MLB Player News
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Javier Baez SS | DET
Tigers' Javier Baez: Gaining traction in center field
Baez will start in center field and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Padres.
Baez will pick up his sixth straight start and his third in a row in center field, a position he hadn't played professionally prior to this season. The 32-year-old looks on track to serve as the Tigers' preferred option in center until the team gets one of Matt Vierling (shoulder), Wenceel Perez (back) or Parker Meadows (arm) back from the injured list. Baez is hitting .274 on the season, but he has yet to record a home run or stolen base and has logged just four RBI and five runs over 66 plate appearances.
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Royce Lewis 3B | MIN
Twins' Royce Lewis: Rehab assignment imminent
Lewis (hamstring) is expected to begin a rehab assignment later this week, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.
Lewis did sprints Monday and ran the bases Tuesday to test out his left hamstring, coming out of the workouts with no issues. He's also been doing on-field batting practice and infield drills for a couple weeks. It's not clear how many rehab games Lewis will require, but he looks to be tracking toward an early May season debut.
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Jace Jung 2B | DET
Tigers' Jace Jung: Not starting versus lefty
Jung is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Padres.
It's southpaw Kyle Hart on the mound for the Padres, so the left-handed-hitting Jung will begin the festivities on the bench. Andy Ibanez will play third base and bat cleanup for Detroit.
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Cam Smith 3B | HOU
Astros' Cam Smith: Could see time in center field
Smith took flyballs in center field prior to Monday's game against the Blue Jays and the Astros are considering using him at the position, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Smith has exceeded expectations with how well he's taken to right field, a position he had never played before. The transition has been so seamless that the team is mulling using Smith in center field on days when it's looking to inject more offense into the lineup. The idea of Smith playing center field "is in its infancy," per Rome, and may never happen, but if it does, Zach Dezenzo would likely play right field those days, with Jake Meyers on the bench.
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Maikel Garcia 3B | KC
Royals' Maikel Garcia: Nabs stolen base Tuesday
Garcia went 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base in Tuesday's win over the Rockies.
Garcia posted his second straight game with multiple hits and has now reached base multiple times in five of his last six games. Over that span, he's recorded a .520 on-base percentage. For the season, Garcia is hitting .289/.360/.434 with two homers, 10 RBI, eight runs, three steals and a 9:13 BB:K in 86 plate appearances.
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Josh H. Smith SS | TEX
Rangers' Josh Smith: Moved to leadoff
Smith batted leadoff and went 1-for-4 with a walk, a home run, an RBI and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 8-5 win over the Athletics.
Among the several lineup tweaks made by Texas manager Bruce Bochy, Smith was moved to the leadoff spot with Marcus Semien being dropped to fifth. The move, designed to fix a struggling offense, paid off for at least one night. The lineup and batting order tweaks came against a right-hander, and it's uncertain if Bochy will continue the practice against lefties. That will be determined Wednesday when the Rangers face southpaw JP Sears. One thing for certain is that Smith is hitting well out of the gates and getting his bat in the lineup is needed. He started in center field in place of Leody Taveras on Tuesday and eventually moved to shortstop when Corey Seager was removed due to a hamstring injury. In the past, Smith has been the primary fill-in at short whenever Seager dealt with an injury.
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Isaac Paredes 3B | HOU
Astros' Isaac Paredes: Gets back on track with solo homer
Paredes went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's win over Toronto.
The infielder followed up a three-game homer streak in mid-April with a 3-for-24 skid with no extra-base hits, but he got back on track Tuesday with a seventh-inning shot to give the Astros a late insurance run. Through his first 100 plate appearances, Paredes is slashing .233/.340/.384 with four long balls, one double, 13 RBI and 10 runs scored. As long as he maintains a spot in the heart of Houston's lineup, Paredes should have plenty of RBI chances going forward.
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Alex Bregman 3B | BOS
Red Sox's Alex Bregman: Drives in three runs vs. Seattle
Bregman went 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI in Tuesday's 8-3 win over the Mariners.
Bregman gave the Red Sox the lead in the third inning with an RBI single, and he followed that up with a two-run double in the fifth frame to give Boston a 4-1 advantage. The 31-year-old third baseman has had a productive start to his Red Sox tenure and is slashing .302/.376/.521 with one stolen base, 15 runs scored, four home runs and 19 RBI in 96 plate appearances this season.
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Luis Rengifo 3B | LAA
Angels' Luis Rengifo: Resting Tuesday
Rengifo isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Pirates after getting a root canal Monday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Rengifo has been cleared to play and may still be available off the bench Tuesday, though the Angels may look to give him a day off after going 1-for-12 against the Giants over the weekend. Kevin Newman will take over at third base and bat ninth Tuesday.