MLB Player News
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Jack Suwinski RF | LAD
Pirates' Jack Suwinski: Rare multi-hit performance
Suwinski went 2-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored and a walk Sunday against the Reds.
Suwinski has earned playing time across all three outfield spots in the last week, starting six of seven games against right-handed pitchers. As pedestrian as his performance was, Sunday was one of his better games of the season and marked only his second multi-hit performance across 26 starts. Suwinski is hitting a miserable .126 for the campaign and has only a .092 ISO across 106 plate appearances.
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Pete Crow-Armstrong CF | CHC
Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong: Snags 30th steal
Crow-Armstrong went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Cardinals.
Crow-Armstrong hit safely for just the third time in nine games in August. It's been a tough slump for the outfielder, who has also racked up 13 strikeouts and no walks so far this month. The slump has him down to a .259/.296/.527 slash line with 27 home runs, 30 steals, 78 RBI and 74 runs scored over 115 contests. Given the talent he's displayed for much of the season, he's likely to get back on track at some point.
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Xzavion Curry RP | MIA
Rockies' Xzavion Curry: Lands MiLB deal with Colorado
The Rockies signed Curry to a minor-league contract Sunday and assigned him to Triple-A Albuquerque.
Curry briefly worked out of the Miami bullpen early in the season, but he was dropped from the 40-man roster April 14 before being released just under two months later. He then signed with Mexican League club Tigres de Quintana Roo on July 1 but was granted his release to pursue an opportunity with the Rockies. He'll likely serve as a swingman at Albuquerque and could earn a call-up to Colorado before season's end if the big club has a need for a spot starter or long man out of the bullpen.
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Matt Shaw RF | CHC
Cubs' Matt Shaw: Clubs homer Sunday
Shaw went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Cardinals.
Shaw provided the Cubs' lone scoring play when he took Sonny Gray deep in the fifth inning. It's the second homer in as many days for Shaw, who has swatted seven of his nine homers this season over his last 19 games. He was hitting .198 entering the All-Star break but is now batting .228 with a .683 OPS, 30 RBI, 40 runs scored, 14 stolen bases, 15 doubles and one triple over 83 contests. The rookie third baseman still hasn't reached his potential, but he's trending upward, which is a good sign as he continues to occupy a starting role on a team in the wild-card race.
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Ildemaro Vargas 1B | ARI
Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Set to begin rehab assignment
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that Vargas (foot) will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Reno, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Vargas will likely remain on assignment with Reno through the weekend before potentially returning from the 10-day injured list Aug. 18 for the start of Arizona's six-game homestand. Arizona may give Vargas to exposure to multiple infield spots during his time in the minors, but the 34-year-old could end up seeing most of his opportunities at third base once he's reinstated. Since Vargas landed on the IL on June 25 due to a fractured fifth metatarsal on his left foot, the Diamondbacks traded away Eugenio Suarez, which has opened the door for Blaze Alexander to see the bulk of the starts at the hot corner.
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Shota Imanaga SP | CHC
Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Quality start not enough Sunday
Imanaga (8-5) allowed three runs on four hits and struck out nine without walking a batter over 6.2 innings, taking the loss versus the Cardinals on Sunday.
While Imanaga was stingy with baserunners, the Cardinals took advantage of their limited chances. Pedro Pages tagged Imanaga for a two-run home run in the third inning and Nolan Gorman added the decisive hit, an RBI single, in the seventh. Imanaga has a pair of quality starts to begin August, allowing four runs over 13 innings with 16 strikeouts and no walks so far this month. He's at a 3.19 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 79:17 K:BB through 96 innings over 17 starts this season. The southpaw's next start is projected to be at home versus the Pirates.
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Spencer Horwitz 1B | PIT
Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Heating up in August
Horwitz went 2-for-5 with a double, one run scored and one RBI on Sunday against the Reds.
Horwitz has had an inconsistent season as Pittsburgh's primary first baseman, but he's delivered throughout the early portions of August. He has gone 12-for-35 with two homers, nine RBI and eight runs scored across 10 starts in the month. Horwitz is now hitting .266 for the season, though he's provided very little pop with only a .124 ISO.
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Pedro Pages C | STL
Cardinals' Pedro Pages: Launches eighth homer
Pages went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Cubs.
Pages opened the scoring with a third-inning blast off Shota Imanaga. While playing time hasn't been all that steady lately, Pages has made the most of it, going 7-for-19 (.368) with two homers and six RBI over his last six games dating back to July 29. The catcher is splitting duties with Yohel Pozo behind the dish in what's emerging as a fairly even timeshare. On the year, Pages has a .211/.256/.341 slash line with eight homers, 35 RBI, 29 runs scored and no stolen bases across 87 contests.
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Gabriel Moreno C | ARI
Diamondbacks' Gabriel Moreno: Ready for rehab assignment
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Sunday that Moreno (finger) will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Reno, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Moreno is eligible to return from the 60-day injured list Aug. 18, and he looks like he'll have a shot to be activated on that date if all goes smoothly on his rehab assignment. The catcher was hitting .270 but provided just five home runs, one stolen base, 29 runs and 20 RBI through 53 games before he landed on the IL on June 19 due to a hairline fracture of his right index finger.
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JoJo Romero RP | STL
Cardinals' JoJo Romero: Shaky in four-out save
Romero allowed three hits and a walk over 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the save in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Cubs.
Romero got out of a little trouble in the eighth inning, then created some more traffic on the basepaths before locking things down in the ninth. Since taking over as closer to begin August, Romero has allowed seven hits and three walks over 5.2 innings, but he's given up just one earned run in that span. He's at a 1.98 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 38:18 K:BB through 41 innings on the year while adding three saves and 16 holds. With the Cardinals at 60-59 following Sunday's game, Romero figures to be a decent speculative option for fantasy managers chasing saves as long as the team is still plausibly in the hunt for a wild-card spot.