MLB Player News
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Nicky Lopez 3B | CHC
Royals' Nicky Lopez: Four hits across twin bill
Lopez went 4-for-6 with a walk, a double and a stolen base across both games of Tuesday's doubleheader split with the White Sox.
Getting the start at shortstop in the matinee, Lopez reached base in all four of his plate appearances and swiped his second bag of the season before shifting over to second base for the nightcap and going 1-for-3. The 27-year-old hadn't had a multi-hit performance since May 1, and his 2021 breakout is increasingly looking like a mirage, as Lopez has stumbled to a .215/.306/.252 slash line through 35 games so far this year.
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Andres Gimenez 2B | TOR
Guardians' Andres Gimenez: Records third steal
Gimenez went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Tuesday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Reds.
Gimenez got aboard in the eighth inning on an infield single and then stole second. The speedy infielder has gone five games without a multi-hit effort, but he's still gotten aboard safely in 10 of 13 games in May. He's slashing a strong .323/.340/.552 with four home runs, 20 RBI, 13 runs scored and three stolen bases through 31 contests this season.
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Owen Miller 2B | CHC
Guardians' Owen Miller: Smacks clutch homer
Miller went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's loss to the Reds.
Cleveland fell in extras, but Miller played the hero in the ninth with a game-tying, two-run shot off Art Warren. Miller has cooled considerably since his hot start, but he's still slashing .296/.357/.531 for the season, and he's still batting cleanup for the Guardians.
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Adam Frazier 2B | LAA
Mariners' Adam Frazier: Continues impressive turnaround
Frazier, who went 2-for-2 with an RBI single in a loss to the Blue Jays on Monday, is now hitting .378 (14-for-37) over his last 10 games.
Frazier didn't draw the start with southpaw Yusei Kikuchi on the mound to open the game for the Blue Jays, but he subsequently entered as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning and remained in the contest as a defensive replacement in right field. The offseason acquisition has boosted his average and on-base percentage to .270 and .342, respectively, figures much more in line with his career norms. Entering Tuesday's action, he boasts four multi-hit efforts in the last six games.
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Elvis Andrus 2B | ARI
Athletics' Elvis Andrus: Swinging blistering bat
Andrus, who went 2-for-3 with an RBI double in a loss to the Twins on Monday, is hitting .467 (7-for-15) with an RBI, two walks and a run in the last five games.
The brief but impressive surge has quickly boosted the veteran shortstop's average from .183 to .231. Andrus' hot streak is reminiscent of his much longer breakout in 2021 following a similarly dreadful start, one that saw him furnish a .273 average and .325 on-base percentage over his final 100 games after carrying .174 and .219 figures in those categories as late as May 24.
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Rylan Bannon 2B | NYM
Orioles' Rylan Bannon: Heads back to Triple-A
The Orioles optioned Bannon to Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Sun reports.
With outfielder Austin Hays (hand) returning to the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Yankees and infielder Jorge Mateo (shoulder/chest) perhaps in line to start Wednesday, manager Brandon Hyde said getting an extra arm in the bullpen was a greater priority than keeping Bannon around as position-player depth. Reliever Logan Gillaspie was called up from Norfolk to replace Bannon, who appeared in four games and went 2-for-14 with five strikeouts during his brief time in the big leagues.
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Luis Rengifo 2B | MIL
Angels' Luis Rengifo: Rejoins lineup Tuesday
Rengifo (elbow) is starting at second base and batting sixth Tuesday against the Rangers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Rengifo has been sidelined the past few days by a bruised elbow, but he'll retake the field for Tuesday's matchup with Texas. The 25-year-old is 4-for-14 with a double and three runs through seven games this season.
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Brandon Lowe 2B | PIT
Rays' Brandon Lowe: Facing multi-week absence
Lowe said Tuesday that he was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his lower back and won't be available to resume baseball activities for at least three weeks, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Even if Lowe is cleared for baseball activities in the first week of June once he's re-evaluated, he'll more than likely require at least one more week beyond that to regain his conditioning as well as his timing at the plate, so fantasy managers should probably plan on his absence extending until at least mid-June. Tampa Bay called up Isaac Paredes from Triple-A Durham after Lowe was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday, and Paredes and Vidal Brujan could stand to benefit the most from a playing-time perspective while the 27-year-old is on the shelf.
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Vidal Brujan 2B | NYM
Rays' Vidal Brujan: Records hit, caught stealing
Brujan went 1-for-4 and was caught stealing Monday against the Tigers.
Brujan should be locked into a consistent role at second base with Brandon Lowe (back) on the injured list. Brujan hit fifth Monday, and his lone knock was a single to lead off the seventh frame. Earlier in the contest, he had reached base on a fielder's choice and was caught attempting to steal for the second time this season. He's now just 1-for-3 on the basepaths, a concerning trend given that stolen bases are his primary path to fantasy value. Brujan has done little else of note with his playing time, posting just a .143/.182/.238 line across 22 plate appearances. On the positive side, he has maintained a 9.1 percent strikeout rate.
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Harold Castro 2B | KC
Tigers' Harold Castro: Hits first 2022 home run
Castro went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's win over the Rays.
The home run, Castro's first of the season, came at a great time, as it put the Tigers ahead 3-2 in the top of the ninth inning. The utility player is a solid contact hitter, as evidenced by his .306 batting average, but he's never provided much pop. Castro's career high for home runs in a season is five, which he recorded back in 2019. He had just three long balls in 106 games last year.