MLB Player News
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Brett Wisely 2B | ATL
Giants' Brett Wisely: Gaining playing time at shortstop
Wisely went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Monday's 8-4 win over the Phillies.
After being called up from Triple-A Sacramento on May 11, Wisely started in just one of the ensuing 10 games, but the 25-year-old since appears to have moved into the strong side of a platoon at shortstop with Marco Luciano. Wisely has started in each of the last three games and in three of the Giants' previous four matchups with right-handed starting pitchers, going a collective 9-for-15 with a home run, a double, a stolen base, five RBI and three runs during that stretch. So long as he's swinging a hot bat, Wisely should continue to play ahead of Luciano until Nick Ahmed (wrist) is reinstated from the injured list.
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C.J. Abrams SS | WAS
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Goes deep again Monday
Abrams went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Monday's win over Atlanta.
The shortstop launched a solo shot off Charlie Morton in the second inning, giving the Nationals an early 5-0 lead. Abrams has gone yard in back-to-back contests to snap a 22-game power drought, but he hasn't crawled out of his May swoon quite yet -- he hasn't stolen a base in 19 straight games, and he's slashing just .221/.237/.338 over that stretch with a 1:18 BB:K.
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Willy Adames SS | SF
Brewers' Willy Adames: Smacks homer in win
Adames went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer in Monday's victory over the Cubs.
Adames popped his first home run since May 7 when he crushed a 427-foot, three-run shot off Hayden Wesneski in the eighth inning. The Brewers shortstop hopes the homer turns his month around, as he entered the game slashing .213/.253/.404 over 99 plate appearances in May. Overall, Adames is hitting .249/.322/.440 with eight home runs, 27 runs scored and 35 RBI in 233 plate appearances.
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Nick Ahmed SS | TEX
Giants' Nick Ahmed: Will take BP soon
Ahmed (wrist) is slated to take batting practice in the coming days, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Ahmed has been sidelined since early may with a left wrist sprain but is almost ready to face live pitching. It's not clear whether the Giants will ask Ahmed to go out on a rehab assignment before being activated from the 10-day injured list. Marco Luciano and Brett Wisely have been filling in at shortstop while Ahmed is on the shelf.
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Masyn Winn SS | STL
Cardinals' Masyn Winn: Leading off Monday
Winn will start at shortstop and bat leadoff Monday against the Reds, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
With lefty Nick Lodolo due up for Cincinnati, Cardinals skipper Oliver Marmol will give the rookie another opportunity to set the table. Winn has made two other starts in the leadoff spot this season but has primarily hit in the bottom third of the order. That could change given Winn's hot hitting; he's riding a 15-game hitting streak during which he's slashing .375/.404/.604.
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Brett Wisely 2B | ATL
Giants' Brett Wisely: Smacks first homer
Wisely went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Mets.
Wisely has strung together three multi-hit efforts, going 7-for-11 in that span. The homer was his first extra-base hit of the campaign. That hot stretch has allowed Wisely to mount a challenge for playing time at shortstop, which has come at the expense of Marco Luciano. It's a battle the Giants will likely hope for Luciano to win in the long run, as Wisely is best suited to a bench role given his defensive versatility.
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C.J. Abrams SS | WAS
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Launches eighth homer
Abrams went 1-for-4 with a three run home run in Sunday's 9-5 loss to Seattle.
Abrams broke out of a minor slump Sunday, slugging his first home run since April 29 and recording his first RBI since May 18. He has cooled off significantly in the month of May, slashing .209/.225/.256 with four RBI and eight runs scored. Despite the recent struggles, the 23-year-old has still had a productive season, batting .257 with eight home runs, 21 RBI, 30 runs scored and eight stolen bases.
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Marco Luciano SS | NYY
Giants' Marco Luciano: Sharing shortstop with Wisely
Luciano is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.
After drawing five straight starts at shortstop from last Friday through Wednesday, Luciano appears to have moved into more of a timeshare at the position with Brett Wisely. Even with lefty Sean Manaea toeing the rubber for the Mets, the righty-hitting Luciano will give way to the lefty-hitting Wisely in the series finale.
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Oneil Cruz CF | PIT
Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Receiving breather Sunday
Cruz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game versus Atlanta, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Lefty Chris Sale is taking the mound Sunday for Atlanta, and Cruz will head to the bench after starting the previous six games. The shortstop has been scuffling at the plate recently with a .488 OPS and 43.6 percent strikeout rate in his past nine contests. Alika Williams is starting at shortstop and batting ninth Sunday.
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Brett Wisely 2B | ATL
Giants' Brett Wisely: Three hits including game-winner
Wisely went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI in Saturday's 7-2 extra-inning win over the Mets.
Getting the start at shortstop and batting ninth, Wisely led off the 10th inning with a single that brought home the phantom runner and kicked off a five-run rally by the Giants. The 25-year-old utility player is batting .385 (5-for-13) since his promotion after producing a .311/.403/.487 slash line in 32 games for Triple-A Sacramento, and the door could be open for him to see more action at shortstop with Marco Luciano struggling to provide reliable defense.