NEWS: Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz named AL Player of the Week

Yandy Diaz of the Tampa Bay Rays has won the American League Player of the Week award after a torrid seven-game stretch in which he hit nearly .600.

The 34-year-old first baseman was 13-for-22 — good for a .591 clip —with a homer, two doubles, nine walks, five runs scored and four RBI from September 15 to 21.

Diaz had an astounding on-base percentage of .710 during that span due to five multi-hit games and working at least one walk per game, reaching base 22 times in 31 plate appearances.

The Saugua La Grande, Cuba native, who has played for the Rays for seven years after starting his career with the Cleveland Indians in 2017, has hit over .300 over the past four seasons since becoming a Tampa Bay mainstay.

Diaz won the AL batting title in 2023 with a .330 average, narrowly beating out Rangers shortstop Corey Seager’s .327.

With a week to go in the 2025 season, Diaz’s 53 multi-hit games are the most in MLB his year. He’s also a double away from hitting at least 30 two-baggers in four straight seasons, a Rays franchise record he’ll share with Ben Zobrist.