MLB Player News
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Nick Ahmed SS | TEX
Diamondbacks' Nick Ahmed: Homers for second time in four games
Ahmed homered, scored twice, and drove in four runs in a 2-for-4 game Monday against the Reds.
Ahmed now has two multi-hit games with a home run in his past four games, but those have been the lone bright spots in an otherwise abysmal May. Even with the two explosive games in the past week, Ahmed owns just a .159/.186/.305 in 25 contests this month. Ahmed has never reached 10 home runs in a season, and his .717 OPS in 2017 marked his first time eclipsing the .700 mark, so don't expect him to become a full-time slugger anytime soon.
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J.P. Crawford SS | SEA
Phillies' J.P. Crawford: Cleared for rehab stint
Crawford (forearm) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with High-A Clearwater on Tuesday, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Crawford has been working out at the Phillies' spring training facility and has been cleared to embark on a rehab stint, marking the last step in his recovery before rejoining the big club. That said, it's unclear how many rehab games the shortstop will need to appear in before being activated from the disabled list at this point, so a possible return date remains murky. Crawford has been on the shelf since the end of April with a right forearm strain.
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Javier Baez SS | DET
Cubs' Javier Baez: Hits 13th homer
Baez went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in the Cubs' 8-3 victory over the Giants on Sunday.
Baez had been scuffling a bit in May, but this was the second straight game in which he left the yard, and he's now cranked 13 long balls in 188 at-bats this season after he hit a career-high 23 last year. He's not exhibiting good plate discipline, as his 6:43 BB:K has contributed to an underwhelming .298 on-base percentage. However, he's made up for that with his power, as he's slugging .574, and he's also chipped in seven stolen bases. His free-swinging tendencies could result in lengthy slumps from time to time, though, such as the one he just endured.
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Chris Owings SS | LAD
Diamondbacks' Chris Owings: Withheld from lineup Sunday
Owings is not in the lineup Sunday against the A's.
Owings has operated as the Diamondbacks' primary right fielder in Steven Souza's (pectoral) recent absence, but he'll open the game on the bench for the second consecutive day as he's currently mired in an 0-for-20 slump. Socrates Brito picks up a right field start in his stead.
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Johan Camargo SS | SF
Braves' Johan Camargo: Lands on bench Sunday
Camargo is not in the lineup Sunday against the Red Sox.
Camargo has tallied more walks (19) than strikeouts (15) in his first 97 plate appearances this season, but his concerning .208 batting average is in part being dragged down by a .233 BABIP. His hard-hit percentage is also up nearly 20 points from last season. He'll be given the afternoon off with Charlie Culberson taking over at third base.
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Javier Baez SS | DET
Cubs' Javier Baez: Homers Saturday
Baez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Saturday against the Giants.
Baez took Chris Stratton deep in the fourth inning for his 12th home run of the season. The effort snapped a three-game hitless streak for him, though he now has two home runs in his past five games. That's a positive sign for Baez, whose slugging percentage has dropped nearly 100 points from April to May.
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Brandon Crawford SS | STL
Giants' Brandon Crawford: Hits two-run homer
Crawford went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer against the Cubs on Saturday.
Crawford took left-hander Jose Quintana deep in the fourth inning for his sixth home run of the season. He also tacked on a double against Justin Wilson, another lefty, to lead off the eighth. His success against southpaws continues a surprising season-long trend, as he entered Saturday's games slugging .484 against them in 62 at-bats this season.
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Dansby Swanson SS | CHC
Braves' Dansby Swanson: Hits third homer
Swanson went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, two runs, two RBI and a strikeout in Saturday's game against the Red Sox.
He's hitting .231 in 26 at-bats since returning from a wrist injury on May 19. Swanson was hitting ninth in the American League ballpark, but could eventually hit his way into a more beneficial spot in the order if he can build on this performance. He is slashing .279/.318/.429 on the year.
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Nick Ahmed SS | TEX
Diamondbacks' Nick Ahmed: Homers and drives in two Friday
Ahmed went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's win over the A's.
Ahmed's home run -- his seventh of the year -- came off starter Sean Manaea in the first inning. He later recorded a run-scoring single in the fourth, bringing his RBI total to 21 on the year. This was just the second multi-hit game in May for Ahmed, and his season slash line now sits at .212/.271/.410. The shortstop does have 16 extra-base hits on the year, but he's struggling to get on base with much frequency.
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Orlando Arcia SS | MIN
Brewers' Orlando Arcia: Optioned to Triple-A
Arcia was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs on Friday.
Arcia has been the Brewers' starting shortstop since the start of the 2017 season, but will head to Triple-A after slashing .194/.233/.273 in 44 games this season. The demotion is fairly surprising for Milwaukee's former top prospect even given his struggles at the plate, but the team evidently feels a trip to the minors is necessary to help the 23-year-old calibrate his swing. The team recalled Eric Sogard to bolster their infield depth, with Tyler Saladino and Hernan Perez also likely to help fill the void at shortstop.