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  • Bryce Harper DH | PHI

    Phillies' Bryce Harper: Steps in against live pitching

    Harper (wrist) traveled with the Phillies to Atlanta this weekend and took swings in live batting practice Saturday, Bill Trocchi of the Associated Press reports. "He was great," Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said. "Looked like he got his bat speed and his timing looked fine."

    Harper isn't scheduled to do any on-field work Sunday, but if his wrist checks out OK after Saturday's BP session, the two-time NL MVP could bypass a rehab assignment and return from the 10-day injured list ahead of Monday's game against the Padres. While Harper has been on the shelf, rookie Otto Kemp has stepped in as the Phillies' primary first baseman.

  • Luis Arraez 2B | SF

    Padres' Luis Arraez: Launches rare homer Saturday

    Arraez went 1-for-5 with a solo home run Saturday in a 6-4 win against Cincinnati.

    Arraez put the Padres on the board in the fifth inning with a solo shot to right field. The long ball was his first since April 18 and just his fourth overall this season. Of course, fantasy managers who roster Arraez don't expect much power from him, as he's never hit more than 10 home runs in a single MLB campaign. The three-time batting champion has been somewhat disappointing in other areas this season, though, as he's batting a mortal .283 -- well below his career average.

  • Michael Busch 3B | CHC

    Cubs' Michael Busch: Knocks in three runs in rout

    Busch went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk and three total RBI in a 12-3 victory versus Houston on Saturday.

    Busch plated the first run of the game when he drew a bases-loaded walk in the first inning. He added a solo homer in the fourth and capped his performance with a run-scoring single in the eighth. The first baseman has been quite productive of late, swatting three homers and driving in 10 runs over his past eight contests. He has 14 long balls and 49 runs batted in on the campaign, putting him well ahead of pace to surpass his marks of 21 home runs and 65 RBI last season.

  • Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Homers, swipes bag in victory

    Contreras went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double, a walk and a stolen base in a 9-6 win against Cleveland on Saturday.

    Contreras provided an insurance run in the top of the ninth inning with a 430-foot solo blast. Prior to that, he reached base twice and swiped third base in the seventh frame. This was the first time this season that Contreras has homered and stolen a base in the same game. He had been in the midst of a cold spell coming into Saturday, batting .182 with 15 strikeouts over his previous 44 at-bats.

  • Dodgers' Freddie Freeman: Perfect at plate in loss

    Freeman went 3-for-3 with a solo home run, two walks and an additional run scored in Saturday's 9-5 loss to the Royals.

    Freeman reached base in all five plate appearances, highlighted by a 421-foot home run that got the Dodgers on the board in the seventh inning. It was a much-needed breakout for the 35-year-old, who hadn't gone deep since May 11 and entered Saturday in a 2-for-28 slump over his previous seven contests. For the season, he's slashing .312/.386/.509 with 10 homers, 43 RBI and 44 runs scored across 306 plate appearances.

  • Josh Naylor 1B | SEA

    Diamondbacks' Josh Naylor: Not in lineup Saturday

    Naylor (neck) isn't in the starting lineup Saturday versus Miami.

    Naylor was removed from Friday's loss to the Marlins before the start of the seventh inning due to neck stiffness, and he's beginning Saturday on the bench. It's not yet clear how much time the veteran first baseman is expected to miss. With Naylor not starting Saturday, Pavin Smith is in the lineup at first base. Per Jack Sommers of SI.com, Arizona plans to monitor Naylor and see how he feels Sunday before deciding whether he's ready to return.

  • Luis Arraez 2B | SF

    Padres' Luis Arraez: Settling into leadoff spot

    Arraez is batting leadoff and starting at first base against the Reds on Saturday.

    This is the third straight game in which Arraez has batted leadoff, while Fernando Tatis -- who had previously spent much of the campaign in the leadoff role -- has shifted into the cleanup spot. Arraez is having a subpar season by his standards with a .705 OPS (on pace the for the lowest mark of his career), but he has plenty of experience atop the order after having hit in that spot for most of his career. Arraez collected three hits Wednesday upon moving back to batting leadoff before going 0-for-4 on Friday.

  • Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Getting breather Saturday

    Encarnacion-Strand isn't in the starting lineup Saturday versus San Diego.

    Encarnacion-Strand has started each of Cincinnati's previous four contests and went 2-for-12 with three runs batted in during that stretch, with both of the hits and all of the RBI coming in the same game. He'll begin on the bench Saturday while Santiago Espinal starts at the hot corner and Spencer Steer starts at first base.

  • Alec Burleson LF | STL

    Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Socks homer No. 10

    Burleson went 2-for-4 with a double, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Friday's 5-0 win over the Guardians.

    The 26-year-old took Luis L. Ortiz deep in the third inning, giving Sonny Gray more than enough run support as the right-hander faced one batter over the minimum in his fifth career shutout. Burleson is putting the finishing touches on a dazzling June that has seen him slash .337/.354/.598 with six of his 10 homers on the season, as well as 13 runs and 19 RBI in 24 contests.

  • Nationals' Nathaniel Lowe: Two doubles in three-hit game

    Lowe went 3-for-6 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 15-9 win over the Angels.

    Lowe had RBI doubles in the fifth and eighth innings. The first baseman has four multi-hit efforts over his last 10 games, going 11-for-42 (.262) in that span, which also includes four hitless games. He's been more in touch with his power and run production during this stretch, logging four home runs, three doubles and 10 RBI. Lowe is up to a .232/.295/.402 slash line with 13 homers, 54 RBI, 35 runs scored, 14 doubles and one stolen base through 82 games this season.

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