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Tim Anderson 2B | LAA
White Sox's Tim Anderson: On bench for matinee
Anderson isn't starting the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Guardians, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reports.
Anderson was replaced by a pinch hitter late in Friday's 8-2 loss to Cleveland, but his absence from the lineup for Saturday's matinee is simply to give him a chance to rest since he had a busy schedule during the All-Star break. Leury Garcia is taking over at shortstop and batting eighth.
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Tim Anderson 2B | LAA
White Sox's Tim Anderson: Swipes 12th bag
Anderson went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 8-2 loss to the Guardians.
The shortstop was the only White Sox batter to record multiple hits in a rough night at the office for the club. Anderson extended his hitting streak to seven games in the process, and on the season he's slashing .313/.353/.417 with six homers, 12 steals, 24 RBI and 45 runs through 66 contests.
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Josh H. Smith 3B | TOR
Rangers' Josh Smith: Day off Friday
Smith is not in the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the Athletics.
Smith will get a day off to open the second half of the season as the team opens a four-game series in Oakland. Ezequiel Duran will take over at third base and bat seventh in the series opener.
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Trevor Story SS | BOS
Red Sox's Trevor Story: Not yet swinging
Story (hand) tracked pitches Friday but isn't yet swinging a bat, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.
Story is feeling better following the All-Star break but hasn't yet been cleared for full activity. The 29-year-old should be on the injured list longer than the minimum of 10 days, and a clearer timetable for his return will presumably come into focus once he's able to ramp up his workload.
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Nick Allen SS | HOU
Athletics' Nick Allen: Sitting Friday
Allen is not in the starting lineup Friday against the Rangers.
Allen will get a breather after he went 1-for-6 with two strikeouts while starting both games of Thursday's doubleheader with the Tigers. Tony Kemp will handle second base while Chad Pinder starts in left field in the series opener.
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Angel Martinez LF | CLE
Guardians' Angel Martinez: Out with shoulder strain
Martinez was placed on the 7-day injured list at High-A Lake County on Friday with a strained left shoulder.
Martinez has an .869 OPS in 61 games for Lake County this season but will now be unavailable due to the shoulder issue. The severity of the strain remains unclear, though the 20-year-old will be eligible to be reinstated from the IL next week.
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Ezequiel Duran SS | TEX
Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Collects hit, scores run in return
Duran started at second base and batted ninth in Thursday's 8-0 win over the Marlins, going 1-for-4 with a run scored.
Duran was called up from Triple-A Round Rock after the Rangers placed Brad Miller (neck) on the injured list. Marcus Semien, the primary starter at second base, moved to shortstop as Corey Seager got the day off. This is Duran's second stint in the majors this season, and he was one of three members of the lineup -- along with Josh Smith and Elier Hernandez -- getting their first taste of MLB in 2022. Throw the 23-year-old Leody Taveras into the mix, and a picture of an organization building toward next year's squad emerges.
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Javier Baez SS | DET
Tigers' Javier Baez: Has up-and-down doubleheader
Baez went 3-for-9 with two runs scored across both games of Thursday's doubleheader against the Athletics.
Baez was dynamic in Game 1 with three hits before going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the nightcap. That's par for the course with the streaky shortstop. While he's batting just .216 this season and .211 in July, he does have two home runs, 10 RBI and 10 runs scored across 18 games this month, so he has at least contributed some counting stats despite struggling to make consistent contact.
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Aledmys Diaz 1B | HOU
Astros' Aledmys Diaz: Moves to bench for nightcap
Diaz is out of the lineup for the second game of Thursday's doubleheader with the Yankees, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Diaz, who went 1-for-4 with a double in the Astros' 3-2 win in Game 1, will see his streak of three straight starts come to an end. Chas McCormick will replace Diaz in left field for the nightcap, and the two will likely have to battle for one spot in the lineup moving forward with the Astros bringing back designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) from the injured list earlier Thursday. Another everyday player, Michael Brantley (shoulder), remains on the IL coming out of the All-Star break, but he's without a clear timeline for a return.
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Ezequiel Duran SS | TEX
Rangers' Ezequiel Duran: Recalled, will start Thursday
Duran was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday. He'll start at second base and bat ninth in Thursday's game against the Marlins.
The 23-year-old was sent to the minors in late June but will rejoin the Rangers after Brad Miller (neck) was placed on the 10-day injured list. Duran shifted to a platoon role prior to his demotion and will likely serve as a depth infielder during Miller's absence.