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Dansby Swanson SS | CHC
Braves' Dansby Swanson: Doubles twice in blowout win
Swanson went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a walk, a run and an RBI in Saturday's 15-3 win over the Phillies.
After going hitless over a three-start stretch from July 18 to 21, Swanson has bounced back with a big series in Philadelphia. Through the first three contests against the Phillies, Swanson has gone 6-for-13 with a home run, two doubles, two walks and five RBI. He'll start at shortstop and bat fifth Sunday in the series finale.
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Orlando Arcia SS | MIN
Braves' Orlando Arcia: Loses work to Almonte
Arcia is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.
He'll sit for the third straight game in favor of Abraham Almonte, who seems to have moved ahead of Arcia on the depth chart in left field. Since getting a call-up to Atlanta in early July, Arcia has slashed .227/.292/.386 with two home runs and one stolen base.
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Marco Luciano SS | NYY
Giants' Marco Luciano: Day-to-day with shoulder issue
Luciano left Friday's game with Low-A San Jose due to minor shoulder discomfort, San Jose Giants broadcaster Joe Ritzo reports.
The issue doesn't appear to be a particularly significant one, as Luciano is merely considered day-to-day. The 19-year-old shortstop has looked quite good in his first taste of full-season ball, homering 16 times in 64 games while slashing .287/.379/.557.
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Brandon Crawford SS | STL
Giants' Brandon Crawford: Resumes baseball activities
Crawford (oblique) resumed baseball activities Saturday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Crawford hit the injured list Monday after an MRI revealed a mild oblique strain. He was originally given a return timeline of 10-to-14 days, and the fact that he's working out again within a week of being shut down seemingly backs that up.
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Orlando Arcia SS | MIN
Braves' Orlando Arcia: On bench again
Arcia is not starting Saturday's game against the Phillies.
The shortstop-turned-outfielder is omitted from the lineup for a second straight day after going 2-for-19 in his first five games out of the break. Abraham Almonte will start in left field and bat seventh Saturday.
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Corey Seager SS | TEX
Dodgers' Corey Seager: Still no date set for return
Seager (hand) has been swinging and moving around, but manager Dave Roberts indicated Friday that he has no update on when the shortstop may be activated or whether he'll go on a rehab assignment, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
There were whispers early this week that Seager could rejoin the Dodgers as soon as Wednesday, but that proved to be an inaccurate estimate. Seager continues to take part in baseball activities and doesn't appear to have suffered a setback, so it's unclear why his return date remains a mystery. The 2020 World Series MVP still seems likely to return to game action soon, but it's uncertain whether he'll jump right back into fold with the Dodgers or head out on a rehab assignment first.
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Reginald Preciado SS | CHC
Cubs' Reginald Preciado: Crushing in rookie ball
Preciado has hit .379/.463/.534 with two homers, four steals, 10 RBI and 13 runs across his first 15 games for the rookie-level ACL Cubs.
The 18-year-old's first taste of affiliated ball could hardly be going better, and his prospect star is on the rise now that his promising scouting reports have turned into promising results at the dish. Preciado doesn't play a very sharp shortstop, but he's looked fine at third base so far, and that's probably his eventual landing spot. The Panamanian is several years from the majors, but he looks like one of the most promising young players in the low minors.
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Trevor Story SS | BOS
Rockies' Trevor Story: Homers in win
Story went 2-for-5 with a solo homer, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 9-6 win over the Dodgers.
Story came alive in the sixth with a solo blast to left field to make it a 4-2 ballgame. The game would end up going to extras and he led off the top of the 10th with an RBI single and later scored on Charlie Blackmon's two-run homer. Story hadn't hit a home run since the beginning of July and now sits at 12 for the year. He's slashing .245/.317/.432 with 32 extra-base hits, 45 RBI, 45 runs scored, 31:83 BB:K and is one of the top base stealers in the league with 17.
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Nick Ahmed SS | TEX
Diamondbacks' Nick Ahmed: All alone at short
Ahmed went 1-for-4 in Friday's 8-3 loss to the Cubs.
Ahmed, who is batting just .225 with a .615 OPS, manned his usual spot at shortstop and could be doing that for a while. Arizona's primary backup at short is Josh Rojas, who is expected to hit the injured list with a fractured left pinky finger. Per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, manager Torey Lovullo named Andrew Young and Eduardo Escobar as Ahmed's backups, but neither has much recent experience there. Scouts don't see Young as an average defender at second base, let alone shortstop, and Escobar has played just two innings there since joining the Diamondbacks three years ago. In short, it may not matter if Ahmed continues to hit. Since returning from the All-Star break, he's batting .409 with a .980 OPS over seven games.
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Javier Baez SS | DET
Cubs' Javier Baez: Homers against Diamondbacks
Baez went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, a double and two runs in Friday's 8-3 win over the Diamondbacks.
Baez has now recorded hits in nine of his last 10 appearances, and he blasted his first homer since July 6 during Friday's win. The 28-year-old has slashed .345/.381/.603 with four home runs, 15 RBI, 10 runs and four stolen bases across his last 15 games, and he could be involved in trade talks ahead of the July 30 deadline.