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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Pushed back one day
Ohtani (fingernail) will start Tuesday's game against the Padres, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Ohtani exited his start last Tuesday against the White Sox with a trainer due to a cracked fingernail, though he never missed any time as the Halos' designated hitter. He's since been cleared to take his next turn through the rotation but will be pushed back one day -- swapping places with Jaime Barria.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Enjoys record-breaking June
Ohtani went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, two walks and two total runs in Friday's loss to the Diamondbacks.
The Angels' offense was mostly stagnant throughout the contest, but Ohtani provided a big highlight with his 493-foot homer -- the longest of his major-league career -- in the sixth inning. The two-way star mashed his way to an incredible June, slashing .394/.492/.952 with a franchise single-month record 15 home runs along with seven doubles, three triples, 29 RBI, 27 runs and four stolen bases. For good measure, he posted a 2-2 record as a pitcher, compiling a 3.26 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 37:11 K:BB over 30.1 innings. Ohtani's huge month has catapulted him to the top of the MLB home-run leaderboard with 30, and there's certainly a chance that he could challenge the AL record of 62 long balls in a season that Aaron Judge established last year.
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Brent Rooker DH | ATH
Athletics' Brent Rooker: Not starting Saturday
Rooker is out of the lineup Saturday against the White Sox.
Rooker went 1-for-3 with the first triple of his career during Friday's win and will take a seat for Saturday's contest. Jordan Diaz will fill in as Oakland's designated hitter and bat seventh.
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Brent Rooker DH | ATH
Athletics' Brent Rooker: Laces first career triple
Rooker went 1-for-3 with a triple in a win over the White Sox on Friday.
Mired in an ugly 2-for-31 slump coming into the night, Rooker got some much-needed solid wood on the ball, resulting in his first career triple. The 28-year-old inched his season average back over .240 with the extra-base hit, and his 11.6 percent walk rate has helped keep his on-base percentage at a solid .338 figure. Rooker also brings plenty of pop -- 26 of his 57 hits have gone for extra bases and he's sporting a 13.1 percent barrel rate -- but his issues with consistent contact have plagued him since his 2021 rookie season with the Twins.
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Justin Turner DH | CHC
Red Sox's Justin Turner: Swats homer in win
Turner went 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in Friday's 5-0 win over the Blue Jays.
Turner's fifth-inning home run was all pitcher James Paxton would need to halt Boston's five-game losing streak. The blast was Turner's 12th of the season and first in eight games. After a torrid three weeks in June (.342/.400/.630), Turner's bat fell silent over the last week; he finished the month on a 5-for-31 (.161) stretch over the final eight games.
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Byron Buxton CF | MIN
Twins' Byron Buxton: Big performance in big win
Buxton went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a three-run home run, a second run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 8-1 rout of the Orioles.
It was one of the most complete performances of the season for the 29-year-old, who last stole a base May 24. Buxton hasn't been able to deliver consistent production this season, but he's at least beginning to find his power stroke again -- over his last 10 games, he's batting .242 (8-for-33) with seven of the hits (three doubles and four homers) going for extra bases.
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Brad Miller DH | SD
Rangers' Brad Miller: Activated from injured list
Texas activated Miller (oblique) from the 10-day injured list Friday.
Miller is back to fill a bench role for the Rangers after missing three weeks because of a right oblique strain. The 33-year-old utilityman has slashed just .208/.304/.333 in 22 major-league games (56 plate appearances) this season.
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Mike Ford DH | MIN
Mariners' Mike Ford: On bench versus southpaw
Ford is not in the starting lineup Friday versus the Rays.
Ford will take a seat as Seattle faces off with left-hander Shane McClanahan. Tom Murphy will take over at designated hitter and bat sixth in the series opener with Tampa Bay.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Blasts 29th home run
Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Thursday's loss to the White Sox.
The two-way superstar made things interesting in the ninth inning, cutting the deficit to 9-7 with a two-out, two-run shot off Kendall Graveman, but the Angels got no closer. It's Ohtani's 14th homer in 26 games this month, boosting his league-leading total to 29. The long ball also extended his hit streak to seven games, and he's gone 14-for-30 (.467) with a 1.663 OPS in that span. Ohtani is on pace for a career season at the plate, even by his standards -- he's slashing .309/.392/.666 with 66 RBI, 58 runs scored and 11 steals through 360 plate appearances.