MLB Player News
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Brent Rooker DH | ATH
Athletics' Brent Rooker: Hits bench amid slump
Rooker is out of the lineup for Monday's game against Atlanta.
Rooker remains the Athletics' top power hitter with a team-best 11 home runs and .509 slugging percentage, but he's fallen into a bit of a slump at the dish over the past two weeks. Over his last 11 games, Rooker is hitting just .125 with one extra-base hit and a 42.9 percent strikeout rate. Rooker isn't in any immediate danger of losing hold of an everyday role, but he'll get a day off Monday to clear his head.
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Harold Ramirez DH | WAS
Rays' Harold Ramirez: Takes seat Monday
Ramirez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Cubs.
Ramirez will cede designated-hitter duties to Luke Raley in the series opener in Chicago. The Rays turned to Ramirez at DH for both of the final two games of their weekend series with the Dodgers, with the 28-year-old going 4-for-10 with a home run between those contests to raise his season-long average up to .295.
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Byron Buxton DH | MIN
Twins' Byron Buxton: Hits bench in series opener
Buxton is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Astros.
Buxton is presumably getting a maintenance day in the series opener after he served as the Twins' designated hitter in each of the team's last six games. Alex Kirilloff will handle those duties Monday, but Buxton should be back in the lineup Tuesday against Astros right-hander Brandon Bielak. The Twins have yet to decide on when Buxton will be ready to pick up work in center field, as he's made all 47 of his starts to date as a DH.
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Justin Turner DH | CHC
Red Sox's Justin Turner: Goes deep in loss
Turner went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Sunday's 4-2 loss to Arizona.
Turner launched his sixth homer in the eighth inning to bring Boston within two. Since returning from a knee injury, Turner has hit .167 (4-for-24) over six games.
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Eloy Jimenez DH | TOR
White Sox's Eloy Jimenez: Productive in return
Jimenez went 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI, two walks and a run scored Sunday against the Tigers.
Jimenez returned from a three-week absence caused by an appendectomy and hit second in the lineup. His lone hit came on a pop-up in no-man's land between the shortstop and left fielder, though it drove in two. Jimenez started in right field, which allowed Jake Burger to remain the designated hitter while Gavin Sheets hit the bench against a lefty. Moving forward, Jimenez is likely to also see time at designated hitter.
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Yordan Alvarez DH | HOU
Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Bookends scoring Sunday
Alvarez went 2-for-5 with two solo home runs in Sunday's 10-1 win over the Athletics.
Alvarez opened and closed the scoring in the same way, with near mirror-image solo shots in the first and ninth innings. He'd gone 0-for-9 with six walks over his last four games since a multi-homer effort versus the Brewers last Monday. Alvarez is up to 14 long balls, 48 RBI, 33 runs scored and a .291/.402/.612 slash line through 46 contests after Sunday's strong display of power.
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Could start rehab assignment soon
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Stanton (hamstring) could begin a rehab assignment Tuesday, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.
Stanton was able to take on-field batting practice against a pitching machine Friday, and the veteran slugger continues to make progress from the hamstring strain that has sidelined him since the middle of April. Assuming Stanton gets the green light to begin the rehab assignment Tuesday, Boone said that the 33-year-old might be cleared to return from the 10-day injured list ahead of next weekend's series with the Dodgers.
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Eloy Jimenez DH | TOR
White Sox's Eloy Jimenez: Returns from IL
The White Sox reinstated Jimenez (appendectomy) from the 10-day injured list Sunday. He'll start in right field and bat second in the White Sox's series finale in Detroit.
Jimenez will get the green light to rejoin the White Sox after he completed a three-game rehab assignment at Double-A Birmingham in which he collected 12 plate appearances. The slugger ended up missing close to a month after undergoing an appendectomy, but he should be ready to handle a near-everyday role at either designated hitter or in the corner outfield now that he's been activated. The White Sox optioned Adam Haseley to Triple-A Charlotte to make room on the 26-man active roster for Jimenez.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Strikes out 10
Ohtani allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out 10 over six innings in a no-decision versus the Marlins on Saturday. He also went 0-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base as a batter.
Ohtani racked up double-digit strikeouts for the fourth time this season and the first time in his last four starts. He's up to seven quality starts in 11 outings on the mound while posting a 2.91 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 90:28 K:BB over 65 innings. Ohtani has slumped a bit at the plate lately, going just 4-for-29 (.138) with a 4:10 BB:K as a hitter over his last eight games. He's up to seven steals, 12 home runs, 33 RBI, 28 runs scored and a .269/.344/.513 slash line at the plate. Ohtani's next pitching start is tentatively scheduled for a road date in Houston next week.
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Harold Ramirez DH | WAS
Rays' Harold Ramirez: Goes deep in loss
Ramirez went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run Saturday in a loss to the Dodgers.
Ramirez gave Tampa Bay its first and only lead of the game with a two-run shot off Clayton Kershaw in the fifth inning. The long ball helped snapped a mini-slump for Ramirez, as he had gone 0-for-13 over his previous four contests. Despite that cold spell, he's still slashing a solid .292/.342/.514 overall this season.