Guardians' Carlos Santana: Clubs grand slam in rout
Rotowire
Santana went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Wednesday's 11-2 win over the Reds.
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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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Absent from Saturday's lineup
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Santana is not in the Guardians' starting lineup against the Astros on Saturday.
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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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Belts seventh home run
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Santana went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Angels.
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 came in May. He'll end the month with a .994 OPS, 18 runs scored and 22 RBI across 100 plate appearances.
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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Contributes in return
Rotowire
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.
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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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Good to go Tuesday
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Santana (leg) is starting at first base and batting fifth Tuesday versus the Dodgers.
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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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Out of lineup Monday
Rotowire
Santana (leg) isn't part of the starting nine for Monday's game against the Dodgers.
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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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Late scratch Sunday
Rotowire
Santana was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers due to left leg tightness, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
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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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Runs RBI streak to five games
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Santana went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Friday's 3-1 win over Detroit.
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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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Clubs homer
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Santana went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional run scored during Wednesday's 5-1 win over Minnesota. He also homered earlier in the day during the completion of the May 19 game that was suspended due to rain.
Santana notched his fifth and sixth long balls of the campaign. He tagged reliever Cole Sands for a solo shot in the eighth inning of Wednesday's scheduled game 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 since the start of May.
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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Taking seat Wednesday
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Santana is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Brewers.
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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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Drives in three in win
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Santana went 1-for-5 with a double, three RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 8-6 win over the Nationals.
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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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Four hits in twin bill
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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.
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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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Sitting out series finale
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Santana is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins.
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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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Logs two hits in loss
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Santana went 2-for-3 in Monday's 11-1 loss to Minnesota.
Santana snapped a hitless run during Sunday's contest and followed up Monday with his first multi-hit effort in 10 games. He's batting .220 with a .598 OPS through 114 plate appearances.
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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Slump continues
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Santana went 0-for-1 with a walk and an RBI in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against Boston. He did not play in the nightcap.
Santana produced a run with a sacrifice fly during Cleveland's four-run first inning, just his second RBI over the last 12 games. His batting average has dipped to .202 following a stretch of 23 at-bats without a hit.
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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Belts second homer of 2025
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Santana went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the White Sox.
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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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Slugs first long ball
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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.
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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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Playing every day
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Santana started at first base and went 2-for-4 with a double in Monday's 7-2 loss to San Diego.
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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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Looking at everyday role
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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.
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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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Returning to Cleveland
Rotowire
The Guardians signed Santana to a one-year, $12 million contract Saturday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
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.
