MLB Player News
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Drew Maggi 3B | PIT
Indians' Drew Maggi: Suspended 50 games
Maggi was handed a 50-game suspension after testing positive for Amphetamine, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Maggi is with Triple-A Columbus after spending spring training with the Indians as a non-roster invitee. The infielder has yet to play a game at the major-league level and spent the entirety of the 2017 season with the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate.
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Royce Lewis 3B | MIN
Twins' Royce Lewis: Opens back with Cedar Rapids
Lewis will open the year back with Low-A Cedar Rapids.
A more aggressive organization may have sent Lewis, who hit .296/.363/.394 in 80 plate appearances with the Kernels last year, to High-A, but the Twins went the more rational route and sent him back to the Midwest League. It would not be surprising if he hit the ground running and forced a promotion to the Florida State League before he turns 19 on June 5.
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Jean Segura 3B | CLE
Mariners' Jean Segura: Hit parade continues Tuesday
Segura went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and two runs in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Giants.
A 1-for-8 start over his first two games didn't faze Segura, who's bounced back to go 5-for-8 with two doubles, an RBI, Tuesday's walk and three runs over the subsequent pair of contests. One of the better pure hitters in baseball over the last two seasons, Segura's current surge serves as a tangible reminder of the upside he offers if he can remain healthier than 2017, when he played in only 125 games primarily due to a multi-week ankle injury.
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Cody Asche 3B | NYM
Yankees' Cody Asche: Dealt to Yankees
Asche was shipped to the Yankees on Wednesday in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
Asche is expected to provide a little extra depth as a utility man for the Yankees in Triple-A, though it's unlikely that he will make much of an impact at the fantasy level even if he makes it up to the majors. The 27-year-old only appeared in 19 big-league games for the White Sox last season, hitting a measly .105/.177/.175 with 21 strikeouts in 57 at-bats.
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Matt Duffy 3B | TEX
Rays' Matt Duffy: Takes seat Wednesday
Duffy is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Duffy will take a seat following a rough showing in the series opener Tuesday, when he went 0-for-5 and committed his second error of the season. Daniel Robertson will man third base in Duffy's stead.
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Jose Ramirez 3B | CLE
Indians' Jose Ramirez: Snaps 0-for-15 skid with homer
Ramirez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk to account for Cleveland's only runs in its 13-2 loss to the Angels on Wednesday.
It was the first hit of 2018 for the dynamic young infielder, who was 0-for-15 on the season before breaking through with Wednesday's first-inning blast off Garrett Richards. With the hitless streak now dispatched, Ramirez will look to get back to the form that turned him into an MVP candidate last season, when he posted a ridiculous .318/.374/.583 slash line.
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Jeimer Candelario 3B | LAA
Tigers' Jeimer Candelario: Not making impact in two hole
Candelario went 1-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts in Tuesday's 1-0 loss to the Royals.
None of the Detroit hitters were able to get much going thanks to the cold and damp weather and the strong showing from Royals pitcher Jakob Junis on the mound, but Candelario's underwhelming contributions loom a little larger than most given his standing as the Tigers' No. 2 hitter. Fortunately for Candelario, the Tigers don't have many real threats on the roster to displace him from the two hole, as his weak .320 on-base percentage through five games still ranks fourth among lineup regulars.
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Josh Donaldson 3B | MIL
Blue Jays' Josh Donaldson: Back at third
Donaldson is the starting third baseman for Tuesday's tilt with the White Sox, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Donaldson had been limited to DH duties due to a case of dead arm, but it seems like he's feeling well enough to return to the field. He's gotten a hit in his past three contests, including a homer in Monday's series opener, so it doesn't seem like the issue is overly problematic. It's still worth monitoring moving forward.
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Matt Chapman 3B | SF
Athletics' Matt Chapman: Smacks round tripper for second straight day
Chapman went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 3-1 win over the Rangers.
That's homers in back-to-back games for Chapman, who's also reached safely in all five games of the season thus far. The 24-year-old has also gone down on strikes at least once in four of those contests, so his career-long struggles with contact rate remain very much a part of his profile for the time being. However, the early power display hints at room for growth on the 14 round trippers he slugged over 326 plate appearances in his rookie campaign.
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Drew Robinson 3B | TEX
Rangers' Drew Robinson: Makes second straight start
Robinson went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 3-1 loss to the Athletics.
Robinson made a second consecutive start in center field, filling in for the injured Delino Deshields, who will miss four-to-six weeks after undergoing surgery to remove the hamate bone in his left hand. He's not very experienced at the position, having played just five games out there prior to 2018, and the Rangers are exploring center field options on the market, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Still, Robinson, who's had a hand in two of the three runs the offensively starved Rangers scored over the last two games, will get a majority of the at-bats in center field for now. Texas also has Rule 5 selection Carlos Tocci who can play center field, but the organization didn't plan for him to have a regular role this season.