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Brad Miller DH | SD
Rays' Brad Miller: Takes seat Saturday
Miller is not in the lineup Saturday against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Miller will take a seat for just the third time all year as the Blue Jays send southpaw Francisco Liriano to the mound. Daniel Robertson will slot in at second base in his stead. The 27-year-old hasn't quite snapped out of his early-season struggles at the plate, slashing just .217/.350/.361 with one homer in 83 at-bats.
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Joc Pederson DH | TEX
Dodgers' Joc Pederson: Shooting for return next Friday
Pederson (groin) could feasibly return from the disabled list by next Friday, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Pederson was placed on the disabled list last week after feeling groin tightness after a groundout. This may be one of those cases where a player would have simply rested for a few days back when the disabled list required a 15-day absence. Friday is the first day Pederson would be eligible to return, so it's sounding like this injury is very minor.
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Miguel Cabrera DH | DET
Tigers' Miguel Cabrera: Takes BP Friday
Cabrera (groin) did some light jogging and took batting practice Friday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Barring any setbacks, it appears Cabrera should be activated from the disabled list when first eligible Tuesday. John Hicks should continue to fill in at first base until then.
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Michael Brantley LF | HOU
Indians' Michael Brantley: Takes seat Friday
Brantley is not in the lineup Friday against the Mariners.
Brantley will head to the bench after his 10-game hitting streak came to an end Thursday against the Astros. Brandon Guyer is batting third and playing left field in his stead.
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Yoenis Cespedes DH | NYM
Mets' Yoenis Cespedes: Headed to DL
Cespedes was been placed on the 10-day disabled list Friday with a strained left hamstring, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.
The news doesn't come as a major surprise after Cespedes came up gimpy in Thursday's game and only adds another layer to an injury-plagued 2017 campaign for the 31-year-old. After just recently returning to the starting lineup, it appears the Mets' main source of offense will miss extended time, meaning Michael Conforto and Juan Lagares will be in line for a wider share of opportunities in the outfield. Look for Cespedes to return to his normal power-hitting form once he gets back to full health.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Giants' Brandon Belt: Starts in left field Thursday
Belt received his second start in left field this season Thursday, going 1-for-4 with a run scored in a 5-1 loss to the Dodgers.
The Giants outfield has been stricken with injuries, so manager Bruce Bochy has been using a combination of Belt and Eduardo Nunez to cover left field. It appears that the first baseman will primarily see starts in the outfield when a southpaw is on the mound, as it allows Buster Posey to play first and Nick Hundley to slide behind the dish. It is still unclear how long the Giants' skipper plans on using Belt out of position, but depending on league format, he could gain outfield eligibility at some point this season, which would be a marginal boost to his value.
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Matt Carpenter DH | STL
Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Drives in five runs during first game Thursday
Carpenter went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run and five RBI during the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against Toronto.
The five RBI doubled his total to 10, and Carpenter finished the game with an underwhelming .250/.373/.417 slash line. However, with a .505 slugging percentage and 49 home runs over the past two seasons, he's probably just underachieving to start the year. Expecting a breakout stretch sooner rather than later from the veteran will probably pay off, especially considering Carpenter's track record.
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Jorge Soler DH | LAA
Royals' Jorge Soler: Not coming off DL
Soler (oblique) will not be activated from the disabled list Friday and will continue a rehab assignment through May 10, Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star reports.
Royals GM Dayton Moore said the 25-year-old will spend some extra time with Triple-A Omaha "to get some at-bats and get caught up." Soler began a minor-league rehab assignment last Friday, 26 days after sustaining a Grade 1 oblique strain during the final week of spring training. Moore also noted that the club would like to see him log more innings playing the field, pointing out that he missed valuable time late in camp due to the ailment. Jorge Bonifacio will continue filling in until Soler is ready to return.
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Alex Dickerson DH | ATL
Padres' Alex Dickerson: Progresses to cardio and light lifting
Dickerson (back) has been participating in cardio and light lifting and is expected to resume baseball activities within a week, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Dickerson, who was diagnosed with a protruding disc in his back in mid-March and eventually moved to the 60-day DL on April 7 after starting the season on the 10-day DL, is showing progress with his recovery. Assuming he doesn't experience a setback during his workouts, the left-fielder is expected to resume baseball activities within a week. Jabari Blash will likely continue filling in for Dickerson as long as Travis Jankowski (foot), who's currently on the 10-day DL, remains sidelined.
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Christian Colon DH | NYM
Royals' Christian Colon: Hardly seeing playing time
Colon is 1-for-11 with three strikeouts and a walk to begin the season.
Colon is simply a utilityman destined for plenty of bench time, given that he no longer has any options to the minors. The Royals infield seems pretty set, with Whit Merrifield, Cheslor Cuthbert and Raul Mondesi Jr. all essentially ahead of him on the second-base depth chart. Once Jorge Soler (oblique) returns from the DL, which does not seem imminent, questions regarding Colon's future with the Royals will definitely come to the forefront.