MLB Player News
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Luis Arraez 1B | SD
Padres' Luis Arraez: Rare day off Wednesday
Arraez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Seattle.
Arraez had started every game since May 27 for the Padres, but he'll take a seat in Wednesday's series finale as he battles through a 2-for-18 slump at the plate. Jake Cronenworth will slide over to first base and Jose Iglesias will man second base in the rubber match.
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Troy Johnston 1B | MIA
Marlins' Troy Johnston: Exiting starting nine Wednesday
Johnston is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against Atlanta.
With a lefty (Joey Wentz) on the hill for Atlanta, the left-handed-hitting Johnston will head to the bench for the series finale. Johnston had started in each of Miami's last seven games at first base or in left or right field, going 8-for-20 with one double, two walks and three RBI during that stretch.
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Spencer Steer 1B | CIN
Reds' Spencer Steer: Bats leadoff Tuesday
Steer went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Dodgers.
Steer was moved to the leadoff spot, as manager Terry Francona trotted out an all right-handed-hitting lineup against Los Angeles lefty Clayton Kershaw, which meant usual leadoff batter TJ Friedl got the night off. Steer typically bats in the middle of the order, usually fifth or sixth.
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Pete Alonso 1B | NYM
Mets' Pete Alonso: Plates two in four-hit game
Alonso went 4-for-5 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Phillies.
The four-hit game was Alonso's second of the year, with both such efforts coming in the month of August. Alonso is batting a strong .286 with seven home runs, seven doubles and 24 RBI over his last 98 at-bats as New York's top cleanup hitter. The All-Star slugger also has at least one knock in 16 of his last 23 outings.
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Willson Contreras 1B | STL
Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Appealing six-game ban
Major League Baseball issued Contreras a six-game suspension for his actions in Monday's 7-6 win over the Pirates, but he remains in the lineup for Tuesday's contest against Pittsburgh while he appeals the decision, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
The 33-year-old disagreed with some called strikes during his seventh-inning plate appearance Monday, and the situation escalated as he continued to argue with the umpire following his ejection. It's a hefty ban for Contreras, which is owed mostly to the fact that he threw his bat in the direction of the umpire that instead hit his own coach. The suspension could be reduced by a couple games, and Contreras will be available to play until his appeal his heard.
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Alec Burleson 1B | STL
Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Ends four-hit game with walk-off
Burleson went 4-for-5 with a solo home run, an additional run and a double in Monday's 7-6 win against the Pirates.
Burleson was already having a big game when he came to the plate with the score tied and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. The first baseman then left his final mark on the contest by crushing a 409-foot solo blast to center field to give the Cardinals the victory. This was Burleson's first four-hit performance of the season, and he's been swinging a hot stick of late, slashing .364/.391/.515 with two homers, 10 RBI, eight runs and a stolen base over his past 17 games.
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Luis Arraez 1B | SD
Padres' Luis Arraez: Logs ninth steal
Arraez went 2-for-5 with a double, one RBI and one stolen base in Monday's 9-6 loss to the Mariners.
Arraez has gone 10-for-38 (.263) with four steals over his last nine contests. The infielder has matched his career high from last year with nine thefts, doing so on 11 attempts. He's added a .286/.320/.393 slash line, six home runs, 48 RBI, 53 runs scored, 29 doubles and four triples over 126 contests. While his rate stats are a bit down compared to recent years, Arraez continues to avoid striking out, doing so at a minuscule 2.7 percent rate. His career-low .283 BABIP largely explains his small dip in performance.
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Enrique Hernandez 3B | LAD
Dodgers' Enrique Hernandez: Returns from IL
The Dodgers activated Hernandez (elbow) from the 10-day injured list prior to Monday's game against the Reds.
Hernandez isn't listed in the starting lineup for Monday's series opener, but he'll see his first action since July 5 over the next few days now that he's made a full recovery from left elbow inflammation. Manager Dave Roberts noted Monday that Hernandez will draw starts Tuesday and Wednesday, per Jon Paul Hoornstra of Newsweek.com. Hernandez was hitting just .083 with one home run, four RBI and two runs scored in his last 10 appearances before going down with the injury.
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Eric Wagaman 1B | MIA
Marlins' Eric Wagaman: Pops ninth homer
Wagaman went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Sunday's win over the Blue Jays.
The infielder took Kevin Gausman deep in the third inning, giving Wagaman nine long balls on the season. He isn't getting consistent playing time, but Wagaman's taking advantage of his opportunities in August, slashing .250/.345/.583 over 55 plate appearances with half of his 12 hits (two triples and four homers) going for extra bases.
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Jared Triolo SS | PIT
Pirates' Jared Triolo: Goes yard again
Triolo went 2-for-2 with a three-run home run and a stolen base during Sunday's 4-0 win over the Rockies.
Triolo has homered in back-to-back games, a streak that immediately followed a homer drought that lasted over two months and spanned 85 at-bats. Sunday's long ball was Triolo's fifth of the season, and his stolen base put his season total at nine. Triolo has a hit in each of his last five games, going 8-for-17 (.471) with four extra-base hits during that stretch.