MLB Player News
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Jose Ramirez 3B | CLE
Guardians' Jose Ramirez: Belts 20th homer
Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a stolen base and one additional RBI in Monday's 3-2 win over Baltimore.
Ramirez opened the scoring in the first inning with an RBI-single before launching his 20th home run of the season off Orioles starter Cade Povich in the sixth. Ramirez continues to be active on the basepaths, notching his fourth steal over the past week. The 31-year-old is having an MVP-caliber season, batting .276 with 20 home runs, 69 RBI, 59 runs scored and 15 stolen bases in 73 games played.
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Rafael Devers 3B | BOS
Red Sox's Rafael Devers: Drills 15th home run
Devers went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and two runs scored in Monday's win over Toronto.
Devers put the Red Sox on the board with a two-run shot in the fourth inning. He has five homers in 20 games this month, though only two have come in his last 16 appearances. Devers bumped his slash line up to a robust .282/.366/.544 with 45 runs scored and 33 extra-base hits.
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Anthony Rendon 3B | LAA
Angels' Anthony Rendon: Advances to running bases
Rendon (hamstring) was cleared to run the bases Monday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Rendon continues to take steps forward in his rehab, and Bollinger notes that Monday's workout is the first time he's been given the green light to circle the bases since suffering a left hamstring strain. The 34-year-old remains without a firm timeline for a return, though the club should have an idea of what his minor-league rehab assignment will look like in the near future.
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Gabriel Arias 3B | CLE
Guardians' Gabriel Arias: Activated, starting Monday
Arias (personal) was reinstated from the family medical emergency list and will start at shortstop and bat eighth in Monday's series opener in Baltimore.
Cleveland sent infielder Angel Martinez back to Triple-A Columbus to make room on the 26-man active roster for Arias, who rejoins the big club after missing the previous three games while tending to a personal matter. Though he'll immediately enter the lineup in his return to the Guardians as the Orioles send southpaw Cade Povich to the mound, the righty-hitting Arias is expected to serve as a bench player against right-handed pitching more often than not.
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CJ Alexander 3B | OAK
Royals' CJ Alexander: Gets call to big leagues
The Royals selected Alexander's contract from Triple-A Omaha on Monday. He'll start at third base and bat eighth in Monday's game against the Marlins.
Alexander, 27, has hit .323/.369/.555 with nine home runs this season at Omaha. Though he'll enter the lineup Monday for his MLB debut, Alexander will likely serve as a utility player during his first stint in the big leagues.
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Addison Barger 3B | TOR
Blue Jays' Addison Barger: Settling in at third base
Barger will start at third base and bat sixth in Monday's game against the Red Sox.
Barger will stay in the lineup for the seventh time in nine games, with each of his last four starts coming at third base. He looks like he'll be a priority over Ernie Clement at the hot corner while Isiah Kiner-Falefa shifts over to shortstop as a replacement for Bo Bichette (calf), who remains on the injured list. Since getting recalled from Triple-A Buffalo on June 14, Barger has gone 7-for-20 with a double, a walk, a stolen base, three RBI and three runs.
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Ernie Clement 3B | TOR
Blue Jays' Ernie Clement: Stuck in reserve role sans Bichette
Clement is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox.
Toronto has a spot open its everyday infield after Bo Bichette (calf) was placed on the injured list Tuesday, but Clement doesn't look as though he'll be the main beneficiary. Clement will take a seat for the second straight game while Addison Barger gets another start at third base as Isiah Kiner-Falefa shifts over to Bichette's usual spot at shortstop.
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Ramon Urias 3B | BAL
Orioles' Ramon Urias: Draws third straight start
Urias will start at third base and bat eighth in Monday's game against the Guardians.
Urias looks to be gaining traction in Baltimore's everyday lineup, as he'll pick up his third straight start Monday and fifth start in six games. The uptick in playing time has corresponded with Urias' surge at the plate; dating back to May 27, he's slashing .293/.349/.517 over a stretch of 19 games. Jorge Mateo looks to be the primary loser from a playing-time perspective from Urias' uptick in starts, as he'll hit the bench Monday for the third time in five games.
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Maikel Garcia 3B | KC
Royals' Maikel Garcia: Loses hold of leadoff gig
Garcia went 1-for-3 with a base hit in Sunday's 4-0 loss to the Rangers.
Garcia had made each of his first 74 starts of the season as the Royals' leadoff hitter, but he was dropped down to seventh and eighth in the batting order over the final two games of the weekend in Texas. His slide down the lineup comes while he's mustered a .152/.221/.177 slash line over 20 games thus far in June. The Royals haven't yet settled on a replacement for Garcia atop the lineup, as both Adam Frazier (thumb) and Nick Loftin received turns in the leadoff spot to close out the weekend.
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Josh H. Smith 3B | TEX
Rangers' Josh Smith: Goes yard again
Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Sunday's 4-0 win over Kansas City.
Smith tagged Sam Long for a solo shot in the seventh inning, marking Smith's third home run in the last five games. During that stretch, he's 7-for-13 with six RBI. With third baseman Josh Jung (wrist) nearing a return, Smith could shift away from the hot corner and into the DH slot.