MLB Player News
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Luis Garcia 2B | WAS
Nationals' Luis Garcia: Heads to bench
Garcia will sit Tuesday against the Pirates, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Garcia was recalled at the start of June and found himself in the lineup for 25 straight games. His .337/.347/.500 line in those games represents a major improvement over the .254/.285/.395 line he managed in 110 games over the previous two years, though it does come with a fair amount of good fortune in the form of a .397 BABIP. Alcides Escobar will be the shortstop Tuesday.
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Jonathan India 2B | KC
Reds' Jonathan India: Ready to go Tuesday
India (hand) will start at second base and bat leadoff in Tuesday's game against the Cubs.
India was withheld from the starting nine for Sunday's 10-3 win over the Giants after he was hit by a pitch in his right hand a night earlier, but the day out of the lineup coupled with Monday's off day looks as though it provided sufficient time for the reigning National League Rookie of the Year to move past the injury. Since he returned from the injured list June 13 after battling a strained right hamstring, India is hitting .128 with a home run and a stolen base over 10 games.
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Luis Guillorme 3B | HOU
Mets' Luis Guillorme: Not starting Tuesday
Guillorme will sit Tuesday against Houston.
Guillorme sits after making five straight starts at second base, a stretch in which he recorded just three hits. Jeff McNeil returns from a hamstring injury to start at the keystone.
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Jeff McNeil 2B | ATH
Mets' Jeff McNeil: Returns to lineup
McNeil (hamstring) will bat eighth and play second base Tuesday against the Astros.
McNeil hasn't played in over a week due to right hamstring tightness, but he managed to avoid a trip to the injured list. He'll carry an eight-game hitting streak from prior to the injury into Tuesday's contest.
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Nolan Gorman 2B | STL
Cardinals' Nolan Gorman: Sits against southpaw
Gorman will be on the bench Tuesday against lefty Braxton Garrett and the Marlins, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Gorman has made just a single start against a southpaw since he was called up in late May. The strict platoon usage seems to be working out, as Gorman is hitting .254/.313/.449 (good for a 117 wRC+) in 35 games, so he'll likely remain in a platoon role for now. Tommy Edman slides to second base in his absence while Edmundo Sosa starts at shortstop.
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Michael Chavis 2B | CIN
Pirates' Michael Chavis: Not starting Monday
Chavis isn't starting Monday's game against the Nationals, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Chavis is getting a day off after he went 0-for-8 with four strikeouts over the last two games. Josh VanMeter will start at first base while Hoy Park takes over at the keystone Monday.
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Josh Rojas 3B | CHW
Diamondbacks' Josh Rojas: Leads off again
Rojas batted leadoff and went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 11-7 win over Detroit.
This was the second straight game in the leadoff spot for Rojas, both against righties, as it appears manager Torey Lovullo is giving Daulton Varsho a break from that role. Since being hit on the right shoulder blade May 27, Varsho had gone 15-for-86 (.174) with a .428 OPS before delivering a pair of hits, including a three-run home run, Sunday. Rojas has experience as a leadoff batter -- a career 83 games started at the top of the order is his most of any spot in the order -- and has generally hit among the top three in the order since the middle of May. The infielder initially batted in the lower half of the order following a stay on the injured list that forced him to miss the first five weeks of the season.
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Ketel Marte 2B | ARI
Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte: Not full speed yet
Marte is taking groundballs and hitting during practice but is not yet up to full speed after missing time due to a hamstring injury, Jose M. Romero of the Arizona Republic reports.
Marte served as the designated hitter for a fifth consecutive game Sunday. The Diamondbacks are being careful with their starting second baseman, who's had a history over hamstring injuries. The team is off Monday, so the next chance for Marte to take the field is Tuesday against the Padres.
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Brandon Drury 2B | KC
Reds' Brandon Drury: Hits first triple
Drury went 2-for-5 with an RBI triple and a run scored in a 10-3 win over the Giants on Sunday.
Drury opened the offensive floodgates in the third inning with a triple off Anthony DeSclafani, his first of the season. The 29-year-old third baseman has a six-game hitting streak going and is on pace for a career year. According to Fangraphs, Drury has already accumulated a 1.8 WAR this year to tie his career-best season-long total from 2018. Drury's offensive production has been a pleasant surprise for a player with numerous seasons below replacement-level value.
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Brendan Donovan 2B | SEA
Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Homers and triples in loss
Donovan went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a triple, a walk and two runs scored in a 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Cubs on Sunday.
Donovan helped the Cardinals get to innings-eater Alec Mills early and often. He hit his first career triple in the bottom of the first before coming in to score a run on a Nolan Arenado single. He then led off the third with the first of three Cardinals solo home runs in the inning. The rookie left-handed bat has bounced around the Cardinals lineup so far this year, but with an elite .426 OBP it wouldn't be a surprise to see him continue to hit out of the two hole like he did Sunday.