MLB Player News
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Chris Shaw 1B | CHW
Giants' Chris Shaw: Two home runs in Las Vegas
Shaw went 3-for-4 with two home runs Wednesday for Triple-A Sacramento in Las Vegas.
Shaw had struck out nine times in his previous 14 at-bats, so this was a much needed slump buster. His .263/.320/547 slash line and seven home runs in 103 plate appearances is on par with what most were expecting in his return trip to the Pacific Coast League, but his 38.8 percent strikeout rate is very concerning, specifically regarding his short-term prospects. He will need to get the strikeouts under control before he can be viewed as a viable option in the big-league outfield.
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Anthony Rizzo 1B | NYY
Cubs' Anthony Rizzo: Goes deep in second straight game
Rizzo went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Rockies.
Rizzo had a brutal opening month of the season, but he's now left the park in consecutive games -- his first two blasts since a solo shot on Opening Day. The 28-year-old has just a .171/.269/.280 slash line on the year, but should eventually start turning it around as he's been plagued by an unsustainably low .164 BABIP.
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Matt Olson 1B | ATL
Athletics' Matt Olson: Day off against left-hander
Olson is not in the lineup against the Mariners on Wednesday.
Olson will get the night off with southpaw James Paxton pitching for Seattle. Mark Canha will get the start at first base while Jake Smolinski starts in center field.
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Rhys Hoskins 1B | CLE
Phillies' Rhys Hoskins: Settling into second spot
Hoskins is batting second for the third straight game Wednesday against the Marlins.
The Phillies shuffled their lineup at the start of the week, bumping the struggling Carlos Santana back to fifth while moving Hoskins to second and Aaron Altherr to cleanup. The altered order should see Hoskins lose some RBI but gain some runs, a largely fantasy-neutral outcome, but he'll also see a small increase in his total number of plate appearances.
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Justin Bour 1B | SF
Marlins' Justin Bour: Starting again Wednesday
Bour (back) is back in the lineup Wednesday against the Phillies, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.
Bour had missed four starts with back spasms, though he was able to return as a pinch hitter Tuesday. He's hitting a solid .253/.356/.448 with five homers through his first 101 plate appearances.
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Justin Bour 1B | SF
Marlins' Justin Bour: Connects on pinch-hit homer Tuesday
Bour (back) went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Tuesday's win over the Phillies in extras.
Pinch hitting for Jarlin Garcia in the sixth inning, Bour took Zach Eflin deep for his fifth homer of the season and then remained in the game at first base. Manager Don Mattingly could elect to keep Bour out of the starting lineup again Wednesday, giving his back extra rest with an off day coming Thursday, but it appears as though the slugger is ready to rejoin the starting nine.
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Christian Walker 1B | HOU
Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Connects on first homer of season
Walker delivered a pinch-hit solo home run in the Diamondbacks' 4-3 win over the Dodgers on Tuesday.
Walker joined the Diamondbacks nearly a month ago following a stay at Triple-A Reno, but he has been limited to just one start and 14 total at-bats during his time with the big club. As he displayed with Tuesday's home run off Clayton Kershaw -- which measured an estimated 479 feet, according to Statcast -- and throughout his 2017 campaign at Reno, Walker boasts impressive power, but his swing-and-miss ways and lack of defensive flexibility seem likely to limit him to a bench role so long as he sticks around in Arizona. It would probably take an injury to Paul Goldschmidt before Walker receives a longer look.
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Matt Olson 1B | ATL
Athletics' Matt Olson: Reaches base three times in loss
Olson went 1-for-2 with a double and two walks in Tuesday's loss to the Mariners.
Olson exploded for 24 home runs in just 59 games in the majors last season, and while he hasn't been able to match that torrid pace in 2018 with just three so far, the 24-year-old is still finding a way to reach base consistently. The power will likely come around at some point, though that could be met with a bit of regression in his average -- he currently has an unsustainably high .393 BABIP.
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Freddie Freeman 1B | LAD
Braves' Freddie Freeman: Drives in two
Freeman went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI and a run scored Tuesday against the Mets.
Freeman played a part in all of the Braves' offensive production Tuesday, lacing a two RBI double down the right-field line in the first inning and later coming around to score in the same inning. It's been business as usual for him this season, and though he only has four home runs, he has 17 extra-base hits and is hitting .318/.435/.561 in 107 at-bats.
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Anthony Rizzo 1B | NYY
Cubs' Anthony Rizzo: Hits leadoff home run Tuesday
Rizzo went 1-for-4 with a leadoff home run in Tuesday's loss to the Rockies.
Rizzo has been struggling this season, so manager Joe Maddon moved him up in the order Tuesday in an effort to get him going, and it paid immediate dividends in the first inning. The slugging first baseman went 15-for-50 with five homers and 12 RBI in a limited run as the leadoff hitter last season, and after Tuesday's blast, he'll likely get a few opportunities there at least in the short term.