammons Daily reports. | The Indians are re-acquainting Santana to third base in the DR, the position he played when he entered the minor leagues in the Dodgers organization. If the switch-hitting Santana can handle the position, manager Terry Francona would have some flexibility in the middle of his lineup. |
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| Dec 6 2013 | Santana will play some third base this offseason in the Dominican winter league, MLB.com reports. | Santana came up as a third baseman in the low minor leagues and the ability to handle third base would certainly give the Indians some roster flexibility. The experiment is certainly in its infancy but could grow some legs if Santana is able to handle the new position this offseason. |
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| Sep 22 2013 | Santana homered and drove in two runs Sunday. | Santana has just two homers in September after hitting five in August but has still been collecting RBI at a decent pace despite the power dropoff. |
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| Sep 3 2013 | Santana is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Orioles, MASN's Roch Kubatko reports. | Santana will give way to Yan Gomes for the second time in four days. Santana turned in a solid .240/.354/.448 slash line in August but is off to an 0-for-7 start in September. |
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| Aug 4 2013 | Santana is not in the lineup Sunday against the Marlins. | Santana will get a rest in the afternoon finale with the Marlins after starting the first two games of the series behind the plate. Yan Gomes will serve as the catcher for starter Scott Kazmir on Sunday. |
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| Aug 1 2013 | Santana went 3-for-4 with a run in Thursday's win over the White Sox. | He's been steadily pullin' up the ol' average back up -- it's now at .278, its highest point been since June 19. |
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| Jul 31 2013 | Santana went 2-for-5 Wednesday night, including a walk-off solo home run off of Dylan Axelrod in the 10th inning. | Santana also knocked in a run with an RBI double earlier in the contest. Though his power isn't what we saw in 2011 when Santana blasted 27 home runs, the catcher is in the midst of another successful offensive season, hitting 12 home runs and accumulating 48 RBI. |
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| Jul 24 2013 | Santana went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI Wednesday afternoon against the Mariners. | Santana's power had disappeared this month, collecting just six extra-base hits prior to Wednesday's game. Wednesday's matinee could be a sign of power to come for the Indians' backstop. |
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| Jul 8 2013 | Santana is out of the Indians' lineup Monday versus the Tigers. | In his stead, Yan Gomes will take on catching duties and bat ninth in the order. Meanwhile, Santana has tallied at least one RBI in five of the last nine games, during which he posted one long ball, eight RBI, and two runs scored. |
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| Jun 28 2013 | Santana is not in the Indians' lineup for Game 1 of Friday's doubleheader at the White Sox. | This is a bit of a surprise, as Santana acts as the DH on day games following night outings. However, expect him back in the lineup at catcher in the nightcap. In his stead, Yan Gomes will man the backstop and bat seventh in the order. |
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| Jun 26 2013 | Santana is not in the Indians' lineup Wednesday in Baltimore, MASN Sports reports. | In his stead, Yan Gomes will man the backstop and bat seventh in the order. Santana has been suffering at the plate over the last six games, totaling just three hits, one RBI, and two runs scored in 21 at-bats. |
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| Jun 17 2013 | Santana went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Monday against the Royals. | Santana has shown more power this season as he already has 10 home runs in 64 games played compared to 18 home runs in 143 games last season. He is also hitting a career-high .283, so he could finally be putting together the solid all-around offensive season fantasy owners have been waiting for. |
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| Jun 10 2013 | Santana did the heavy lifting offensively for the Indians Monday, knocking in three runs with on a double. | The double was Santana's third in his last two games, but he is still looking for his first home run since May 22. Santana is providing solid production for owners from behind the plate, hitting .283 with eight home runs and 27 RBI. |
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| Jun 5 2013 | Updating an earlier report, Santana started Wednesday's game against the Yankees at first base. | Santana did not start behind the plate Wednesday, but he did get the nod at first base for the 10th time this season. Expect manager Terry Francona to continue being creative to keep Santana's bat in the lineup. |
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| Jun 5 2013 | Santana is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees. | Santana has started every game for the Indians since May 9 - 15 behind the plate, five at first base, and six as the DH - so manager Terry Francona decided to get him a day off Wednesday with the Indians playing a day game following a night game. |
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| May 23 2013 | Santana homered and drove in two runs Thursday. | Santana entered play Thursday hitting just .161 (10-for-62) over his last 18 games and hadn't driven in a run in a dozen games. |
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| May 23 2013 | Santana homered and drove in two runs Wednesday. | Santana entered play Thursday hitting just .161 (10-for-62) over his last 18 games and hadn't driven in a run in a dozen games. |
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| May 8 2013 | Santana went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Cleveland's 4-3 win over Oakland on Wednesday. | The home run was his seventh of the year. The switch-hitting catcher continues to crush the ball on a nightly basis, and is now hitting .358 on the year. He's one of the premier catching options in all of fantasy. Look for him to slow down a bit, but until he does, sit back and enjoy. |
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| May 5 2013 | Santana blasted his sixth home run of the season Sunday during Cleveland's defeat to Minnesota. | Santana tagged Twins closer Glen Perkins with two outs in the ninth inning, but the solo shot only brought the Indians within two runs of the lead. Including his recent seven-game hitting streak, which came to a close Saturday, Santana has hit .424 (14-for-33) with two long balls, five RBI, six runs scored, and a 7:10 BB:K ratio during the past nine outings. Nevertheless, his elevated BABIP of .443 will likely begin to regress to the mean at some point for the career .255 hitter. |
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| Apr 28 2013 | Santana went 6-for-9 with an RBI, a run scored, a double, and a stolen base in Sunday's double-header against the Royals on Sunday. | The career .252 hitter is suddenly leading the majors in hitting, as Sunday's performance raised his average to .388. While you shouldn't expect him to continue hitting at this rate, you can at least enjoy it while it lasts. |
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| Apr 26 2013 | Santana (flu) is back in the lineup Friday against the Royals. | Santana sat Wednesday with the flu, but it seems he's back to full strength as he'll catch and bat sixth against right-hander Ervin Santana on Friday. |
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| Apr 24 2013 | Santana will not play Wednesday at the White Sox due to the flu, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. | Conveniently enough, Lou Marson (neck) was activated from the DL just in time to take on catching duties for the Indians. The severity of the illness is unknown at the moment, so consider Santana day-to-day. |
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| Apr 24 2013 | Santana is out of the Indians' lineup Wednesday against the White Sox, MLB.com reports. | Lou Marson (neck), who was activated from the disabled list Wednesday, will man the backstop in Santana's stead. After a strong start to the season, his batting average is beginning to wane but still resides at .352 through 15 games. Here's to hope his combination of plate presence and power -- he has four homers in 54 at-bats -- continues as 2013 rolls along. |
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| Apr 22 2013 | Santana supplied a solo home run and two runs scored en route to a 2-for-5 performance during Cleveland's win Sunday in Houston. | The long ball marked Santana's second in as many days, and he now has multi-hit outings in three of the past four games to sustain his sweltering start to the 2013 season. With a .380/.466/.760 slash line through 50 at-bats, he is finally showing off the hitting prowess that has been promised since his 2010 debut. |
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| Apr 16 2013 | Santana is back in the lineup Tuesday against Boston. | After missing five consecutive contests due to a left thumb contusion, Santana earned a pinch-hit opportunity in Cleveland's last game Sunday. He'll take over for Yan Gomes, who notched just one hit in 14 at-bats during his absence. |
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| Apr 14 2013 | Santana (thumb) was able to pinch-hit Sunday, drawing a walk, the Associated Press reports. | Prior to the game Tuesday, the Indians said that they expected Santana to return to the lineup Tuesday. That he was able to pinch-hit Sunday only helps back that expectation up. |
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| Apr 14 2013 | Manager Terry Francona said Santana (thumb) should be "good to go" Tuesday, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports. | Santana has sat for six consecutive games, but his absence from the last game or two may have been precautionary, as he had initially been expected to play Saturday or Sunday. He'll take advantage of a team off day Monday before being reinserted into the heart of the Indians lineup. |
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| Apr 14 2013 | Santana (thumb) is not in the lineup Sunday against the White Sox. | Santana was expected to return at some point this weekend, but it looks like the Indians will now wait until the next series to run him into the lineup. A stint on the disabled list is not out of the question (though unlikely) if the bruised thumb continues to bother him, but his six-game absence could nonetheless make owners wary of inserting him into their lineups next week. |
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| Apr 13 2013 | Santana (thumb) could not return to the lineup Saturday against the White Sox. | Santana took batting practice Tuesday, after which his left thumb contusion didn't feel well enough to allow him to return for the first time since Monday, April 8. Yan Gomes will continue to man the backstop until Santana is able to take the field. |
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| Apr 12 2013 | Santana (thumb) could return to the lineup Saturday, the team's official site reports. "He's progressing so well there's a chance he might play tomorrow," manager Terry Francona said Friday. "We'll see. It depends on how he gets through batting practice and everything, taking into consideration how cold it is and everything. But he's doing well." | Santana's availability for Saturday figures to hinge on how well he responds to batting practice but it appears he'll be back Sunday at the very least. |
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| Apr 12 2013 | Santana (thumb) is not in the lineup Friday against the White Sox. | Santana was expected to return either Friday or Saturday, and it looks like it will be the latter with his absence from Friday's lineup. Yan Gomes gets the nod behind the plate once again. |
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| Apr 11 2013 | Santana (thumb) could return to the lineup Friday or Saturday, WFAN's Nick Camino reports. | Santana caught a bullpen session Thursday afternoon but he will miss at least one more game before getting back in the lineup. |
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| Apr 11 2013 | Santana (thumb) was feeling better Wednesday but remains day-to-day, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. "He came in feeling better," manager Terry Francona said. "We want to see what he can handle without setting him back. So it will be playing catch to hitting off a tee to taking soft toss." | The Indians were rained out Wednesday but it sounds like Santana's a few days away from a possible return given his current status. |
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| Apr 9 2013 | Santana (thumb) is not in the lineup Tuesday, Nick Camino of WTAM in Cleveland reports. | It's not a huge surprise that he's sitting Tuesday, but Santana's X-rays came back negative. Yan Gomes was recalled from Columbus, and he'll start behind the plate for Cleveland on Tuesday night. |
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| Apr 9 2013 | Santana's X-ray on his left thumb was returned negative, WTAM 1100 reports. | Santana suffered a contusion to the thumb when he was hit by a pitch Monday, and the subsequent test revealed that a broken bone was avoided. The news is clearly encouraging, but don't be surprised if he remains out of the lineup for the next few days. In the interim, consider Santana day-to-day, with Lou Marson (head/neck) or a recalled minor leaguer picking up any spot starts. |
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| Apr 8 2013 | Santana left Monday's game against the Yankees after getting hit on the left wrist by a Chris Perez fastball after apparently getting crossed up on a sign. | Santana was off to a great start at the plate prior to the injury, but wrist injuries are always scary. |
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| Apr 8 2013 | Santana left Monday's game with a left thumb contusion and will undergo X-rays. | The Indians are calling it a contusion right now, but they'll have Santana undergo X-rays to be sure nothing's broken. At the moment, it sounds like Santana avoided serious injury after being hit on the hand by a Chris Perez fastball. |
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| Apr 4 2013 | Santana went 3-for-5 with a double, homer and pair of RBI in Thursday's 10-8 loss at Toronto. | It was the first home run of the season for Santana, who showed less power last year (18 homers in 2012 after hitting 27 in 2011). Santana has hit sixth in each of Cleveland's first three games, a surprising spot for such a talented hitter. |
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| Jan 26 2013 | The Indians plan on letting Santana catch as much as possible in the upcoming season, the team's official site reports. | Their have been rumblings over the last few seasons about getting Santana out from behind the plate more often in order to keep him healthy but he's still expected to see the bulk of his playing time behind the plate for the foreseeable future. He's in no danger of losing his catcher eligibility any time soon. |
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| Oct 3 2012 | Santana is not in the lineup Wednesday, the Indians' official Twitter reports. | It looks like the Indians are packing it in for some of their regulars in the final game of the season, as Asdrubal Cabrera and Michael Brantley will also be getting the day off. Lou Marson gets the start at catcher in place of Santana. |
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| Sep 30 2012 | Santana is not in the starting lineup Sunday against the Royals, the Indians' official Twitter page reports. | Santana will get a day off after starting all of the Indians' past nine games. Lou Marson will draw the start behind the plate Sunday. |
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| Sep 23 2012 | Santana went 3-for-6 with three runs scored, two home runs and five RBI against the Royals on Sunday. | This was the type of game Santana owners had been hoping for since the beginning of the season. Similarly to last season, Santana has turned things on a lot more in the second half of the season. The problem, however, is that his first half has been so terrible that he's still batting just .257 on the season. His 18 home runs and 75 RBI obviously make him one of the more valuable catchers out there, but at some point, he's going to have to put it together for a full year. |
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| Aug 30 2012 | Santana was removed from Wednesday's game due to a lack of hustle, the team's official site reports. | "Carlos is fine," manager Manny Acta said. "He looked a little sluggish, kind of tired. We have already talked about that. We can be beat, but we're not going to be looking beaten out there. We need full effort from everybody." There's no injury concerns here so expect Santana to be back in the lineup Friday. |
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| Aug 12 2012 | Santana saw his first action as an outfielder in Sunday's blowout loss to the Red Sox. | Check your league rules to see if Sunday's appearance gives Santana any additional positional flexibility going forward. |
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| Aug 6 2012 | Santana went 1-for-3 with a two run homer and a walk Monday against the Twins. | Santana continues to mash the ball of late and has five home runs in his last 11 games. Although it took him awhile to get going, Santana is finally starting to live up to some of the expectations that fantasy owners had for him before the season started. |
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| Aug 2 2012 | Santana homered and finished with four RBI in Thursday's extra-inning loss at Kansas City. | Santana's power is coming back, as he's gone deep four times in the last seven games. |
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| Aug 1 2012 | Santana hit his tenth home run of the season Wednesday night. | Santana seems to have find his power stroke lately after a slow start to the season. The home run was his fifth since July 18th. |
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| Jul 29 2012 | Santana, who homered for the second time in his last three games Saturday, is hitting .323 (10-for-31) over his last 10 games. | Santana's bat may finally be emerging from a sluggish start. He could be a nice performer down the stretch if the latest signs are any indication. |
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| Jul 26 2012 | Santana doubled and homered in Thursday's 5-3 win over Detroit. | Santana's solo homer in the seventh ignited a four-run rally against Justin Verlander, who had been cruising up until that point. Santana has turned things around a bit in July, as he entered Thursday's game with a season-best slash line of .288/.455/.492. |
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| Jul 22 2012 | Santana went 3-for-4 with a double and two-run homer Sunday as Cleveland's comeback bid failed against Baltimore. | Santana has just three multi-hit performances since the calendar turned over to June, though two of them have occurred in his last five outings. With a slash line of .250/.468/.386 entering Sunday's contest, the once-promising catching prospect may be turning the corner on what has been a disappointing campaign to date. |
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| Jul 18 2012 | Santana went 2-for-4 Wednesday against the Rays with his sixth home run of the year, a three-run shot in the seventh inning. | It's been an awful tough year for Santana, who hadn't had a multi-hit game since June 18 (and not since May 17 before that) and hadn't homered since May 15. His fantasy owners can only hope this was the start of a turnaround, not his sole allotted multi-hit game for the month. |
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| Jul 17 2012 | Santana was dropped to the sixth spot in the batting order for the second consecutive game Tuesday. | The Indians decided to move the slumping Santana and Travis Hafner out of the middle of the order and moved Michael Brantley into the cleanup spot. Santana figures to see fewer RBI chances as a result as his season-long slump continues. |
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| Jul 7 2012 | Santana had an RBI double, run scored and pair of walks in Saturday's win over Tampa Bay. | Santana's average is just .222 for the season, but he's still been drawing plenty of walks with 46 free passes in 68 games. It doesn't look like Santana will come close to his 27-homer campaign in 2011, as he's got just five long balls this season, and hasn't gone deep since May 15. |
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| Jul 4 2012 | Santana is not in the Indians' lineup Wednesday, according to the team's official Twitter page. | This should not be too surprising, with the Indians playing a day game after a night game. In addition, Travis Hafner's return from the disabled list will make the DH slot less available on a regular basis. |
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| Jul 2 2012 | Santana (back) will return to the lineup for Monday's game against the Angels, according to the Indians' official Twitter page. | Santana sat out the last four games after injuring his back Wednesday, but fortunately he will avoid a stint on the disabled list. Santana will catch Ubaldo Jimenez and bit fifth in his return to action Monday. |
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| Jul 1 2012 | Santana (back) remains out of the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. | It seems the team is being especially cautious with the man they extended for five years in April. The 26-year-old will miss his fourth consecutive start Friday, but a return for Monday's series opener against the Angels seems in the realm of possibility. |
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| Jun 30 2012 | Santana (back) went through a pregame workout Saturday but is not guaranteed to return to the lineup Sunday, the team's official site reports. | Santana took swings and played catch for the first time since leaving Wednesday's game and figures to undergo another series of tests prior to Sunday's game. "We just don't want to put him out there and jeopardize having him go on the [disabled list] or losing him for a longer period of time. We're satisfied with where he's at," manager Manny Acta said. "So we're going to see if we're going to be able to get him out there [Sunday]." |
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| Jun 29 2012 | Santana (back) will remain sidelined until Sunday, the team's official site reports. | Santana will be held out of the lineup again Saturday but plans on returning Sunday barring any setbacks. |
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| Jun 29 2012 | Santana (back) is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Orioles, according to the Indians' official Twitter page. | Santana will sit out for the second straight day on the heels of his early exit from Wednesday's contest. Santana remains day-to-day for now. |
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| Jun 28 2012 | Santana (back) is not in the starting lineup Thursday against the Orioles, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports. | Santana left Wednesday's game with back tightness, and the team will give him the day off Thursday to allow him to recuperate. The extent of the tightness remains unknown, but consider Santana day-to-day for now. |
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| Jun 27 2012 | Santana was removed from Friday's game in the ninth inning with tightness in his back, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports. | The extent of the injury is unknown, but the Orioles will evaluate him prior to the beginning of their upcoming series with the Orioles, which kicks off Thursday. Expect an update on Santana's status once the Indians release their lineup for Thursday. |
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| Jun 24 2012 | Santana is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros, according to the Indians' official Twitter page. | Santana started each of the Indians' five games since last Sunday, so he will get the day off Sunday in favor of Lou Marson. Expect Santana to be back in the lineup Monday. |
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| Jun 17 2012 | Santana is not in Sunday's lineup against the Pirates, the Indians' official site reports. | With Santana sitting, Lou Marson will be behind the plate Sunday, with Casey Kotchman drawing the start at first base. |
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| Jun 5 2012 | Santana (concussion) is in the lineup as the Indians' DH on Tuesday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. | The corresponding move hasn't been made yet, but Santana is ready to roll after working as the DH at Lake County on Monday night. |
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| Jun 4 2012 | Santana (concussion) will serve as the DH for Class-A Lake County on Monday, according to the Associated Press. | Everything is going according to plan in regards to Santana's return. The Indians were looking at a rehab assignment for Monday with Santana probably rejoining the Indians on Tuesday. |
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| Jun 3 2012 | Santana (concussion) will likely rehab with Low-A Lake County on Monday before being activated Tuesday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. | Barring any setback Monday, it looks like Santana will return Tuesday to take on lefty Drew Smyly and the Tigers. Santana, who's batting .245 with five homers and 24 RBI on the season, has been out since May 25. |
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| Jun 1 2012 | Santana (head) is expected to return next week, Nick Camino of WTAM reports. | It sounds like he's progressing well after landing on the 7-day DL last weekend. Lou Marson will continue to handle the bulk of the starts behind the plate in Santana's absence. |
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| May 29 2012 | Santana (concussion) has been cleared for cardio activities, the team's official site reports. | We'll see how Santana responds to an increased heart rate as that can trigger some further symptoms. He's eligible to return from the DL this weekend if everything goes well. |
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| May 28 2012 | Santana (concussion) underwent some neurological tests Monday, the team's official site reports. | The results of the tests will give the Indians a better idea of when Santana might be able to return. He's sidelined at least until the weekend however. |
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| May 27 2012 | Santana (concussion) has been cleared to fly back to Cleveland with the team Sunday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. | Santana was placed on the 7-day concussion DL on Saturday, and while it's nice to hear he's getting better, he'll be out of action for a week at least. |
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| May 26 2012 | Santana (head) was removed from Friday's game after taking a foul ball off his catcher's mask in the eighth inning, the team's official site reports. | The Indians were trailing 9-2 at the time so this was likely just a precautionary move. Consider him day-to-day. |
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| May 26 2012 | Santana (head) is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the White Sox, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports. | Santana took a foul ball to the mask in Friday's game, so it's likely that he still has a pretty good headache. Consider Santana day-to-day for now. |
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| May 26 2012 | The Indians placed Santana (head) on the 7-day concussion DL on Saturday, Nick Camino of WTAM 1100 reports. | Santana got his bell rung when he took a foul ball off his catcher's mask in Friday's game, so the Indians will give him at least a week to recover. With Santana out, expect Lou Marson to see the majority of the starts behind the plate. Keep tabs on Santana's status in the coming days to see if he will return after seven days, or if his absence will stretch further. |
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| May 11 2012 | Santana was 1-for-3 with two walks, a run scored and two RBI in Cleveland's loss to Boston on Friday night. | He paced a balanced Indians attack that saw every starter except Asdrubal Cabrera collect at least one hit, but it wasn't enough to overcome the disastrous start by Ubaldo Jimenez. |
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| May 3 2012 | Santana hit his fourth hommer and stole his first base of the season Wednesday against the White Sox. | It was third that he stole, too. A nice game for Santana; he's still not hitting for average, but the power numbers will certainly be there at season's end as long as he's healthy. |
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| Apr 29 2012 | Santana recorded a 3-for-4 day Sunday against Anaheim, including a double and a run scored. | The day moves Santana's batting average up to .262. If he can maintain that mark, his counting stats -- three home runs, 10 RBI, 10 runs -- will push him even further away from the pack when it comes to catchers. |
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| Apr 22 2012 | Santana is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics, Nick Camino of Newsradio WTAM 1100 reports. | The 26-year-old had been absent from the lineup only once prior to Sunday, but Lou Marson will be behind the plate and bat ninth against right-hander Tyson Ross. Santana is only batting .239 this season, but he does have three home runs and nine RBI to his name. |
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