MLB Player News
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Enmanuel Valdez 2B | PIT
Red Sox's Enmanuel Valdez: Sitting against righty Monday
Valdez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Blue Jays, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
Since he was recalled from Triple-A Worcester on May 29, Valdez has operated in the strong side of a platoon at second base while slashing .308/.390/.654 with four home runs and one stolen base over a stretch of 20 games. Though his performance doesn't warrant a downturn in playing time, Valdez could nonetheless find himself as the odd man out of the lineup against right-handed pitching as a consequence of the Red Sox regaining health in the outfield. The recent returns of Tyler O'Neill and Wilyer Abreu from injuries will push Ceddanne Rafaela from center field to shortstop and David Hamilton from shortstop to second base Monday, leaving no room for the lefty-hitting Valdez even though Toronto will bring a righty (Chris Bassitt) to the hill.
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Brandon Lowe 2B | PIT
Rays' Brandon Lowe: Held out again Monday
Lowe (toe) remains out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mariners.
Lowe suffered a fractured right pinky toe when he was hit by a pitch in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Pirates. While the plan is for him to attempt to play through the injury, Lowe has now missed two straight starts. Richie Palacios will again handle second base while Lowe stays off his feet.
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Jorge Mateo SS | ATL
Orioles' Jorge Mateo: Beginning to lose playing time
Mateo is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Guardians.
Mateo appeared to have settled into an everyday role at the keystone around mid-June, but the Orioles may now be viewing him as more of a part-time player. He'll take a seat for the third time in five games, with Mateo's absence in the lineup opening up a starting spot in the infield for Ramon Urias.
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Jorge Polanco 2B | NYM
Mariners' Jorge Polanco: Reinstated from injured list
The Mariners activated Polanco (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list Monday.
Polanco was sidelined for just under a month with a right hamstring strain. He went 6-for-20 in six games between High-A Everett and Triple-A Tacoma during his rehab assignment, slugging three home runs over his final two contests. Polanco has slashed a disappointing .195/.293/.302 across 181 plate appearances for Seattle this season. He'll resume his role as the club's everyday second baseman.
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Nick Loftin 1B | KC
Royals' Nick Loftin: Hitless out of leadoff spot Sunday
Loftin went 0-for-4 in Sunday's 4-0 loss to the Rangers.
Though Loftin didn't provide any noteworthy production Sunday, he occupied the leadoff spot for the Royals for the second time in four games. While Kansas City hasn't yet settled on a permanent option atop the batting order, manager Matt Quatraro seems to have at least temporarily pulled the plug on the slumping Maikel Garcia as the club's leadoff hitter. With Garcia batting seventh and eighth in the final two games of the series in Texas, both Loftin and Adam Frazier received looks in the leadoff spot, though Loftin's assignment Sunday might have been a byproduct of Frazier missing the game with a thumb sprain. Even if Loftin sets the table for Kansas City again Monday versus Marlins, he may not stick in the everyday lineup for long. Michael Massey (back) is nearing a return from the 10-day injured list and likely to take back a regular spot at second base.
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Nick Maton DH | CHW
Orioles' Nick Maton: Dropped from 40-man roster
The Orioles designated Maton for assignment Monday.
Maton will be pushed off roster as the Orioles make room for outfielder/first baseman Heston Kjerstad, who was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk in a corresponding move. During his five-day stay with the Orioles, Maton saw action in just one game and didn't receive any plate appearances.
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Jose Altuve 2B | HOU
Astros' Jose Altuve: Pops 12th homer
Altuve went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs scored Sunday against the Orioles.
Altuve led off the bottom of the first inning with his 12th home run of the season and third in his last 13 starts. He's been hot in that stretch, maintaining a .352 average with 11 RBI and 10 runs scored while also chipping in a stolen base. Altuve has already locked in his third consecutive season with double-digit homers and steals and is hitting .299 across 342 plate appearances on the campaign.
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Spencer Horwitz 1B | PIT
Blue Jays' Spencer Horwitz: Homers twice versus Cleveland
Horwitz went 2-for-3 with two solo home runs, two walks and three runs scored in Sunday's 6-5 loss to the Guardians.
Horwitz walked and came around to score on a home run from Vladimir Guerrero in the top of the first. Horwitz later added two long balls of his own, taking Triston McKenzie deep for a solo shot in the third before adding another blast off reliever Darren McCaughan in the fifth. After going without a homer for in his first 12 games this season, the 26-year-old notched his first pair Sunday. On the season, Horwitz is now batting .366 with two home runs, five RBI and six runs scored over 41 at-bats in 13 contests.
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Colt Keith 3B | DET
Tigers' Colt Keith: Big effort in rout
Keith went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, three total runs scored and three RBI in Sunday's 11-2 win over the White Sox.
Keith got the scoring started with a two-run home run, his fourth of the season, in the first inning and proceeded to record his third four-hit effort of the year. The youngster is riding a five-game hitting streak and is batting .258 this month. Keith is now batting .243 overall and is trending in the right direction after a slow start to his rookie campaign.
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Andres Gimenez 2B | TOR
Guardians' Andres Gimenez: Idle vs. lefty
Gimenez is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Blue Jays.
The lefty-hitting Gimenez will begin Sunday's game in the dugout with the Blue Jay sending southpaw Yusei Kikuchi to the mound. Daniel Schneemann will start at second base and bat sixth.