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Liam Hicks C | TB
Rays' Liam Hicks: Absent from Tampa Bay lineup
Hicks is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Blue Jays.
Hicks started at catcher in each of the last three games, so he will be given some rest during Thursday's afternoon tilt. Nick Fortes will do the catching in the rubber match.
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Joe Mantiply RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Joe Mantiply: Begins rehab assignment
Mantiply (knee) began a rehab assignment with Single-A Dunedin on Wednesday, striking out one in a perfect inning.
It was the left-hander's first outing in more than three months, as he's been working his way back from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. Mantiply will likely need at least a couple more rehab appearances before rejoining the Blue Jays' active roster.
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Angel Martinez LF | CLE
Guardians' Angel Martinez: Logs two hits, steal in loss
Martinez started in right field and went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to San Francisco.
Martinez made a second consecutive start, as the Guardians deal with injuries to Jo Adell (knee) and Chase DeLauter (hamstring). The injuries are considered minor and both outfielders are day-to-day, which means Martinez could get another start or two going forward. Following a July swoon, Martinez has picked it up in August, going 17-for-50 (.340) with one home run, six doubles, 11 RBI and six runs scored over 15 games.
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Jahmai Jones DH | BOS
Red Sox's Jahmai Jones: Enters game as pinch hitter
Jones (hip) entered Wednesday's game as a pinch hitter and finished as the designated hitter. He walked in his lone plate appearance in a 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Diamondbacks.
Jones, who battled left hip tightness the previous two days, pinch hit for Mickey Gasper against a left-hander in the eighth inning. The former has been remarkably productive in a part-time role since joining Boston, going 11-for-23 with four doubles, two home runs, six RBI, three steals and eight runs scored over 15 contests.
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Mickey Gasper DH | BOS
Red Sox's Mickey Gasper: Homers in third straight
Gasper served as the designated hitter and went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 7-6 extra-inning loss to Arizona.
Gasper gave the Red Sox a jolt in the bottom of the sixth inning, when he launched a three-run homer that tied the game after the Diamondbacks extended their lead in the top of the frame. It was the third straight game with a homer for Gasper, who had gone deep just twice over 92 career games in the majors prior to his call-up this week. The switch hitter has served as the DH in three consecutive contests, all against right-handers. He was eventually pinch hit for against a left-hander in the eighth.
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Zachary Neto SS | LAA
Angels' Zach Neto: Posts steal in loss
Neto went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Astros.
Neto's bat remains a bit inconsistent, as he's gone just 7-for-39 (.179) over his last 10 games, though he has three steals in that span. The shortstop is up to 17 steals on 27 attempts this season. He's also hitting .224 with a .717 OPS, 20 home runs, 54 RBI, 76 runs scored, 24 doubles and three triples over 123 contests, though his 31.4 percent strikeout rate has taken a toll on his numbers throughout the year.
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Walbert Urena SP | LAA
Angels' Walbert Urena: Strikes out seven in loss
Urena (8-9) allowed three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out seven over five innings to take the loss versus the Astros on Wednesday.
Urena has had a rollercoaster month, going 2-2 with seven runs allowed over 19.1 innings. The right-hander didn't pitch poorly Wednesday, but he was tagged for a Christian Vazquez solo shot in the third inning and two more runs in the fourth to send him to the loss. Urena is now at a 2.80 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 109:59 K:BB through 112.2 innings over 23 games (21 starts) on the year. He's lined up to make his next start at home against the Guardians.
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Christian Vazquez C | HOU
Astros' Christian Vazquez: Goes yard in win
Vazquez went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Angels.
Vazquez has homered in his last two games and now has seven long balls on the year. His blast in the third inning opened the scoring Wednesday. The veteran catcher is hitting .219 with a .628 OPS, 25 RBI, 21 runs scored, one stolen base and seven doubles over 233 plate appearances. Vazquez has seen a slight uptick in playing time lately while Yainer Diaz is stuck in a 3-for-23 slump.