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Jose Altuve 2B | HOU
Astros' Jose Altuve: Good to go Tuesday
Altuve (head) is starting at second base and batting leadoff Tuesday against the A's.
The 31-year-old was evaluated for a concussion after a collision at first base during Monday's contest, but he apparently cleared the concussion protocols and is in the lineup Tuesday. Altuve has hit .350/.366/.600 with two home runs, four doubles, three RBI and six runs over his past 10 games.
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Andy Ibanez 2B | NYM
Rangers' Andy Ibanez: Losing work to Josh Smith
Ibanez is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rays.
The righty-hitting Ibanez has the platoon advantage in his favor with southpaw Ryan Yarbrough on the mound, but it won't be enough to keep him off the bench for the second game in a row. Instead, rookie Josh Smith will draw another start at the hot corner after going 3-for-4 with two runs in his MLB debut in Monday's 9-5 win. Ibanez looks like he'll have to settle for a utility gig with the Rangers presumably prepared to give Smith a trial as their everyday third baseman.
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Luis Rengifo LF | SD
Angels' Luis Rengifo: Getting regular work at keystone
Rengifo will start at second base and bat fifth in Tuesday's game against the Yankees, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
He'll be included in the lineup for the 12th game in a row and may have supplanted Tyler Wade as the Angels' preferred option at the keystone even once Anthony Rendon (wrist) returns from the injured list and Wade no longer has a path to playing time at third base. While starting the previous 11 contests, Rengifo has slashed .295/.340/.409 with a home run and a stolen base.
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Santiago Espinal 3B | TEX
Blue Jays' Santiago Espinal: Sitting Tuesday
Espinal is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the White Sox.
After a rough weekend in Los Angeles in which he went 2-for-18 during the Blue Jays' four-game series with the Angels, Espinal will take a seat as Toronto begins a six-game homestand. Cavan Biggio replaces Espinal at the keystone.
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Vidal Brujan SS | NYM
Rays' Vidal Brujan: Struggling at plate
Brujan went 1-for-2 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI in Monday's loss to the Rangers.
Brujan reached base on multiple occasions for the first time in 15 starts this season. He's maintained a miserable .137/.196/.176 line across 56 plate appearances, and his inability to reach base has limited his ability to showcase his speed on the basepaths. Despite his struggles, Brujan has been in the lineup for 12 of 15 contests since May 14 thanks to the absence of Brandon Lowe (back).
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Harold Castro 2B | KC
Tigers' Harold Castro: On bench for Game 1
Castro is out of the lineup for the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader with the Twins.
After starting each of the Tigers' past three games while going a collective 4-for-12 at the dish, Castro will take a seat as the Tigers roll out an all-righty-hitting lineup to counter Twins southpaw Devin Smeltzer. Castro doesn't have a clear path to an everyday role at any position at the moment, but his .836 OPS over 86 plate appearances has given him a compelling case to earn more work in a Tigers offense that has struggled mightily for much of the season.
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Nicky Lopez 2B | TEX
Royals' Nicky Lopez: Three hits in loss
Lopez went 3-for-4 with a run scored in Monday's 7-3 loss to the Guardians.
Lopez has a pair of three-hit efforts in his last four games as he begins to steer out of a slump that's bogged him down for much of May. The 27-year-old infielder still hasn't posted an extra-base hit in his last 10 contests. Overall, he's slashing .229/.306/.261 with four stolen bases, five RBI, 17 runs scored and five doubles in 171 plate appearances. His strong defense has kept him in the lineup, but he's often hit at the bottom of the order lately.
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Andres Gimenez SS | TOR
Guardians' Andres Gimenez: Swats go-ahead homer
Gimenez went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk in Monday's 7-3 win over the Royals.
Gimenez put the Guardians ahead for good with his eighth-inning blast off Royals reliever Collin Snider. In his last 12 games, Gimenez is hitting a light 8-for-45 (.178) with two homers, six RBI, six runs scored and a stolen base. It's an expected regression after he started the year in excellent form at the dish. Overall, he's slashing .287/.313/.492 with five homers, 23 RBI, 15 runs scored, three steals, two triples and six doubles in 38 contests.
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Jose Altuve 2B | HOU
Astros' Jose Altuve: Status in question for Tuesday
Altuve is being evaluated for a concussion after a collision at first base in the seventh inning of Monday's game against Oakland, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Altuve collided with Oakland first baseman Christian Bethancourt on a play where Bethancourt left his feet, and while both players ended up staying down after the play, each was able to remain in the contest. However, skipper Dusty Baker noted after the game that Altuve "didn't look too good in the eyes" when coming back to the dugout, and he's now undergoing further evaluation. Aledmys Diaz and Mauricio Dubon would be two likely candidates to take over at second base if Altuve is forced to miss time.
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Andy Ibanez 2B | NYM
Rangers' Andy Ibanez: Slated for rest day
Ibanez isn't in the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Rays.
Ibanez will get the night off after starting the last two contests for Texas, collecting five hits including a pair of doubles and an RBI over that brief stretch. Josh Smith gets the start at the hot corner and will bat eighth with Ibanez on the bench.