MLB Player News
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Ryan Mountcastle 1B | BAL
Orioles' Ryan Mountcastle: Off to slow start at Double-A
Mountcastle is 4-for-27 with seven strikeouts since moving up to Double-A Bowie, and he's struggled with transitioning from shortstop to third base, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.
The sample size is small, but Mountcastle's .882 fielding percentage at the hot corner suggests he's adjusting to more than just better pitching. The 20-year-old hit .314 with an .885 OPS in 88 games with High-A Frederick before being promoted. Dynasty owners shouldn't worry, as growing pains were to be expected.
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Casey Gillaspie 1B | CHW
White Sox's Casey Gillaspie: To miss 1-2 weeks
Gillaspie broke a toe during his Tuesday game with Triple-A Durham and will miss 1-to-2 weeks, so he'll start his White Sox career with Triple-A Charlotte, Chuck Garfien of CSN Chicago reports.
This will delay any shot of him joining the big club in the near future. Gillaspie is batting .227/.296/.357 with nine home runs, 44 RBI and 45 runs scored in 395 plate appearances this season.
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Casey Gillaspie 1B | CHW
White Sox's Casey Gillaspie: Headed to White Sox
The White Sox acquired Gillaspie from the Rays for relief pitcher Dan Jennings, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
As a decently hyped corner-infield prospect, Gillaspie has had a steady climb up the minors in the last four years. He's taken a step back at Triple-A Durham this year, though, compared to 2016. The 24-year-old's .227/.296/.357 line is at least accompanied by nine home runs in 395 plate appearances, so maybe he'll show more thump in time. With Jose Abreu at first base, however, Gillaspie merely profiles as mildly intriguing insurance this year, unless Chicago is going to bring him up to the majors immediately as it tries out its young players. Maybe the switch hitter can snag at-bats as designated hitter in the short term. Either way, this isn't a bad chance for the White Sox to take.
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Yuli Gurriel DH | SD
Astros' Yulieski Gurriel: Draws start at third base
Gurriel will start at third base and bat cleanup Wednesday against the Phillies, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Gurriel shifted to third base during Tuesday's contest after Alex Bregman exited early with a hamstring injury, marking just his second appearance at the hot corner all season. Because third base was his most commonly played position as a rookie, Gurriel likely has eligibility at both corner-infield spots in most formats in 2017, but he'll probably need to make several more appearances at third base beyond Wednesday in order to retain eligibility next season. Since the Astros are viewing Bregman's injury as a day-to-day issue for now, Gurriel could be back to his normal spot at first base before long.
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Kole Calhoun 1B | CLE
Angels' Kole Calhoun: Homers in loss Tuesday
Calhoun went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's extra-inning loss to the Indians.
The 29-year-old has been slumping since returning from the break (3-for-23), so Tuesday's three-run shot may be a sign that he is breaking out of his mini slump. Calhoun is power is right on pace with his career marks, but his .234 batting average has severely limited his fantasy value this year. That said, his .270 BABIP remains over 30 points lower than his previous four-year average, so if his luck turns in the second half he could regain standard-league value.
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C.J. Cron 1B | BOS
Angels' C.J. Cron: Hits bench for second straight contest
Cron is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Indians.
After a string of four straight starts with lefties on the mound for the opposition, Cron retreated to the bench for Tuesday's series opener, as righty Mike Clevinger took the hill for the Tribe. Cron will sit again Wednesday in favor of Luis Valbuena with another righty in Carlos Carrasco on the mound, so it appears safe to conclude that Cron is still on the short end of a platoon at first base.
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Yuli Gurriel DH | SD
Astros' Yulieski Gurriel: Fills in at third base
Gurriel moved from first base to third when Alex Bregman left during the middle of Tuesday's win with a hamstring injury.
Normally, manager A.J. Hinch would rejigger his lineup to have Marwin Gonzalez play third base, but he's needed to cover shortstop for the injured Carlos Correa (thumb). If Bregman's injury lingers, Gurriel or Tyler White can handle the hot-corner duties. Gurriel is batting .293 with 13 home runs and 53 RBI through 87 games.
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Carlos Santana 1B | ARI
Indians' Carlos Santana: Homers twice in win
Santana went 2-for-3 with two solo home runs and three runs scored during Monday's win over Cincinnati.
The pair of long flies bring Santana's total to 12 for the campaign. He had just a single homer through his previous 24 games, and his .241/.340/.423 slash line also underwhelms. However, he's buoyed his fantasy value with 52 RBI and 55 runs. While Santana will be hard-pressed to match last season's 34 homers at this stage of the game, he's still a serviceable fantasy asset in most settings.
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Matt Olson 1B | ATL
Athletics' Matt Olson: Heads back to minors
Olson was optioned back to Triple-A Nashville on Monday.
With the Athletics back in American League ballparks for the time being, the team doesn't need as much position-player depth as before. As a result, Olson will head back to the minors after only making a pair of pinch-hitting appearances. Reliever Josh Smith will replace him on the active roster.
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Jose Abreu 1B | HOU
White Sox's Jose Abreu: Hits 26th double in Sunday's loss
Abreu went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI in Sunday's 5-4 loss to Kansas City.
Abreu drove in the go-ahead run with a fifth-inning double, but a late-inning Royals rally erased that advantage. The Cuban-born slugger is on pace to top his old career high of 35 doubles with 26 in 94 games. He still has a shot at a fourth consecutive season with at least 25 home runs and 100 RBI after accruing 16 and 60, respectively, to date.