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Nathan Eovaldi SP | TEX
Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi: Return from IL not yet imminent
Eovaldi (elbow) resumed playing catch earlier this week, but manager Skip Schumaker said Wednesday that the right-hander will need another 10-to-12 days before advancing to throwing off a mound, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
The Rangers placed Eovaldi on the 15-day injured list Aug. 10 due to right posterior elbow inflammation. At the time he was deactivated, the Rangers had some optimism that Eovaldi would be able to return after close to a minimum-length stay on the shelf, but the 36-year-old now appears poised to miss more than a month of action after progressing slowly in his recovery.
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Jack Leiter SP | TEX
Rangers' Jack Leiter: Could work in relief once activated
The Rangers are considering using Leiter (ankle) in a relief role once he returns from the 60-day injured list, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
While manager Skip Schumaker hasn't made a final decision on how Leiter will be deployed upon his return, the right-hander ended up being used out of the bullpen for his third rehab appearance Wednesday with Triple-A Round Rock. After making starts of 2.2 innings and three innings in his first two minor-league appearances, Leiter was rocked for three earned runs on three hits while also hitting a batter during his one-inning relief outing Wednesday. Though the Rangers haven't given up on using Leiter as a starter for the long term, he had struggled to a 5.29 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in his 15 turns through the big-league rotation this season before undergoing arthroscopic surgery June 23 to remove a loose body in his right ankle area.
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Alika Williams SS | ATH
Athletics' Alika Williams: Drives in two runs Wednesday
Williams went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, two RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 7-4 win over the Twins.
Williams clubbed a triple off the center-field wall to plate two runs as part of a four-run sixth inning for the Athletics. Coupled with a double in the eighth frame, Wednesday marked his first game with multiple extra-base hits since July 19 and his third such effort of the season. Across 161 plate appearances, the 27-year-old is slashing .268/.304/.416 with two homers, 12 RBI and 18 runs. Williams has factored into the shortstop equation with Jacob Wilson (shoulder) out for the year, though Donovan Walton and Darell Hernaiz have also seen plenty of reps at the position.
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Tyler Tolbert SS | KC
Royals' Tyler Tolbert: Tallies 20th steal
Tolbert went 1-for-2 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 3-0 loss to the Blue Jays.
Tolbert reached on an infield single to open the third inning before swiping second base for his 20th steal of the campaign. The utility man is hitting .294/.361/.422 with three homers, eight RBI and 27 runs across 126 plate appearances, though he's gone just 8-for-37 (.216) in August. Should second baseman Michael Massey (head) require a stint on the injured list, Tolbert could see an uptick in playing time.
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Travis Bazzana 2B | CLE
Guardians' Travis Bazzana: Knocks in winning run
Bazzana went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Angels.
Bazzana was instrumental in a late-game rally that saw the Guardians score three runs in the final two innings. He singled and scored in the eighth inning and then drove in the go-ahead run in the ninth with a sacrifice fly. The rookie's been on a roll of late, going 10-for-27 (.370) with two doubles, one steal, six RBI and five runs scored over the last seven games.
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Chase DeLauter RF | CLE
Guardians' Chase DeLauter: Triggers game-winning rally
DeLauter (hamstring) entered Wednesday's game as a pinch hitter and singled in a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over the Angels.
DeLauter opened on the bench for a third consecutive game but triggered Cleveland's two-run rally in the top of the ninth inning. He was immediately replaced by a pinch runner, indicating the Guardians didn't want to push him on the basepaths. It's unclear if the pinch-hitting appearance means DeLauter will be ready to return to the starting lineup Friday after the team's off day Thursday.
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Braden Montgomery RF | CHW
White Sox's Braden Montgomery: Productive series against Rangers
Montgomery went 1-for-5 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored Wednesday against the Rangers.
Montgomery started the scoring for the White Sox with an RBI double in the second inning. The performance wrapped up a strong series, as Montgomery collected one hit in all three games while scoring five runs and tallying two RBI. Montgomery has shown promising signs at the plate across 24 games in August, reaching base at a .337 clip while racking up 14 RBI and 15 runs scored.
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Kaelen Culpepper SS | MIN
Twins' Kaelen Culpepper: Belts third homer
Culpepper went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's 7-4 loss to the Athletics.
Culpepper has hit safely in five straight games, going 8-for-19 (.421) with two homers and four RBI in that span. The shortstop continues to make steady contact -- he's now batting .333 with a .907 OPS over 63 plate appearances in the majors. He's added three homers, six RBI, eight runs scored, two doubles and no stolen bases while occupying a starting role at shortstop.
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Brooks Lee 3B | MIN
Twins' Brooks Lee: Goes yard in loss
Lee went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 7-4 loss to the Athletics.
Lee has homered four times over his last 10 games, going 10-for-37 (.271) at the dish in that span. The infielder has just one multi-hit effort, but the uptick in power is a positive after he slugged .385 in his first 25 games coming out of the All-Star break. He's batting .247 with a .736 OPS, 21 homers, 70 RBI, 59 runs scored, 21 doubles, three triples and seven stolen bases through 128 contests this year.
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Trevor Larnach LF | MIN
Twins' Trevor Larnach: Launches 11th homer
Larnach went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 7-4 loss to the Athletics.
Larnach had the only multi-hit effort for the Twins in this contest. The outfielder had gone 0-for-14 with four strikeouts over his previous five games, and he's hitting just .172 in August. For the year, Larnach is batting .265 with a .770 OPS, 11 homers, 43 RBI, 51 runs scored, 19 doubles, one triple and two stolen bases over 108 contests. His playing time may continue to slip if he can't get his hitting back on track soon -- he sat out three straight games prior to Wednesday.