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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Slugs another homer Friday
Stanton went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Friday in an 8-2 victory versus the Athletics.
The slugger's mammoth 472-foot blast in the fourth inning was his 17th career long ball of at least 470 feet, per Marly Rivera of ESPN.com, which is the most in the majors by a wide margin over the past 15 seasons. Stanton has reached base in 23 straight games, during which he has slashed .329/.421/.671 with eight homers, 21 RBI and 16 runs.
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Luis Torrens C | NYM
Mariners' Luis Torrens: Knocks in four Friday
Torrens went 1-for-3 with a double, four RBI and two walks in Friday's loss to the Royals.
Torrens took advantage of seeing plenty of traffic on the basepaths, plating two with a double in the first inning, then pushing in another run with a bases-loaded walk in the second before belting a sacrifice fly in the 10th. During a modest four-game hitting streak, he is batting .357 (5-for-14) with two doubles and six RBI.
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Michael Brantley LF | HOU
Astros' Michael Brantley: Delivers big hit in comeback win
Brantley went 3-for-5 with two RBI in Friday's 5-4 win over Texas.
All three of the outfielder's hits were singles, and none was bigger than a game-tying two-run knock in the middle of Houston's five-run rally in the seventh inning. Brantley had just four hits in his last nine games, so his three-hit effort Friday is an encouraging sign for him to get out of his recent slump. The 34-year-old is still slashing .320/.375/.456 with eight home runs, 45 RBI, 65 runs scored and a stolen base through 448 plate appearances this year.
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Brent Rooker DH | ATH
Twins' Brent Rooker: Takes seat Friday
Rooker isn't starting Friday against the Brewers.
Rooker has had inconsistent playing time recently, and he'll head to the bench for the fifth time in the last seven games. Rob Refsnyder will start in left field and bat third.
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Mark Canha LF | TEX
Athletics' Mark Canha: Dropped from leadoff spot
Canha has been moved down to the seventh spot in the lineup for Friday's game against the Yankees, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Canha has been Oakland's primary leadoff man throughout the 2021 campaign, but a .141/.270/.212 August slash line makes it hard to leave him atop the order. Tony Kemp will start things off for the Athletics on Friday, while Starling Marte and Josh Harrison could also be candidates to leadoff going forward.
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J.D. Martinez DH | NYM
Red Sox's J.D. Martinez: Not starting Friday
Martinez isn't starting Friday's game against Cleveland, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.
Martinez will get a chance to reset in Friday's series opener after going 0-for-18 with a run, a walk and six strikeouts across the last four games. Rafael Devers will serve as the designated hitter while Bobby Dalbec starts at third base.
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Byron Buxton CF | MIN
Twins' Byron Buxton: Good to go
Buxton (finger) was activated off the injured list Friday and will be in the lineup against the Brewers, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Buxton wound up missing over two months with a broken finger, an injury he suffered just three games into his return from a hip strain. While the center fielder's constant battle with injuries continue to sabotage his fantasy value, he's performed at a career-best level when available, hitting an incredible .369/.409/.767 with 10 homers and five steals in 27 games. He should be a very useful piece for both the Twins and fantasy teams for as long as he can remain on the field.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Clubs 41st homer
Ohtani went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks in Thursday's loss to the Orioles.
Ohtani led off the game with a solo shot to right field, but that was the lone offensive highlight for Los Angeles in a 13-1 loss to the squad with MLB's worst record. The long ball snapped his six-game homerless streak, during which he struck out 10 times in 21 at-bats. Despite the Angels' disappointing season, Ohtani has cemented his name as one of the league's brightest stars, leading all of baseball with 41 homers while emerging as a bona fide ace on the mound.
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Continues scorching August
Stanton went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a strikeout in the Yankees' 7-6 victory over Oakland on Thursday.
Stanton got New York on the board with his second-inning bomb to center off Oakland starter James Kaprielian. The former MVP now has five home runs in his last eight games, a stretch that's raised his slugging from .451 to .487.
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Franmil Reyes DH | WAS
Indians' Franmil Reyes: Rebound continues with three hits
Reyes went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, two RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 10-6 win over Texas.
Reyes has now hit safely in five of his last seven games, going 8-for-26 (.308) with three home runs, 10 RBI and four runs scored in that span. He endured a brutal slump in the middle of August, but it appears the slugger is back in form again. The three-hit effort Thursday lifted his slash line back to .256/.324/.538, and he has 23 homers, 64 RBI, 43 runs scored and four stolen bases through 339 plate appearances.