MLB Player News
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Jesse Winker DH | NYM
Mets' Jesse Winker: Could be activated Tuesday
Manager Carlos Mendoza said Sunday that Winker (oblique) could return from the 60-day injured list when the Mets open their three-game series in Baltimore on Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Winker has been on the shelf since May 4 due to a right oblique strain, but he looks ready to rejoin the big club after he went 4-for-12 with two home runs, one double and three walks across five rehab games with High-A Brooklyn, Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse. The 31-year-old didn't get any exposure to the corner outfield during his rehab assignment, and while DiComo relays that the Mets have no imminent plans to use him on defense upon his return, the left-handed-hitting Winker should see regular starts against right-handed pitching as the strong side of a platoon at designated hitter.
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Starling Marte DH | NYM
Mets' Starling Marte: Getting knee checked out
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after Sunday's 6-4 loss to the Yankees that Marte will get evaluated after his knee "flared up" in the ninth inning, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Marte was in the lineup for the fourth time in the last five games but was making just his fifth start of the season in the outfield while Brandon Nimmo served as the Mets' designated hitter. The 36-year-old provided a spark from the top of the order over his five plate appearances with three base hits and his fifth stolen base of the season, but the flareup of his chronic knee issue now clouds his availability heading into the All-Star break. Even if Marte is able to quickly bounce back from the knee problem, his playing time could soon trend downward with Jesse Winker (oblique) expected to return from the injured list at some point during the upcoming week.
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Pavin Smith DH | ARI
Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Out with oblique strain
The Diamondbacks placed Smith on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to a right oblique strain.
Smith presumably suffered the injury in Saturday's 7-1 win over the Royals, as he went 0-for-1 with two walks and two runs before being replaced by a pinch hitter in the sixth inning. The 29-year-old will be eligible to be reinstated coming out of the All-Star break, but a longer absence wouldn't be surprising, given the nature of the injury.
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Josh Bell DH | WAS
Nationals' Josh Bell: Three hits in Saturday's loss
Bell went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Saturday's loss to the Red Sox.
The veteran switch hitter is digging his way out of an early-season hole at the plate. The three-hit performance was Bell's second in the last four games, and over his last 16 contests he's slashing .327/.377/.491 with three doubles, two homers, five runs and 11 RBI.
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Ben Rice 1B | NYY
Yankees' Ben Rice: Resting Sunday
Rice is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.
Rice will head to the bench after starting three of the last four games and going 4-for-15 with two doubles, a walk, two RBI and two runs. The Yankees will open Sunday's contest with Austin Wells behind the plate, Paul Goldschmidt at first base and Giancarlo Stanton as their designated hitter.
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Jorge Soler RF | LAA
Angels' Jorge Soler: Resting Sunday
Soler is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.
Soler will get a breather after struggling at the dish since being activated from the injured list Tuesday, going 2-for-15 with a home run and a 3:9 BB:K in five games. Gustavo Campero will cover right field and bat eighth.
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Marcell Ozuna DH | ATL
Braves' Marcell Ozuna: Getting rare day off
Ozuna is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.
Ozuna's run of 70 consecutive starts is coming to an end, but it's a good time for a break since he's batting .130 (6-for-46) with no extra-base hits in his past 13 contests. Drake Baldwin will fill in as the designated hitter for Atlanta on Sunday while Sean Murphy works behind the plate.
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Randal Grichuk RF | KC
Diamondbacks' Randal Grichuk: Enters mid-game, homers
Grichuk went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 7-1 win over Kansas City.
Grichuk entered mid-game, pinch hitting for Pavin Smith when a lefty reliever entered the game, and he served as the designated hitter for the remainder of the game. His two-run shot in the eighth inning looked like a standup inside-the-park homer, but a replay confirmed the ball barely cleared the fence and hit a chair in the picnic area in right-center. It was Grichuk's fifth home run in 59 games.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Impressive in another brief outing
Ohtani tossed two scoreless innings in a no-decision against Houston on Saturday, allowing one hit and striking out three batters. He also went 1-for-4 with a walk as a hitter.
Ohtani completed two frames for the second straight start, this time firing 31 pitches. Of those offerings, six were whiffs, and the two-way star notched a season-high three strikeouts. Ohtani has given up just one run while recording a 6:1 K:BB over six innings across four starts as a pitcher since making his season debut on the mound June 16. The Dodgers appear intent on having Ohtani ramp up his workload slowly, though manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that the Japanese hurler could work up to five or six innings by the end of the season.
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George Springer DH | TOR
Blue Jays' George Springer: Remains hot with homer Saturday
Springer went 2-for-6 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 4-3 extra-innings win against the Angels.
Springer supplied the bulk of Toronto's runs in regulation with a two-run blast to center field in the third inning. That was his fifth long ball through five games in July, and the veteran slugger has also collected multiple hits in each of those contests. The hot streak has resulted in a scorching .545 batting average (12-for-22) and 13 RBI so far this month, and with 16 homers and 53 RBI on the campaign, Springer is already approaching his totals (19 and 56, respectively) across 145 contests last season.