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Amed Rosario 3B | NYY
Guardians' Amed Rosario: Swipes first bag of year
Rosario went 2-for-6 with an RBI and his first stolen base of the season in Friday's 9-4 win over the Mariners.
Cleveland went 3-for-3 on the basepaths in total against Cal Raleigh and Seattle's pitchers, and given the Guardians' speed up and down the lineup, they could be one of the clubs that benefits most from MLB's rule changes to boost the running game. Rosario has hit second in each of the first two games of 2023, and a consistent spot in the lineup between Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez can only help his fantasy production.
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Elvis Andrus 2B | ARI
White Sox's Elvis Andrus: Tallies first steal
Andrus went 1-for-4 with a stolen base Friday against the Astros.
After hitting eighth Opening Day, Andrus hit at the bottom of the White Sox's order Friday. He reached base on an infield single in the fifth inning and then proceeded to swipe second base -- his first steal of the season -- before being stranded. Andrus is locked into the starting second base role in Chicago, and he should be a source of moderate production in both home runs and stolen bases.
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David Hensley 1B | DET
Astros' David Hensley: Reaches base three times
Hensley went 2-for-3 with an RBI, a walk and a stolen base during Friday's win against the White Sox.
The 27-year-old made his season debut after Mauricio Dubon started at second base Thursday. Hensley impressed by reaching base three times, including in the eighth inning on a 101.8 mph single. He posted a 1.027 OPS in a small MLB sample last season and looks to be paving the way for regular playing time, at least until Jose Altuve (thumb) returns.
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Edouard Julien 2B | COL
Twins' Edouard Julien: Homers in Triple-A debut
Julien (ankle) went 1-for-4 with a home run Friday for Triple-A St. Paul.
Julien hurt his ankle late in spring training but it doesn't seem to be an issue to begin the regular season. Julien begins the minor-league season where he left off in the spring, as he homered in his first game for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic and also hit three home runs in big-league spring training with a 1.114 OPS. A strong start at Triple-A could see him called up earlier rather than later this season, especially if Jorge Polanco's knee injury becomes a long-term issue.
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Tony Kemp 2B | MIN
Athletics' Tony Kemp: Delivers key double in win
Kemp went 1-for-3 with an RBI double, a walk and a run in the Athletics' win over the Angels on Thursday.
The veteran operated out of the leadoff spot and ignited an eighth-inning rally with a double into the left-center gap that brought home Esteury Ruiz with the tying run. Kemp subsequently scored what would prove to be the winning run on an Aledmys Diaz single. It's an encouraging start to the campaign for Kemp following a spring in which he hit a middling .233 across 53 plate appearances.
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David Hensley 1B | DET
Astros' David Hensley: Gets start at second Friday
Hensley is starting at second base and batting seventh Friday night against the White Sox.
Mauricio Dubon got the start at second in Thursday's season opener and went 0-for-3 as the Astros fell 3-2 to Dylan Cease and the White Sox. Now it will be Hensley's turn versus Lance Lynn. Hensley has the better offensive upside of the two fill-in options for Jose Altuve (thumb), and would be the more intriguing fantasy option if he can seize a full-time role.
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Romy Gonzalez DH | BOS
White Sox's Romy Gonzalez: Starts against lefty
Gonzalez went 1-for-2 in Thursday's win over the Astros.
Gonzalez started in right field and hit ninth, earning the start over Oscar Colas. That's likely only because lefty Framber Valdez was on the mound for Houston, as Colas is expected to see the majority of playing time at the position. Gonzalez earned 109 plate appearances in the majors in 2022 and posted a .238/.257/.352 line.
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Mauricio Dubon LF | ATL
Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Gets start in opener
Dubon went 0-for-3 in Thursday's loss to the White Sox.
Dubon drew the start at second base Opening Day and hit ninth. He didn't make an impact on the stat sheet, though it appears that he will have the first chance to hold down the second base job in the absence of Jose Altuve (hand). Dubon slashed just .214/.252/.313 across 265 plate appearances in 2022, and if he doesn't improve his contributions on offense, David Hensley could receive an opportunity at the keystone.
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Adam Frazier 2B | LAA
Orioles' Adam Frazier: Impressive in Baltimore debut
Frazier went 2-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, a stolen base and three runs scored in Thursday's 10-9 win over the Red Sox.
Frazier's power was virtually non-existent with the Mariners last year -- he had just three home runs, 22 doubles and a career-worst .311 slugging percentage in 156 games. Getting out of Seattle should help his bat a bit, though he's never had more than 10 homers in a season. The 31-year-old is expected to see most of his time at second base in 2023, but he can also play in the corner outfield, so he should be in the lineup more often than not.
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Gleyber Torres 2B | DET
Yankees' Gleyber Torres: Homers in NYY opener
Torres went 1-for-3 with two-run home run, a walk, an additional run scored and a stolen base during Thursday's 5-0 win over the Giants.
Starting at DH and batting sixth, Torres took Logan Webb deep to right in the bottom of the fourth inning. He then drew a walk and eventually crossed the plate again on a DJ LeMahieu single in the bottom of the seventh. Trade rumors swirled around Torres all spring as the Yankees continued to lose starting pitchers to injuries, but he remains in the Bronx with the tools to provide strong fantasy production throughout the 2023 campaign and is off to a strong start.