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Miguel Cabrera DH | DET
Tigers' Miguel Cabrera: Homers, walks against Red Sox
Cabrera homered, walk, knocked in two runs and scored twice in a 2-for-4 game in Tuesday's win over the Red Sox.
Cabrera is on a roll, with four multi-hit games in his last seven, now including two homers, two doubles and six walks in that span. The home run was his 20th, giving him 12 seasons with at least 20 homers in his illustrious career. Still, his power output hasn't quite been up to his career standards -- his .512 slugging percentage would be his worst since his first full season back in 2004 with the Marlins at age 21.
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J.D. Martinez DH | NYM
Tigers' J.D. Martinez: Could play outfield Friday
Martinez will serve as the designated hitter in his first two games with Triple-A Toledo, but could return to the outfield as early as Friday, Katie Strang of ESPN reports.
While starting as a designated hitter seemed to signal his elbow wasn't ready to play the outfield, it appears the issue won't keep him off the field much longer. When healthy, he should retake his everyday role in right field, but Martinez may require a lengthier rehab before his return to the majors.
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Michael Brantley LF | HOU
Indians' Michael Brantley: Remains without return timetable
Brantley (shoulder) remains without a timetable to return but says he is "very confident" he will return and have an impact this season, Chris Assenheimer of The Chronicle Telegram reports.
Brantley had surgery last week to remove scar tissue from the shoulder that's nagged him all season and while he's yet to resume baseball activities, he's optimistic about returning this season. The 29-year-old will likely begin jogging and light-arm exercises in the coming weeks but could be held out all of August as he works his way back to full strength.
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Marcell Ozuna DH | PIT
Marlins' Marcell Ozuna: Not in lineup Tuesday
Ozuna is out of the lineup for Tuesday's matchup with Philadelphia, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.
Ozuna will get his first maintenance day in eight games as Ichiro Suzuki takes his place in center and bats leadoff. Ozuna has gone 7-for-38 (.184) with no homers in 10 games since the start of the second half. He'll likely be back out there when the Phillies send Zach Eflin to the mound in the series finale.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Giants' Brandon Belt: Homers, drives in two against Reds
Belt homered and knocked in two runs in a 3-for-4 game Monday against the Reds.
Belt was dropped to sixth in the lineup Monday and responded in resounding fashion. He had been in a horrendous slump, with just a .223/.310/.348 line and zero home runs since his last blast June 19 against the Rays. If he can come up with a few more nights like these in the near future, expect him to rise back to his old spot in the heart of the Giants' order.
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J.D. Martinez DH | NYM
Tigers' J.D. Martinez: Begins rehab stint as DH
Martinez (elbow) will begin a rehab stint at Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday, starting as a designated hitter, Katie Strang of ESPN reports.
The Tigers seemingly aren't in any rush to get Martinez back in Detroit, so it's possible that the outfielder will take a longer-than-usual rehab assignment at Triple-A. That being said, his ability to play in the outfield while with Toledo will be the signal that he's likely a few days away from rejoining the Tigers.
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Alex Dickerson DH | ATL
Padres' Alex Dickerson: Homers in second straight game
Dickerson went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer in Monday's loss to the Blue Jays.
The outfielder has started on consecutive days, collecting six hits, two home runs, three RBI and four runs scored in the process. Dickerson had been struggling at the dish after the All-Star break, but this could be the start of a turnaround for the lefty. He's now hitting .280 with four home runs over 75 MLB at-bats this season.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Giants' Brandon Belt: Dropped to sixth in Monday's linuep
Belt was dropped to the sixth spot in the lineup Monday against the Reds.
He's hitting just .185/.312/.277 in 65 at-bats in July, a cold stretch that prompted manager Bruce Bochy to bat Belt sixth for the eighth time this season. The first baseman has typically hit third or fifth, and he should return to a more advantageous spot at some point, provided he snaps out of this funk. Jarrett Parker is starting in right field and hitting third Monday.
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Matt Carpenter DH | STL
Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Nearing rehab assingment
Manager Mike Matheny suggested Sunday that Carpenter (oblique) could head out on a rehab assignment within the next few days, Jennifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.
Carpenter has missed approximately three weeks because of the issue at this point, so he may require more than a couple games before returning to the big league squad. An early August return seems plausible if he indeed begins his rehab assignment in the near future, but a return date should firm up as it draws closer.