MLB Player News
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Blue Jays' Santiago Espinal: Returns to bench
Espinal is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.
Espinal went 4-for-21 with three runs and two RBI while starting in each of the past six games, but he appears primed to see fewer opportunities moving forward while he transitions back into a utility role. Bo Bichette, Kevin Kiermaier, Matt Chapman and George Springer have all returned from recent injury-related absences, bringing the Toronto lineup back to full strength.
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Mauricio Dubon 2B | ATL
Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Gaining traction as everyday CF
Dubon will start in center field and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Mariners.
Dubon will stick in the lineup for a fourth consecutive game after going 5-for-11 with a pair of extra-base hits and three RBI over the previous three contests to bring his season-long batting average up to .266. He'll be making his third start in four games in center field Sunday and appears to have supplanted Jake Meyers as the Astros' preferred option at the position.
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Jose Caballero 2B | NYY
Mariners' Jose Caballero: Tending to sore shin, hamstring
Mariners manager Scott Servais said that Caballero is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros due to a sore shin as well as some minor hamstring tightness, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Servais added that Caballero will still be available off the bench if needed, so neither the shin nor the hamstring injury seem to be anything that will result in him being moved to the 10-day injured list. Caballero went 7-for-18 with three doubles, two walks, five runs, three stolen bases and one RBI while starting each of the last five games at shortstop, but his time as a regular in the Seattle lineup is likely to end soon with J.P. Crawford (concussion) on track to return from the 7-day injured list during the Mariners' series in Chicago that begins Monday.
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Ha-seong Kim 2B | ATL
Padres' Ha-Seong Kim: Goes deep Saturday
Kim went 1-for-8 with a solo home run and a walk across both games of Saturday's doubleheader against Arizona.
Kim had a nice start to the twin bill, leading off the Padres' half of the first inning with a solo shot in Game 1. That was his only hit of the day, though he did work a walk in the nightcap. Since his 16-game hitting streak came to an end Aug. 12, Kim has come back down to earth a bit, slashing .162/.205/.297 over his subsequent nine contests.
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Jose Caballero 2B | NYY
Mariners' Jose Caballero: Takes seat Sunday
Caballero is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.
Caballero started the past five games at shortstop and will head to the bench after going 7-for-18 with three doubles, three steals, an RBI and five runs during that span. Dylan Moore is starting at shortstop Sunday, but both players' playing time at the position will dwindle in the near future with J.P. Crawford (concussion) on a rehab assignment and close to being activated from the injured list.
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Brendan Rodgers 2B | BOS
Rockies' Brendan Rodgers: Three consecutive multi-hit games
Rodgers went 3-for-5 with three runs scored Saturday against the White Sox.
Rodgers played a significant role in the Rockies' 11-run outburst Saturday, and he now has three consecutive multi-hit efforts. He's enjoyed a productive homestand overall, going 9-for-22 with seven runs scored and seven RBI across five games. Rodgers' production will likely dip once the Rockies hit the road Tuesday, particularly considering he's striking out at an inflated 28.3 percent clip across the first 60 plate appearances of his season.
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Lenyn Sosa 2B | CHW
White Sox's Lenyn Sosa: Drives in two
Sosa went 2-for-4 with two RBI on Saturday against the Rockies.
Sosa has drawn consecutive starts at second base in the absence of Tim Anderson (suspension), while Elvis Andrus has shifted to shortstop. Sosa has gotten bits of major-league experience in the last two seasons but has struggled significantly in both stints. His effort Saturday was encouraging -- it was his third multi-hit performance in 35 career games -- though it did come at Coors Field. Once Anderson is reinstated, Sosa is likely to lose playing time and potentially his roster spot.
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Luis Urias 2B | ATH
Red Sox's Luis Urias: Launches another grand slam
Urias started at second base and went 1-for-3 with a walk and a grand slam in Saturday's 8-1 win over the Yankees.
Urias belted his second grand slam in as many games. Thursday's granny came on his final at-bat, and Saturday's shot came on the first pitch of his first plate appearance, giving him grand slams on consecutive pitches, the first Red Sox player to achieve that feat. Since Trevor Story came off the 60-day injured list in early August, Urias has shared starts at second base with Pablo Reyes.
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Brandon Drury 2B | KC
Angels' Brandon Drury: Homers twice in doubleheader
Drury went 4-for-8 with two home runs, a walk, three total runs and four total RBI in Saturday's doubleheader split versus the Rays.
Drury knocked a big solo homer in Game 1 that provided what proved to be the decisive run, then belted a late three-run shot in a landslide loss in Game 2. The pair of long balls came on the heels of a poor start to August during which the infielder had slashed .192/.192/.308 with just one home run over 13 games. Drury is now up to 17 long balls on the season, three away from the second 20-homer campaign of his nine-year career.
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Mauricio Dubon 2B | ATL
Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Collects three hits
Dubon went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's loss against the Mariners.
Dubon delivered his first three-hit game since July 15 and even managed to tag Eduard Bazardo for a solo home run in the ninth inning. Over his last eight appearances, Dubon is 9-for-26 (.346) with five runs scored and four RBI while striking out only twice in 29 plate appearances.