MLB Player News
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Nicky Lopez 3B | CHC
Royals' Nicky Lopez: Picks up steal
Lopez went 0-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 8-5 extra-inning win over the Twins.
The steal was Lopez's first since May 29. He's got decent speed, though he's had trouble getting on base lately, as he's hitting just .143 over 10 contests since the All-Star break. Lopez lacks an everyday place in the lineup, instead serving as depth in the infield and left field. He has a poor .210/.322/.280 slash line with four steals, 13 RBI, 18 runs scored, five doubles and three triples through 67 contests, and he's yet to hit a home run this season.
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Brandon Drury 2B | KC
Angels' Brandon Drury: Targeting Thursday return
Drury (shoulder) said Saturday that he will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake this week and hopes to return Thursday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.
Drury has been on the injured list since July 2 with inflammation in his left shoulder and appears to finally be nearing the end of his rehab process. The 30-year-old infielder is slashing .277/.322/.500 with 14 homers and 45 RBI on the season and figures to resume everyday duties once he returns from his assignment.
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Luis Garcia 1B | WAS
Nationals' Luis Garcia: Swats sixth homer
Garcia went 3-for-4 with a double and a solo home run in Friday's 5-1 loss to the Mets.
He spoiled Max Scherzer's shutout bid in the seventh inning with his sixth long ball of the season, but that was one of the few bright spots on the night for the Nationals. Garcia snapped a 44-game homer drought with the blast, a stretch in which the 23-year-old slashed .245/.275/.308 with 16 runs, 16 RBI and four steals.
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Whit Merrifield 2B | ATL
Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Big game from top of order
Merrifield went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, a second run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 4-1 win over the Angels.
After swiping a bag in the sixth inning he took Jose Soriano deep in the seventh, giving Merrifield eight homers and 21 steals on the season to go with his .305/.354/.425 slash line. The 34-year-old moved up to the leadoff spot Friday, with George Springer shifting down to the five hole, and Merrifield could get a long look at the top of the order given his initial success.
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Nolan Gorman 3B | STL
Cardinals' Nolan Gorman: Collects sixth steal
Gorman went 1-for-4 with a double and a stolen base in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Cubs.
Gorman tried to spark the Cardinals' offense on his own in the sixth inning with a double before stealing third base, but he was left stranded. The second baseman started July cold, but he's gone 19-for-65 (.292) with six home runs, 16 RBI, six doubles and two steals over his last 18 games. For the season, the slugger has a .243/.323/.498 slash line with 22 homers, 16 doubles, six steals, 65 RBI and 45 runs scored over 94 contests.
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Ketel Marte 2B | ARI
Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte: Gets aboard four times
Marte went 3-for-4 with a walk in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Mariners.
Marte was able to make some noise against his former team, but he wasn't directly involved in any run-scoring plays. He saw a six-game hitting streak end Wednesday versus the Cardinals, but he's still logged six multi-hit efforts in 13 games since the All-Star break. The second baseman is at a .296/.375/.517 slash line with 17 home runs, 55 RBI, 70 runs scored and six stolen bases through 97 contests.
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Jose Caballero 2B | NYY
Mariners' Jose Caballero: Picks up steal Friday
Caballero went 0-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks.
Caballero was in the lineup for the first time in a week, and he has picked up just one at-bat during that stretch of riding pine. The second baseman has again lost out on playing time to Kolten Wong, and it appears Dylan Moore has also passed Caballero on the depth chart. Nonetheless, Caballero offers some speed -- he has six steals over 14 contests in July, and he's up to 17 thefts on the year. He's added a middling .224/.351/.327 slash line over 202 plate appearances.
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Brandon Lowe 2B | PIT
Rays' Brandon Lowe: Homer, steal in win
Lowe went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run and a stolen base in Friday's 4-3 victory over the Astros.
Lowe is beginning to tap into his power again after he endured a power outage in his first couple weeks back from the injured list. He has two homers in his last three games, bringing him up to 12 on the season. The second baseman stole a base after being hit by a pitch in the sixth inning, his fifth steal this season, which sets him up to potentially establish a new career high (his best is seven) in the category before season's end.
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Christian Arroyo 2B | NYM
Red Sox's Christian Arroyo: On bench Friday
Arroyo is not in the lineup Friday at San Francisco.
Justin Turner will make a second straight start at second base and might become more of a regular presence there for Boston down the stretch, although the return of Trevor Story (elbow) figures to shuffle the Boston infield once again. Arroyo has slashed just .247/.276/.379 in 193 plate appearances when healthy this season.