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Matt Carpenter DH | STL
Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Starting to click at plate
Carpenter is hitting .348 (8-for-23) with five doubles, six RBI, three walks and two runs across his last 10 games.
The veteran's latest taste of offensive success came Wednesday against Cleveland, when he laced a first-inning bases-loaded double that plated all three runners. It was Carpenter's second multi-RBI effort of the last three contests, and he's managed to raise his average 51 points to .184 during the aforementioned 10-game stretch. Carpenter's on-base percentage has now climbed to .319 as well thanks in large part to his 14.3 percent walk rate, and he's drawn starts in six games during his hot streak.
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Jorge Soler DH | LAA
Royals' Jorge Soler: Delivers two-run shot
Soler went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Thursday's win over the Athletics.
Soler hasn't had a good year but made his presence felt in this one, coming around to score on a two-run single from Kelvin Gutierrez in the seventh and blasting a two-run homer in the following frame. The slugging outfielder has gone yard in two of Kansas City's last four games and that could be a sign of things to come, as he only has six homers on the season and is hitting a meager .179 thus far.
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Yordan Alvarez DH | HOU
Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Doubles home pair
Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, two RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 12-8 loss to Boston.
During a wild back-and-forth affair at Fenway Park, Alvarez's two-run double in the third inning was the first of six lead changes on the day. He's driven in runs in three straight contests, knocking in five with a home run and two doubles. Houston's primary designated hitter is up to .305/.356/.521 with 33 RBI over 49 games.
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Blasts three-run shot
Stanton went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run and three strikeouts in Thursday's loss to the Twins.
Stanton recently went 16 straight games without a homer, but he has gone yard three times over his last contests, tallying eight RBI in the process. The slugger, who's not expected to play in the outfield during the weekend two-game series against the Phillies, already has 12 homers on the season and owns an .849 OPS through 187 plate appearances.
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J.D. Martinez DH | NYM
Red Sox's J.D. Martinez: Blasts 13th homer
Martinez went 1-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Thursday's 12-8 win over Houston.
Martinez went yard in the third inning for his first homer since May 20 -- he has battled foot and wrist injuries since then. In the sixth, he reached on a run-scoring error, then scored when Christian Vazquez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Martinez is slashing a strong .312/.377/.561 with 13 homers, 41 RBI and 43 runs scored across 246 plate appearances. He should continue to hit in the heart of Boston's order while seeing time as the designated hitter and corner outfield depth.
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Darin Ruf DH | MIL
Giants' Darin Ruf: Resumes baseball activity
Ruf (hamstring) played catch, took ground balls and hit off a tee Wednesday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.
This is the first known baseball activity that Ruf has completed since being placed on the injured list on May 27. Though he is likely still a couple weeks away from a return, this progress is encouraging in that Ruf could remain on track to return towards the end of his original 3-to-4 week timeline. Ruf will continue his running program in the meantime.
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Could be sidelined for weekend
Stanton is not expected to play in the outfield during the team's weekend series against Philadelphia, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
The Yankees will travel to Philadelphia for a two-game set this weekend, so the club will be without the designated hitter. Though manager Aaron Boone noted that Stanton isn't likely to play in the outfield in this series, he didn't rule out the possibility when the Yankees face the Mets at Citi Field and travel to Miami and Atlanta later in the season.
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Daniel Vogelbach DH | TOR
Brewers' Daniel Vogelbach: Homers, doubles in win
Vogelbach went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double, a walk and another run scored during Thursday's win over the Reds.
Vogelbach extended Milwaukee's lead by taking Sean Doolittle deep in the seventh inning. He also tacked on a double in the ninth. The 28-year-old now has six homers and five doubles on the season, including three long balls in his last five starts. Despite a recent uptick in power, Vogelbach is batting just .221/.333/.397 overall, though he should continue seeing regular opportunities with Keston Hiura recently sent back to Triple-A
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Michael Brantley LF | HOU
Astros' Michael Brantley: Day off Thursday
Brantley isn't in the lineup Thursday against the Red Sox, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Brantley had started each of the last two games after being reinstated from the injured list Tuesday, and he went 4-for-9 with a double, two runs and an RBI during that time. Taylor Jones will start in left field and bat seventh.
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Homers twice in win
Stanton went 3-for-5 with two home runs, a double and five RBI in Wednesday's 9-6 win over the Twins.
Stanton erupted for three extra-base hits, all off Randy Dobnak. Before his pair of homers Wednesday, Stanton went without a long ball in his previous 16 games. It was a much needed performance for the 31-year-old, as he was just 4-for-29 in his prior nine contests. He is slashing .267/.335/.509 with 11 home runs, 29 RBI and 18 runs in 182 plate appearances.