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Johnny Giavotella 2B | CHW
Orioles' Johnny Giavotella: Goes unclaimed following DFA
Giavotella cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday.
Giavotella was designated for assignment Tuesday and didn't garner the interest of any other MLB teams and will remain within the Orioles' organization. He'll likely slide into a starting role with Norfolk for the remainder of the season.
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Elvis Andrus 2B | ARI
Rangers' Elvis Andrus: Homers in three-hit game Wednesday
Andrus went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and two RBI in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Mariners.
The home run was Andrus' 15th of the season, making him the first Rangers shortstop to reach that benchmark since seven-time All-Star Michael Young achieved the feat in 2005. Andrus' surprising power breakout -- he had previously never hit more than eight home runs in any of his other eight big-league seasons -- has made him quite the bargain for fantasy owners who were able to snag him in the middle or later rounds in drafts or on the cheap in auctions back in the spring.
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Michael Chavis 2B | CIN
Red Sox's Michael Chavis: Extends hit streak to 11
Chavis currently has an 11-game hitting streak at Double-A Portland, going 17-for-43 with three home runs, five doubles, nine RBI and 11 runs scored over that stretch.
The Red Sox have been uber-patient with Chavis, who turns 22 next week. The first-round draft pick (2014) has battled injuries but is putting together a breakout season that should put him back on the prospect radar. Between two stops, Chavis is hitting .308 with 26 home runs and 78 RBI over 96 games. With Boston president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski gutting the system the last two seasons, one could look askance at the ranking of prospects in the organization, but Chavis has earned his spot near the top of RotoWire's rankings.
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Jose Altuve 2B | HOU
Astros' Jose Altuve: Earns AL award for July
Altuve was named the American League Player of the Month for July, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.
If you don't own Altuve in a fantasy league, you might not be aware that the perennial MVP candidate hit .485 in 99 July at-bats, setting a franchise record for batting average in a calendar month. The All-Star second baseman led the AL in on-base percentage (.523) and slugging (.727).
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Yangervis Solarte 2B | SD
Padres' Yangervis Solarte: May be confined to utility role
Solarte will serve a utility infield role for the time being, Dennis Lin of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Solarte has started at three different infield positions since returning from the disabled list July 30. He wasn't able to reclaim his regular role as the Padres' starting second baseman after Carlos Asuaje performed well in his absence. The 30-year-old should still receive semi-regular playing time if this situation holds, but Solarte will need to do better than going 0-for-10 since his return if he wants to unseat one of the Padres' younger infielders.
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Jake Elmore 2B | CHW
Blue Jays' Jake Elmore: Putting game together at Triple-A
Elmore, who came over to Toronto in the offseason, is finally beginning to find a groove at Triple-A Buffalo, Matt Schneidman of The Buffalo News reports.
Elmore, who's played in 197 MLB games, has spent the large majority of his 10-plus professional seasons in the minors. An infielder drafted by Arizona in 2008, the 30-year-old has had success at the lower levels, but Elmore's game never translated to the big leagues. He entered spring training as a legitimate contender for an Opening Day utility gig, but at this point, Elmore stands little chance of donning a Jays uniform this season.
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Brandon Drury 2B | KC
Diamondbacks' Brandon Drury: Held out Wednesday
Drury is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Cubs.
With the multitude of injuries plaguing the Diamondbacks' middle infield, Drury seems to be in line for a bit more playing time, but he'll hit the bench Wednesday as his struggles at the plate continue. Daniel Descalso will pick up a start at second base in his place.
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Brandon Drury 2B | KC
Diamondbacks' Brandon Drury: Makes first start at third base
Drury made his first start of the season at third base, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
Drury's offensive tailspin continued in his return to the lineup following a two-game hiatus, but his performance in the field proved to be a bigger issue. While receiving the start at the hot corner for a resting Jake Lamb, Drury misplayed a grounder in the second, prolonging a four-run inning for the Cubs. Once Lamb reclaims his regular spot in the starting nine, Drury will likely move back to his more familiar place at second base, where he could regain a full-time role in spite of his lack of success at the plate of late. Chris Owings fractured his middle finger Sunday and could miss the rest of the regular season, leaving a long-term vacancy in the middle infield that Drury should be the top candidate to fill.
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Amed Rosario 3B | NYY
Mets' Amed Rosario: Collects hit in MLB debut
Rosario played shortstop and hit seventh in his big-league debut Tuesday, going 1-for-4 and striking out once.
The 21-year-old didn't exactly explode onto the scene in his debut, but some fielding jitters aside Rosario looked like he belonged in the majors. The Mets' top prospect will get consistent at-bats for the remainder of the season, and in the short term he can offer solid contact skills and a bit of speed to a fantasy roster.
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Ozzie Albies 2B | ATL
Braves' Ozzie Albies: Hitless in MLB debut Tuesday
Albies went 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Dodgers.
He looked like he belonged in his MLB debut, playing solid defense at the keystone and getting on base for Johan Camargo's two-run homer in the eighth inning that made things close. Albies is still only 20 years old so don't expect too much fantasy value from him while he gets his feet wet in the majors, but he could chip in some steals in the short term and remains an excellent asset in keeper and dynasty leagues.