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Luis Garcia 1B | NYY
Nationals' Luis Garcia: Two hits in big-league debut
Garcia went 2-for-5 with a double, a run scored and two RBI in Friday's 15-3 rout of the Orioles.
Called up for his big-league debut after Starlin Castro (wrist) landed on the injured list, Garcia showed off his plus hit tool right out of the gate, looping a single into left field in the third inning for his first MLB knock and then ripping a double to the wall in the right-field corner in the eighth for his first RBI. The Nats have veteran options like Asdrubal Cabrera or Josh Harrison available to fill in at second base if they choose, but the 20-year-old Garcia may get a long look at the keystone first.
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Brandon Lowe 2B | PIT
Rays' Brandon Lowe: Homers in third consecutive game
Lowe went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and three RBI in Friday's loss to the Blue Jays.
Lowe remained hot in Friday's series opener against the Blue Jays, but the Rays' bullpen struggled late in the game. Lowe has multiple RBI in each of the past three games, and he's carrying a 1.096 OPS with six home runs and 19 RBI over the first 20 games of the season.
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Luis Garcia 1B | NYY
Nationals' Luis Garcia: Contract selected by Nationals
Garcia's contract was selected by the Nationals on Friday, and he'll start in the team's originally scheduled game against the Orioles, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Garcia was on the taxi squad for the team's current road trip, and he'll join the active roster after Starlin Castro was placed on the 10-day injured list with a broken right wrist. The 20-year-old will make his major-league debut against the Orioles and could carve out playing time at second base while Castro is sidelined.
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Ozzie Albies 2B | ATL
Braves' Ozzie Albies: Hits off tee
Albies (wrist) took swings off a tee Friday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
It's the first indication of the 23-year-old participating in baseball activities since being placed on the injured list Aug. 5. Manager Brian Snitker said he doesn't expect Albies to be activated next week, so he's unlikely to rejoin the Braves until late August. Johan Camargo should continue to see the bulk of the work at the keystone in his absence.
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Tony Kemp 2B | MIN
Athletics' Tony Kemp: Could shift up to second in order
Kemp is a candidate to fill the No. 2 spot in the order during Ramon Laureano's four-game suspension, which begins Friday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The veteran infielder has seen action in 13 of the Athletics' first 17 games, slashing .259/.429/.259 across 36 plate appearances. Kemp has yet to hit any higher than eighth in his 10 starts during that span, but his 22.2 percent walk rate and speed make him a candidate for a spot near the top of the order against right-handed pitching.
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Amed Rosario 3B | NYY
Mets' Amed Rosario: Back in action Friday
Rosario (illness) is starting at shortstop and batting ninth Friday at Philadelphia.
The 24-year-old missed the last three games due to a stomach illness, but he'll rejoin the starting nine for Friday's series opener. Rosario has a .207/.207/.310 slash line with eight runs and four RBI through 58 plate appearances.
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Jeff McNeil 2B | ATH
Mets' Jeff McNeil: Sitting as expected Friday
McNeil (knee) feels better but isn't in the lineup Friday against the Phillies, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.
The 28-year-old was carted off the field Thursday and is considered day-to-day after being diagnosed with a bone bruise in his left knee, but a quick return Friday never seemed likely. McNeil isn't expected to require a trip to the injured list after his X-ray and MRI results came back clean, but he may not be available for the entire weekend series in Philadelphia.
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Xavier Edwards 2B | MIA
Rays' Xavier Edwards: Joins player pool
Edwards was added to the Rays' player pool Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Edwards came over from the Padres in the Tommy Pham trade over the winter. He's an interesting prospect, with plenty of speed and the ability to hit for average, though he's unlikely to help the Rays this season as he's yet to reach Double-A.
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Adam Frazier 2B | LAA
Pirates' Adam Frazier: Slugs third homer
Frazier went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs scored Thursday against the Reds.
Frazier led off the game with a solo home run into the right-field stands, his third long ball of the season. He scored an additional run in the second inning after singling in the midst of a massive rally by the Pirates. Frazier has started the campaign slowly, but now has three multi-hit efforts in his last four starts. His .194/.250/.343 line is still subpar, but Frazier has started to heat up at the dish.