MLB Player News
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Kevin Made SS | WAS
Nationals' Kevin Made: Shipped to Washington
Made was traded from the Cubs to the Nationals on Monday along with DJ Herz in exchange for Jeimer Candelario, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
A 20-year-old shortstop, Made has the defensive chops to play in the big leagues someday, but he hasn't shown much promise with the bat. Made has hit .244/.337/.359 with three home runs and three steals in 71 games during a repeat of High-A as a 20-year-old.
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Jon Berti 3B | CHC
Marlins' Jon Berti: Earning more work in outfield
Berti will start in left field and bat sixth in Monday's game against the Phillies, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.
Marlins manager Skip Schumaker will continue to lean on the sizzling Berti, who will pick up his eighth straight start and his 10th in 11 games even though Miami has all its key position players available again with Jazz Chisholm and Avisail Garcia returning from the IL. Berti, who is slashing .472/.500/.611 with four extra-base knocks and three stolen bases since the All-Star break, is starting to gain traction in left field, where he's made three of his last four starts. While he continues to weld a hot bat, Berti looks as though he'll play ahead of Garcia and Avisail Garcia as the Marlins' third outfielder after Chisholm and Bryan De La Cruz.
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C.J. Abrams SS | WAS
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Runs wild in New York
Abrams went 2-for-3 with one run scored and three steals in Sunday's loss to the Mets.
Abrams showcased his elite speed Sunday, swiping three bags and reaching on an infield single. The shortstop accounted for the Nationals' only run, stealing home in the first inning. The 22-year-old now owns 24 steals on the season and has gone 13-for-44 (.295) with 10 runs scored and seven stolen bases over his last 11 appearances.
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Francisco Lindor SS | NYM
Mets' Francisco Lindor: Homers again
Lindor went 3-for-4 with one double, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's 5-2 win over Washington.
After going homerless for 15 straight games -- his longest drought of the season -- Lindor has launched a long ball in back-to-back games to bring his season total to 21. While leading all shortstops with 21 homers, Lindor is also slashing .236/.323/.464 with 17 steals through 105 games.
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Matt McLain SS | CIN
Reds' Matt McLain: Pops homer Sunday
McLain went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's 9-0 win over the Dodgers.
McLain had gone six games without a homer, though he's gone deep four times while batting .321 (17-for-53) since the All-Star break. The infielder is up to 11 long balls on the year. He's maintained a .305/.375/.530 slash line with 37 RBI, 50 runs scored and eight stolen bases over 65 contests. With Jonathan India (foot) going on the injured list, McLain may pick up a bit more time at second base rather than shortstop going forward, though he should still be a near-everyday player regardless.
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Elly De La Cruz SS | CIN
Reds' Elly De La Cruz: Homers in four-hit game
De La Cruz went 4-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's 9-0 win over the Dodgers.
De La Cruz had no trouble setting the table from the leadoff spot, and he also showed some power with his second-inning blast. Sunday's effort was already his third career four-hit game. The 21-year-old had gone 16 games without a multi-hit effort. He's now at a .277/.322/.473 slash line with seven homers, 20 RBI, 37 runs scored and 17 stolen bases through 46 contests.
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Tucupita Marcano 2B | SD
Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: Likely requires surgery
Marcano said Sunday that he will likely require surgery to address ligament damage in his right knee, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Marcano injured his knee Monday in San Diego and was placed on the 60-day injured list a day later, officially ruling him out until late September. The Pirates' decision to quickly move Marcano to the 60-day IL already implied that a return before the end of the 2023 season was unlikely, and knee surgery would make that outcome official. If Marcano's season is in fact over, he'll finish with a .233/.276/.356 slash line to go with three home runs and five stolen bases across 220 plate appearances.
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Thomas Saggese SS | STL
Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: Sent to St. Louis
The Cardinals acquired Saggese, right-hander Tekoah Roby and left-hander John King from the Rangers on Sunday in exchange for left-hander Jordan Montgomery and right-hander Chris Stratton, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Of the three minor-league players heading back to St. Louis, Saggese projects to have the most long-term real-life and fantasy value. The 21-year-old has dabbled at shortstop, second base and third base during his time at Double-A Frisco this season, but he'll probably be a better fit defensively at one of the latter two positions once he reaches the big leagues. Saggese lacks any standout tools but has been a well above league-average hitter at each stop in the minors since being selected by Texas in the fifth round of the 2020 First-Year Player Draft. Over 417 plate appearances with Frisco this season, Saggese slashed .320/.385/.522 with an 8.5 percent walk rate, a 22.5 percent strikeout rate, 15 home runs and eight steals (in 10 attempts).
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Joey Wendle 2B | ATL
Marlins' Joey Wendle: Sitting against lefty
Wendle is not in the lineup for Sunday's game versus Detroit, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.
Wendle is 0-for-12 over his past five games and will take a seat Sunday with southpaw Tarik Skubal on the mound for the Tigers. Jon Berti will start at shortstop and bat cleanup.
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Alika Williams SS | PIT
Pirates' Alika Williams: Heads to bench Sunday
Williams is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Williams will take a seat for the series finale after he started at shortstop in each of the past three games while going 1-for-9 with an RBI. Though Nick Gonzales and Liover Peguero will draw starts at the two middle-infield spots Sunday and appear to be the Pirates' preferred options at the positions for the time being, neither player has produced well enough yet to run away with an everyday role. As such, look for Williams to stay involved and occasionally poach starts from one of the two players while he's up with the big club.