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J.J. Bleday LF | CIN
Athletics' JJ Bleday: Lifts 17th homer Wednesday
Bleday went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in a loss to the Rays on Wednesday.
The slugging outfielder opened the scoring with a 373-foot solo shot to right field, his fourth homer in the last nine games. Bleday has had two hitless games during that span, but a pair of three-hit efforts in the same sample and the quartet of round trippers has helped him to a .303 average and 1.092 OPS across 40 plate appearances.
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Ryan Yarbrough RP | NYY
Blue Jays' Ryan Yarbrough: Slated for bulk relief Thursday
Yarbrough is expected to be deployed as a bulk reliever in Thursday's game versus the Angels, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Ryan Burr will be the Blue Jays' opening pitcher, but it will be Yarbrough who is likely to cover most of the innings. The left-hander hasn't gone more than two innings in any of his first four appearances with Toronto, but he lasted three-plus innings in eight of his 32 outings earlier this season with the Dodgers.
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Ryan Burr RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Ryan Burr: Serving as opener Thursday
Burr will serve as the Blue Jays' opening pitcher in Thursday's game versus the Angels, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
Burr will draw his first opener assignment of the season after delivering a 5.40 ERA and a 23:8 K:BB over 18.1 innings out of the bullpen. Ryan Yarbrough is expected to follow Burr as the bulk reliever.
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Jazz Chisholm Jr. 2B | NYY
Yankees' Jazz Chisholm: Closing in on return from IL
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Chisholm (elbow) is "real close to a return" from the 10-day injured list, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
Earlier this week, Boone described the possibility of Chisholm being activated from the IL when first eligible Saturday as "ambitious," but the skipper may have since changed his stance. While he might not be quite ready to go Saturday, Chisholm is in a good spot after getting through a pain-free session of batting practice Wednesday. It's unclear whether he will require a rehab assignment before returning. Chisholm is working his way back from a UCL sprain in his left (non-throwing) elbow.
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Connor Gillispie SP | PHI
Guardians' Connor Gillispie: Called up from Triple-A
The Guardians recalled Gillispie from Triple-A Columbus on Thursday.
The addition of Gillispie gives the Guardians a fresh arm out of the bullpen for Thursday's series finale at Yankee Stadium after long relievers Pedro Avila and Eli Morgan were both needed for two innings in Wednesday's 8-1 loss. Gillispie was up with the Guardians earlier this month and made his MLB debut Aug. 4 against the Orioles, striking out three and allowing one run over three innings.
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Joey Cantillo SP | CLE
Guardians' Joey Cantillo: Heading back to Triple-A
The Guardians optioned Cantillo to Triple-A Columbus on Thursday.
While making his fourth start of the season for the Guardians on Wednesday against the Yankees, Cantillo was dealt a third consecutive loss after yielding seven earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five over four innings. Despite being optioned to Columbus, Cantillo could still be a candidate to get called up again Monday, when the Guardians will require two starting pitchers for a doubleheader with the Royals. However, with Cantillo now owning an 8.47 ERA and 1.76 WHIP through 17 innings with the big club, the Guardians could be compelled to go in a different direction.
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Randy Arozarena LF | SEA
Mariners' Randy Arozarena: Two runs, stolen base in loss
Arozarena went 1-for-2 with a stolen base and two runs scored in Wednesday's loss to the Dodgers while also drawing a walk and being hit by a pitch.
Arozarena swiped his 18th bag of the season and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly from Dominic Canzone after being hit by a pitch to lead off the second. The recently acquired outfielder would then go on to reach two more times in the contest, scoring two runs for the fifth time as a member of the Mariners. Arozarena had gone six games without recording a hit prior to Wednesday's performance, and he's batting just .193 (11-for-57) in August with three homers, 13 RBI, 11 runs and two stolen bases.
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Lane Thomas LF | ATL
Guardians' Lane Thomas: Sitting against righty again
Thomas is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees.
Thomas has gone just 7-for-59 at the plate since joining the Guardians in late July, and the prolonged slide seems to have cost him a spot in the club's everyday lineup. He's now started just six of the last 12 contests, with each of those absences coming against right-handed pitchers. With Thomas on the bench Thursday, Tyler Freeman will pick up a start in center field.
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David Fry LF | CLE
Guardians' David Fry: Losing work against righties
Fry is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees.
Fry is on the bench for a fourth straight matchup versus a right-handed pitcher (Gerrit Cole) and seems to have moved into a short-side platoon role while his bat has cooled down since the All-Star break. Jhonkensy Noel will occupy the designated-hitter spot Thursday, and he and Will Brennan should continue to get playing time against right-handers at Fry's expense.