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Jose Caballero SS | NYY
Rays' Jose Caballero: Smacks second homer
Caballero went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Monday against the Tigers.
Caballero has made his mark with seven stolen bases across his first 22 games this season. However, he swatted his second homer of the campaign against Shelby Miller in the eighth inning, and he now has an extra-base hit in each of his last three games. Caballero has a clear path to playing time for the foreseeable future, as Taylor Walls (hip) has been shut down from baseball activities and is ineligible to return from the injured list until late May.
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Oneil Cruz CF | PIT
Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Collects three hits
Cruz went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI on Monday against the Brewers.
Cruz hit eighth in the order for the third straight game against a right-handed pitcher as the Pirates seek to get him on track at the plate. He showed some reasons for optimism with his three-hit performance, highlighted by a two-RBI single in the sixth inning that gave the team some insurance runs. Most importantly, Cruz struck out only once after punching out multiple times in seven of his previous 10 games.
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Javier Baez SS | DET
Tigers' Javier Baez: Scores twice in win
Baez went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored in Monday's 7-1 win over the Rays.
Relegated to the eighth spot in the lineup, Baez managed to contribute, and he's been good over his last five games with a .350 batting average. The shortstop is still batting just .203 for the season, so he'll need more performances like the one he delivered Monday if he wants to get his overall numbers up to a more acceptable range.
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Elly De La Cruz SS | CIN
Reds' Elly De La Cruz: Steals base in loss
De La Cruz went 0-for-3 with a stolen base in Monday's 7-0 loss to the Phillies.
De La Cruz stole his MLB-leading 11th bag, and the Reds lead the league with 39 steals in 22 games. Other than De La Cruz's steal, nothing much happened for Cincinnati's offense, which managed just two hits and a walk against Philadelphia pitching.
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Jackson Holliday 2B | BAL
Orioles' Jackson Holliday: Sitting against southpaw
Holliday is not in the lineup for Monday's game versus the Angels.
Holliday has now been out of the lineup each of the three times the Orioles have faced a lefty since his promotion. The 20-year-old is not going to be a platoon player once he gets rolling at the plate, but it's not a surprise the club is electing to sit him versus southpaws given his 1-for-30 start at the plate. Jorge Mateo will be at the keystone Monday.
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Braden Shewmake 3B | HOU
White Sox's Braden Shewmake: Retreats to bench
Shewmake is out of the lineup for Monday's game in Minnesota.
Shewmake started on the left side of the infield in five of the previous six games, but he went just 1-for-15 at the plate to bring his season average down to .143. Though he's still regarded as one of the organization's better prospects, Shewmake will likely need to have a sustained run of success as a hitter before he shifts out of utility role and takes hold of a regular job at third base or shortstop.
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Paul DeJong SS | DET
White Sox's Paul DeJong: Hitting sixth in return to lineup
DeJong (arm) will start at shortstop and bat sixth in Monday's game against the Twins.
DeJong went unused in Sunday's 8-2 loss to the Phillies after being hit in the left arm by a pitch a day earlier, but his absence for the series finale in Philadelphia might have been precautionary more than anything. He'll take back his usual spot at shortstop Monday while Nicky Lopez shifts over to second base.
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Blaze Alexander 3B | BAL
Diamondbacks' Blaze Alexander: Available off bench Monday
Alexander (hamstring) is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Cardinals but said he will be available off the bench, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.
Alexander's early exit in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Giants was attributed to a right hamstring cramp, and the Diamondbacks don't seem to believe the rookie is dealing with anything significant a day later. He noted that he's not dealing with any structural damage, but because Alexander is still experiencing some discomfort in the hamstring, he'll get a day off Monday to continue healing. Kevin Newman will pick up the start at shortstop in Alexander's stead.
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J.P. Crawford SS | SEA
Mariners' J.P. Crawford: Productive during twin bill
Crawford went a combined 2-for-8 with a triple, four RBI, two walks and two runs during both games of Sunday's doubleheader against the Rockies.
The four trips on the basepaths made for a busy afternoon for the veteran shortstop, and the productive day, which was highlighted by a bases-clearing triple in Game 2, was preceded by back-to-back two-hit efforts in Crawford's previous two contests Tuesday and Saturday. Crawford is still slashing just .193/.287/.289 on the season, but he's now reached safely in 11 consecutive games, a span during which he boasts a .353 on-base percentage.
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C.J. Abrams SS | WAS
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Swipes fourth bag
Abrams went 1-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored and a stolen base in Sunday's win over the Astros.
The shortstop extended his hitting streak to eight games with the performance, but the steal was his first since March 30, snapping a 16-game drought on the basepaths. Abrams has hardly been a disappointment so far in 2024, slashing .297/.358/.676 with six homers, four steals, 12 RBI and 15 runs in 18 contests, but after he pilfered 47 bags last year in his first full big-league season, fantasy GMs who invested in him are likely expecting the 23-year-old to be a bit busier as a baserunner.