MLB Player News
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Jeff McNeil 2B | ATH
Mets' Jeff McNeil: Takes seat Sunday
McNeil is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.
McNeil heads to the bench after starting the last seven games, as he has one hit in his last 18 plate appearances despite not striking out once. Jose Reyes draws the start at second base against Wei-Yin Chen and the Marlins.
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Amed Rosario 3B | NYY
Mets' Amed Rosario: Three hits in win over Marlins
Rosario went 3-for-5 with two RBI in Friday's 6-2 win over the Marlins.
Mets manager Mickey Callaway continues to ride with Rosario as his leadoff hitter in an effort to force the youngster to focus on working the count and making contact, and at least for one day, the experiment paid off. The 22-year-old still only has a .235/.278/.349 slash line on the season, however, including a .219/.257/.250 performance over eight games in August.
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Adam Frazier 2B | LAA
Pirates' Adam Frazier: Stays hot against Rockies
Frazier went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles against Colorado on Wednesday.
He also made a potentially game-saving defensive play at second base. Wednesday's start was Frazier's first since Sunday, but he's produced whenever he's played. Since his recall in late July, the 26-year-old is slashing .432/.447/.757 with 10 extra-base hits in 38 plate appearances.
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Luis Garcia 1B | WAS
Nationals' Luis Garcia: Stays hot at High-A
Garcia went 3-for-5 with one run, four RBI and a steal in Tuesday's game for High-A Potomac.
Garcia turned 18 in mid-May, so the fact that he's even at High-A is incredibly impressive. He is now hitting .313/.339/.438 in 119 plate appearances in the Carolina League -- good for a 117 wRC+. Garcia will unlock more power as he continues to mature and he is at least an above-average runner, so he should chip in double-digit steals early in his big-league career. However, the big selling point is the hit tool, which is looking like one of the best in the minors. He may be assigned to Double-A next year before he turns 19.
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Brendan Rodgers 2B | BOS
Rockies' Brendan Rodgers: Slow start at Triple-A
Rodgers is hitting .241 with zero home runs, zero walks and seven strikeouts in his first seven games (29 plate appearances) with Triple-A Albuquerque.
He was promoted from Double-A on July 31 after hitting .275/.342/.493 with 17 home runs and 12 steals in 402 plate appearances with the Yard Goats. While his aggressive, pull-heavy approach would typically portend subpar batting averages in the big leagues, he will presumably have the luxury of calling Coors Field home, which will help a lot in that regard. Rodgers has received starts at shortstop, second base and third base since his promotion, which makes sense, as it's unclear where he will play when he reaches the big leagues. Garrett Hampson is closer to being big-league ready, so he and Ryan McMahon will likely compete in spring training to replace DJ LeMahieu (who is a free agent after this season) at second base. If neither of those players impresses as an everyday second baseman, Rodgers could get his chance there at some point next summer, while also representing a replacement option if Nolan Arenado or Trevor Story gets hurt in 2019.
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Christopher Bostick 2B | PIT
Pirates' Chris Bostick: Designated for assignment
Bostick was designated for assignment by the Pirates on Tuesday, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
The Pirates needed to open up a spot on the 40-man for Buddy Boshers, who was claimed off waivers from the Astros on Tuesday, and Bostick was the roster casualty. The 25-year-old hit a respectable .295/.351/.436 across 78 games with Triple-A Indianapolis this season. He'll take a spin through waivers to determine where he lands.
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Ozzie Albies 2B | ATL
Braves' Ozzie Albies: Heads to bench for Game 2 of twin bill
Albies is not in the lineup for Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Nationals.
Albies will head to the bench for the second half of Tuesday's twin bill after going 2-for-4 with a run scored in Game 1. Charlie Culberson will start at the keystone and hit second in his stead.
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Luis Urias 2B | ATH
Padres' Luis Urias: Blasts eighth home run
Urias went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double and a walk Monday in Triple-A El Paso's 10-3 win over Round Rock.
After a downturn in productivity throughout July, Urias' all-fields contact skills have resurfaced through El Paso's first six games of the month. In those contests, the second baseman has gone 10-for-23 with five extra-base knocks, lifting his season average and on-base percentage to .275 and .386, respectively. Since Urias currently lacks a spot on the Padres' 40-man roster, a second-half promotion isn't necessarily a given, though Dennis Lin of The Athletic San Diego reports that the 21-year-old is expected to hit the big leagues by mid-September.
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Jeff McNeil 2B | ATH
Mets' Jeff McNeil: Smacks second homer
McNeil went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Monday's win over the Reds.
The 26-year-old has done nothing but hit at every level this season including the majors, and McNeil now boasts a .364/.462/.606 slash line with two homers in his first 12 big-league games. He'll cool down eventually, but the previously unheralded 12th-round pick (2013) has seemingly put himself in the Mets' future plans.