MLB Player News
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Bryce Harper DH | PHI
Phillies' Bryce Harper: Goes yard Thursday
Harper went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Thursday against the Mets.
Harper took Zack Wheeler deep in the sixth frame for his 14th homer of the season. Though he has a disappointing .465 slugging percentage through 353 plate appearances, he now has four extra-base hits in his last six starts. It's worth noting that all of that damage has come with the Phillies at home, where Harper has hit significantly better to this point in the campaign.
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Alex Dickerson DH | ATL
Giants' Alex Dickerson: Retreats to bench
Dickerson is not in Thursday's lineup against the Diamondbacks, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Dickerson has started six straight games since joining the Giants last week, slashing .429/.500/.857 with one home run, 10 RBI and a stolen base during that stretch. In his absence, Tyler Austin is starting in the outfield and hitting third.
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Bryce Harper DH | PHI
Phillies' Bryce Harper: Returns to three hole
Harper will start in right field and bat third Thursday against the Mets.
After a four-game run as the Phillies' leadoff man, Harper ceded those duties to Scott Kingery at the beginning of the week and has since returned to the lineup spot he's occupied for most of the season. Harper has gone 0-for-6 over the past two contests but has at least drawn three walks.
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Alex Dickerson DH | ATL
Giants' Alex Dickerson: Doubles in loss
Dickerson hit cleanup and went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to Colorado.
Dickerson was also gunned out trying to steal second, making him 1-for-2 on stolen base attempts this season. The 29-year-old has gotten off to a strong start with his new club, slashing .429/.500/.857 with six extra-base hits and 10 RBI in just six contests. Dickerson had missed nearly three full seasons with a major back injury, but the outfielder showed some promise before going down in 2016 (10 homers and five steals over 84 games with the Padres that year). The veteran could be worth a flier for owners in need of pop, as his hot start should keep his name in the lineup on an offensively challenged Giants squad.
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Franmil Reyes DH | WAS
Padres' Franmil Reyes: Goes yard twice in Baltimore
Reyes went 2-for-5 with two homers and three RBI in Wednesday's 10-5 win over the Orioles.
He took Dylan Bundy deep in the third inning and Shawn Armstrong in the fifth, leading the way in a five-homer barrage for the Padres. Reyes now has 22 homers and 39 RBI through 76 games on the year to go with a .247/.297/.547 slash line.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Giants' Brandon Belt: Hitting leadoff
Belt is starting at first base and hitting leadoff Wednesday against the Rockies, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Belt will stick atop the order for a second straight game after going 0-for-3 with an RBI in his first game as the leadoff man Tuesday. The first baseman owns a .354 on-base percentage in 75 contests this season, so he could stick as the leadoff man until Steven Duggar (back) gets healthy or Joe Panik gets going at the dish.
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Marcell Ozuna DH | PIT
Cardinals' Marcell Ozuna: On base four times in loss
Ozuna went 2-for-3 with a double and two walks in a loss to the Athletics on Tuesday.
Ozuna was once again a bright spot for the Cardinals in yet another lackluster offensive night from a team perspective. The veteran outfielder has bounced back nicely after struggling to a .226 average in May, as he's now hitting .305 during June following his eighth multi-hit effort of the month. Moreover, with another 12 RBI in since the calendar flipped, Ozuna has extended his very comfortable team lead in that category to 62, a figure which also ties him for third in all of baseball.
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Matt Carpenter DH | STL
Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Timely triple in loss
Carpenter went 1-for-5 with a two-run triple and a run in a loss to the Athletics on Tuesday.
Carpenter erased an early 1-0 deficit for the Cardinals by lacing his second three-bagger of the season with Yadier Molina and Kolten Wong aboard in the second inning. While that extended Carpenter's modest on-base streak to four games, the veteran has actually regressed at the plate during June, following a lackluster May during which he hit .237. Factoring in Tuesday's line, Carpenter is hitting just .213 during the current month and has logged another 23 strikeouts, pushing his career-high whiff rate to 24.7 percent.
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Justin Turner DH | CHC
Dodgers' Justin Turner: Out as expected
Turner is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Diamondbacks, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.
As expected, Turner will get a scheduled day off with the Dodgers playing an afternoon game following a night game. In his place, Max Muncy is covering third base, with Joc Pederson at first and Matt Beaty in left. Over his last 10 games, Turner is slashing .250/.308/.417 with one home run and three RBI.