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Matt Chapman 3B | SF
Athletics' Matt Chapman: Hits 10th homer of season
Chapman went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs in Oakland's 3-2 victory over Kansas City on Sunday.
Chapman's been swinging a hot bat, as he now has seven hits in his last 13 at-bats, with four runs and a pair of RBI to go along with this eighth-inning blast off Royals reliever Jason Adam. The long ball gives him 10 for the season, and Chapman is now slashing a respectable .245/.339/.435 through 237 at-bats.
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Rafael Devers 1B | SF
Red Sox's Rafael Devers: Reaches base twice
Devers went 1-for-2 with one walk and an RBI during Sunday's loss to the White Sox.
Devers drove in a run during the second inning on a single to right center, tying the game at one, although Chicago would ultimately pull away for the 5-2 victory. Despite a dismal .232 batting average, the 21-year-old is starting to put it together at the dish, collecting a base knock in each of his last five games. Devers has slugged nine home runs and driven in 29 across 58 games in just his second season of big-league action.
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Danny Valencia 3B | BAL
Orioles' Danny Valencia: Sitting out with illness Sunday
Valencia was held out of the lineup Sunday against the Blue Jays due to an illness, Steve Melewski of MASN Sports reports.
Orioles manager Buck Showalter said prior to the start of the contest that Valencia could be sent back to the team hotel to recuperate from the illness, so it's uncertain if he'll be available off the bench Sunday to pinch hit. Unless his condition takes a turn for the worse overnight, Valencia is expected to rejoin the Baltimore lineup Monday against the Red Sox and should be on tap for a full slate of starts during the upcoming week. Valencia has hit .348 over his last 26 games, making him one of the more productive batters in a porous Orioles attack.
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Danny Valencia 3B | BAL
Orioles' Danny Valencia: Held out of lineup Sunday
Valencia is out of the lineup Sunday against the Blue Jays, Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Valencia will head to the bench for the first time in seven games as manager Buck Showalter clears a spot at the hot corner for leadoff man Jace Peterson in the series finale. Though Valencia has historically done his best work as a short-side platoon bat, he has been a surprisingly strong performer against right-handers this season, hitting .313/.348/.516 across 69 plate appearances. Despite dropping out of the lineup Sunday, Valencia still appears locked in for something close to a full-time role with the Orioles while he continues to impress at the plate.
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Jace Peterson SS | ARI
Orioles' Jace Peterson: Leads off for second straight game
Peterson will serve as the Orioles' leadoff man and play third base Sunday against the Blue Jays, Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun reports.
With the Orioles' primary table setter this season, Trey Mancini, owning just a .307 on-base percentage on the campaign, it appears that manager Buck Showalter is ready to consider other options atop the order. After reaching base three times out of the leadoff spot Saturday, Peterson will receive another opportunity to prove that he's worthy of the assignment. Peterson has posted a double-digit walk rate in each of the past three seasons, but his poor contact skills and lack of pop have limited him to a career .643 OPS.
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Josh Donaldson 3B | MIL
Blue Jays' Josh Donaldson: Doesn't get activated over weekend
The Blue Jays didn't activate Donaldson (calf) from the 10-day disabled list ahead of Sunday's series finale against the Orioles, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.
There had been optimism that Donaldson would return from the DL at some point over the weekend, but the third baseman apparently hasn't quite made a full recovery from the left calf injury that he sustained May 28. While Toronto hasn't indicated that Donaldson has endured a setback, he may need to complete a few more on-field workouts before the team is comfortable signing off on his activation.
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Yoan Moncada 3B | LAA
White Sox's Yoan Moncada: Strikes out against former mates
Moncada has gone hitless with five strikeouts in eight at-bats in the first two games of the series against his former team, the Red Sox.
Moncada's slump extends beyond the present series, so it's not just a matter of the opponent's familiarity with him. The second baseman has one hit in his last 19 at-bats, during which he's fanned 10 times (52.6 K%).
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Alex Bregman 3B | CHC
Astros' Alex Bregman: Producing runs
Bregman went 1-for-4 with a run-producing double and a run scored in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Rangers.
Bregman's bat has been sizzling of late, as the third baseman has hit safely in eight straight while scoring eight runs and knocking in eight during the streak. He's following a similar path as last season, when he started slowly before picking it up in the second half. The major difference this season: His bat has picked up, and he's getting on base with more consistency earlier in 2018.
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Jeimer Candelario 3B | LAA
Tigers' Jeimer Candelario: Walks it off in style Saturday
Candelario hit a walkoff, two-run home run Saturday against the Indians. He finished the day 1-for-6 with two RBI and two strikeouts.
The 24-year-old came through in the clutch after starting off 0-for-5 prior to his fateful 12th-inning at-bat that ended in a home run off Cody Allen. Candelario is now up to 10 home runs through 205 at-bats and is hitting .241 since coming off the disabled list May 25.
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Matt Duffy 3B | TEX
Rays' Matt Duffy: Bat remains hot in June
Duffy, who went 2-for-4 in a loss to the Mariners on Friday, is hitting .346 (9-for-26) with a double, a triple and an RBI over his first seven games of June.
The red-hot infielder has compiled a trio of multi-hit efforts already as well, and he's now pushed his season line to an impressive .316/.355/.406. While Duffy's power numbers remain decidedly modest (two home runs), the 27-year-old is getting on base consistently, and perhaps just as important, remaining healthy after missing all of 2017.