MLB Player News
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Joc Pederson DH | TEX
Rangers' Joc Pederson: Ready for rehab assignment
Pederson (hand) is expected to report to Double-A Frisco this weekend to begin a rehab assignment, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
After taking batting practice Tuesday and Wednesday, Pederson said he's feeling good physically and merely needs to continue his ramp-up process by getting in some competitive at-bats before the Rangers bring him back from the 10-day injured list. Manager Bruce Bochy suggested Tuesday that he doesn't anticipate Pederson needing a lengthy rehab assignment, so the 33-year-old may just stick around with Frisco through the weekend before the Rangers potentially activate him early next week. Pederson has been on the shelf since May 25 with a broken right hand but didn't require surgery.
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Getting breather Wednesday
Stanton is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays.
Stanton will get some rest for the series finale after he started in each of the Yankees' last four games while going 5-for-15 with a solo home run, three walks and four runs. With Stanton on the bench, Aaron Judge will get a day off from playing the outfield and will occupy the designated-hitter spot.
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Rafael Devers 1B | SF
Giants' Rafael Devers: Homers twice in win
Devers went 3-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI in Wednesday's 9-3 win over Atlanta.
Devers delivered his best performance in a Giants uniform, launching a solo homer in the fifth inning and following it up with a three-run shot in the sixth. The 28-year-old has been red hot since the All-Star break, posting four multi-hit efforts with four extra-base hits, five RBI and six runs scored over six contests. For the year, he's slashing .264/.385/.475 with 19 home runs, 73 RBI, 61 runs scored and one steal across 470 plate appearances.
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George Springer DH | TOR
Blue Jays' George Springer: On base four times in loss
Springer went 2-for-3 with two walks, two runs scored and an RBI in Tuesday's loss to the Yankees.
The 35-year-old continues his career resurgence. Springer has delivered multiple hits in nine of 17 games in July, slashing .349/.431/.667 on the month with two doubles, six homers, three steals, 15 RBI and 16 runs.
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Colt Keith 3B | DET
Tigers' Colt Keith: Idle against southpaw
Keith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.
Keith and fellow left-handed hitter Riley Greene will head to the bench Wednesday for the day game after a night game while the Pirates send southpaw Bailey Falter to the hill. With Keith out of the lineup, Zach McKinstry will occupy third base and Jahmai Jones will enter the lineup at designated hitter.
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Ben Rice 1B | NYY
Yankees' Ben Rice: Belts clutch homer Tuesday
Rice went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 5-4 win against the Blue Jays on Tuesday.
Rice couldn't reach base in any of his first three plate appearances, but he came through when it mattered most, swatting a solo homer in the ninth inning to break a 4-4 tie. It was Rice's first homer since June 24, a span of 16 games. The young slugger has seen fewer opportunities since Giancarlo Stanton returned from an extended stint on the injured list. Rice has started just three times in the Yankees' past seven contests.
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Kyle Schwarber DH | PHI
Phillies' Kyle Schwarber: Clubs 33rd homer
Schwarber went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Red Sox.
The veteran slugger continues to punish the baseball. Schwarber has gone yard three times in five games since the All-Star break, and through 16 contests in July he's launched eight of his 33 homers on the season, although he's batting only .238 (15-for-63) on the month.
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Marcell Ozuna DH | PIT
Braves' Marcell Ozuna: Sitting again, trade brewing
Ozuna is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.
With Ozuna maintaining a lowly .562 OPS since June 1, Atlanta looks to be viewing him as a reserve bat at this point. He'll be on the bench for the fifth time in six games since the All-Star break, with manager Brian Snitker electing to use one of Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy at designated hitter while the other catches. Rather than regaining his role as Atlanta's regular DH, Ozuna looks more likely to be playing elsewhere by the time the July 31 trade deadline passes. Hector Gomez of Z101Digital.com reported late Tuesday that trade talks between Atlanta and San Diego have "intensified," with the Padres said to be "very interested" in acquiring the three-time All-Star.
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Wilmer Flores 1B | SF
Giants' Wilmer Flores: Taking seat Wednesday
Flores is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against Atlanta, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The left-handed-hitting Dominic Smith will get the nod at first base while the Giants take on Atlanta righty Spencer Strider, but the right-handed-hitting Flores started over Smith in the first two contest of the series, when the Giants also faced a pair of right-handed starters. Flores holds an edge in OPS so far in July (.661) over Smith (.597), so the former could still see a fair amount of playing time versus righties even though the latter holds the platoon advantage.
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Trenton Brooks DH | SD
Padres' Trenton Brooks: Losing out on starts
Brooks is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.
The left-handed-hitting Brooks is on the bench for the fifth straight game and the third straight matchup with a right-handed pitcher. At this point, the Padres appear content to use the designated-hitter spot to rotate multiple everyday players rather than leaning on Brooks in the strong side of a platoon. Brooks has posted a weak .154/.195/.282 slash line in 41 plate appearances since getting called up from Triple-A El Paso on June 15.