MLB Player News
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Ramon Urias 3B | BAL
Orioles' Ramon Urias: Sitting third straight
Urias isn't in the Orioles' lineup for Thursday's game against the Rangers, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
After making three straight starts at third base, Urias has now been absent from the Orioles' last three starting lineups. Jordan Westburg will move to the hot corner Thursday while Jorge Mateo starts at the keystone and bats ninth.
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Armando Alvarez 3B | OAK
Athletics' Armando Alvarez: Records first career steal
Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs in a loss to the Angels on Wednesday.
Fresh off a three-hit night Tuesday, Alvarez drew a second consecutive start and continued contributing in small-ball fashion Wednesday. The 29-year-old rookie's stolen base was a nice bonus, as he's not been very prolific in that category throughout his long minor-league career (28-for-42 across 709 games). Alvarez's encouraging play could continue to allow him to carve out semi-regular playing time around the infield for the time being, with Abraham Toro's (hamstring) recent placement on the IL being the primary catalyst for the former's long-awaited arrival in the big leagues.
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Davis Wendzel 3B | CIN
Rangers' Davis Wendzel: Draws start at third base
Wendzel started at third base and went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to Milwaukee.
With Corey Seager resting, Josh Smith started at shortstop, opening up third base for Wendzel. Prior to Wednesday, that used to mean Ezequiel Duran would play the hot corner, but the Rangers optioned the underperforming Duran to Triple-A Round Rock amid a mini roster shakeup. Wendzel is 6-for-40 with a home run, two doubles and two RBI over 23 games this season. Eventually, Josh Jung (wrist) will return to solidify third base.
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Jose Miranda 3B | MIN
Twins' Jose Miranda: Another three hits, three RBI
Miranda went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI in Wednesday's win over the Diamondbacks while also drawing a walk.
Miranda kicked off the scoring for Minnesota with a three-run double in the second and went on to reach base four times in the contest -- which he's now done twice in his last three games. It marked the third time that the third baseman has driven in three runs and logged multiple hits over his last five contests, increasing his average to .329 in June. Miranda has also drawn a walk in four straight games.
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Gabriel Arias 3B | CLE
Guardians' Gabriel Arias: Homers, steals base in loss
Arias went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a stolen base against Baltimore in a loss Wednesday.
Arias accounted for two of Cleveland's five hits in the defeat and plated the team's final run with his fifth-inning solo homer. The utility man has perked up at the plate of late, batting an even .400 (10-for-25) with a pair of long balls and five RBI over his past nine games. Arias missed some time due to a family medical emergency during that span and isn't an everyday player for the Guardians, so the hot stretch extends back to the beginning of June.
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Jhonkensy Noel RF | CLE
Guardians' Jhonkensy Noel: Homers in first big-league at-bat
Noel went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Orioles.
Noel enjoyed a storybook first big-league plate appearance, blasting a solo shot 413 feet to center field. The 22-year-old was promoted from Triple-A earlier in the day after blazing to a .295/.359/.578 slash line with 18 homers and 59 RBI over 65 games with Columbus. Noel's power is unquestioned -- he went deep 27 times at Triple-A last season -- though he has had some strikeout issues during his time in the minors. There isn't an obvious path to everyday at-bats with the big club, but if Joel is productive, he could work his way into fairly regular playing time by moving between first base, the corner-outfield spots and designated hitter.
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Addison Barger 3B | TOR
Blue Jays' Addison Barger: Heading back to bench Wednesday
Barger is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.
Barger will take a seat after he had started in eight of the Blue Jays' past 10 games, with five of those assignments coming at third base and the other three in the corner outfield. With Bo Bichette returning from the injured list Tuesday, Barger's opportunities to play in the infield will become more limited moving forward, but he could still push Davis Schneider or George Springer for the occasional start in left or right field.
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Ramon Urias 3B | BAL
Orioles' Ramon Urias: Out again Wednesday
Urias is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Guardians.
After making three straight starts at third base, Urias will hit the bench for the second game in a row. Jorge Mateo will pick up another start in the infield while Urias takes a seat.
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Jhonkensy Noel RF | CLE
Guardians' Jhonkensy Noel: Summoned to big leagues
The Guardians recalled Noel from Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday. He'll start at first base and bat sixth in the Guardians' series finale in Baltimore.
Noel will hit the big leagues for the first time. The 22-year-old slashed .295/.359/.578 with 18 home runs over 65 games with Columbus this season. Much of that production has come since the start of May, with Noel producing a .343/.404/.651 line with 14 home runs in 43 contests over that stretch. Noel has also struck out at just an 18.1-percent rate since May 1, which is a positive development for a player who has often struggled to make contact during his minor-league career. While he can handle first base and the corner outfield spots in a pinch, Noel's best shot at consistent playing time in Cleveland could come at designated hitter.