MLB Player News
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Alex Dickerson DH | ATL
Giants' Alex Dickerson: Sent to San Francisco
Dickerson was traded from the Padres to the Giants on Monday in exchange for Franklin Van Gurp.
Dickerson will head north after being designated for assignment by the Padres last week. The 29-year-old outfielder will report to Triple-A Sacramento, though given San Francisco's lack of outfield depth, he could eventually get a shot with the big club as a lefty-hitting outfielder. Dickerson struggled across 12 appearances with the Padres before being shipped to the Giants, slashing just .158/.158/.158 in 19 trips to the plate. He fared better with Triple-A El Paso, however, slashing .372/.469/.606 with five homers in 26 games (113 plate appearances).
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Bryce Harper 1B | PHI
Phillies' Bryce Harper: Shows off wheels in loss
Harper went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run Sunday in the Phillies' 4-3 loss to the Reds.
Perhaps emboldened after nabbing his third stolen base of the season in the third inning, Harper attempted a straight steal of home plate in the bottom of the fifth. Harper, who memorably stole home off Cole Hamels as a rookie in 2012, wasn't successful this time around, as Reds catcher Curt Casali was able to apply the tag before the star outfielder could slide into the plate. The out proved costly in the one-run loss, but Harper's fantasy managers won't complain about him acting aggressively on the basepaths. The 26-year-old isn't quite living up to his premium draft-day price, but he's at least been on an upswing recently with a .347 average, two home runs, 10 RBI and eight runs over his last 12 starts.
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Daniel Vogelbach DH | TOR
Mariners' Daniel Vogelbach: Leaves yard in win
Vogelbach went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in a win over the Angels on Sunday.
Vogelbach snapped a 12-game long-ball drought with his sixth-inning blast, which served as his 16th of the season overall. Vogelbach continues to bounce back nicely after a forgettable May, as he's gone a solid 8-for-28 (.286) with a double, Sunday's homer, five RBI, seven walks and four runs across nine June contests.
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Matt Carpenter DH | STL
Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: First pair of hits since return
Carpenter went 2-for-5 in a loss to the Cubs on Sunday.
The veteran infielder had gone hitless in four at-bats Saturday in his return from a one-game absence due to a shin injury, but he stepped up with his first multi-hit effort since May 25 on Sunday. Carpenter has now hit safely in seven of his last eight games, and the fact he's raised his average 26 points since May 16 offers some reason for optimism that he might be starting to awaken from his trademark early season doldrums.
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Marcell Ozuna DH | PIT
Cardinals' Marcell Ozuna: Raps out three hits in loss
Ozuna went 3-for-4 with a run in a loss to the Cubs on Sunday. He was also caught stealing on his only attempt.
It was another moribund night of offense for the Cardinals, but Ozuna's play was a bright spot. The veteran slugger has opened June on a tear a the plate, generating a trio of multi-hit efforts and quickly boosting his average 16 points to .259 with a 10-for-26 showing over the first seven games of the month.
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J.D. Martinez DH | NYM
Red Sox's J.D. Martinez: Making progress in recovery
Though Martinez (back) was on the bench for a fourth straight game in Sunday's 6-1 loss to the Rays, manager Alex Cora said the slugger's condition is improving, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports. "He's feeling better but he's not ready to play," Cora said. "So stay away from him. And hopefully [Monday versus the Rangers] or during the week [he'll play]."
While Cora's comments suggest the Red Sox sincerely view Martinez as day-to-day, the team may be motivated to take a cautious approach with his recovery. Martinez has dealt with back spasms on two other occasions this season and missed a little time due to the same issue in 2018, so clearing him to return before he's 100 percent healthy could increase the risk of him experiencing a longer-term setback. The Red Sox will likely reassess his condition early Monday before deciding if he's fit to play in the series opener.
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Jorge Soler DH | LAA
Royals' Jorge Soler: Knocks third homer of June
Soler went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs scored in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the White Sox.
The 27-year-old went deep against White Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez and later scored a run in the ninth. Soler is up to 17 homers and 44 RBI in 2019 as he finally seems to be tapping into the power he was expected to have when he was a prospect.
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Eloy Jimenez DH | TOR
White Sox's Eloy Jimenez: Homers in second straight game
Jimenez went 2-for-5 with a solo homer, a double and two runs scored in Sunday's 5-2 win over Kansas City.
The star rookie outfielder is up to eight homers this season with five coming since his return from the injured list May 20. Jimenez still has just 17 RBI and a .713 OPS and hasn't quite broken out the way many fantasy owners had expected.
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Yordan Alvarez DH | HOU
Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Drills first MLB homer
Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Sunday's game against the Orioles.
Alvarez was promoted to the big leagues ahead of Sunday's series finale, and he showed nearly right away that he belongs in the majors. He clubbed a two-run blast to center field in the fourth inning to get the Astros on the board, and it was all the run support they'd need in a 4-0 victory. The 21-year-old is expected to hang with the big club for the foreseeable future.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Giants' Brandon Belt: Scratched with stomach ailment
Belt was scratched from the lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the Dodgers with a stomach illness, Amy Gutierrez of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
With Belt feeling under the weather, Evan Longoria -- who was scheduled to receive the day off -- will enter the starting nine at third base while Pablo Sandoval moves across the diamond to first base. The ailment doesn't sound like a major concern for Belt, who should be good to go for Tuesday's contest against the Padres following a team off day Monday.