MLB Player News
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Oneil Cruz SS | PIT
Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Two hits in return
Cruz went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI on Sunday against the Rockies.
Cruz returned from a two-game absence caused by ankle soreness but showed no ill effects. He has five multi-hit performances across 11 games in June while maintaining a .300 average with eight RBI and eight runs scored.
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Blaze Alexander SS | ARI
Diamondbacks' Blaze Alexander: Gets another start at 3B
Alexander started at third base and went 1-for-4 with a run scored in Sunday's 12-5 win over the White Sox.
Alexander slotted in at third base for the second time in the last five games, as Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo seeks more production from the hot corner. Eugenio Suarez's season-long slump prompted the manager's decision to give Alexander more starts at third base, a position at which Arizona ranks 29th with a .588 OPS.
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Elly De La Cruz SS | CIN
Reds' Elly De La Cruz: Goes deep, swipes bag
De La Cruz went 2-for-3 with solo home run, a triple, three runs scored, a steal and two walks in Sunday's loss to the Brewers.
De La Cruz stuffed the stat sheet with a terrific performance Sunday, headlined by his solo homer in the eighth inning. He's up to 12 long balls with 36 steals this season. He went six straight games without a stolen base to begin the month but now has four over his last eight appearances. De La Cruz is slashing .235/.334/.438 with 47 runs scored and 25 extra-base hits through 71 games this season.
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Jordan Lawlar SS | ARI
Diamondbacks' Jordan Lawlar: Hurts hamstring Saturday
Lawlar exited Triple-A Reno's 7-6 win over Sacramento in the ninth inning Saturday with a hamstring injury and will undergo an MRI on Monday, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.
After undergoing surgery in spring training to address a torn ligament in his right thumb, Lawlar began an extended rehab assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League in late May before he was finally cleared to make his 2024 debut for Reno on Tuesday. The 21-year-old shortstop had made a strong early case for a call-up to the Diamondbacks by going 8-for-20 with four extra-base hits through his first four games with Reno, but the hamstring injury now puts Lawlar at risk of another stint on the Triple-A injured list. The Diamondbacks should have a clearer idea regarding the extent of Lawlar's injury once the results of his MRI are read Monday.
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Brett Wisely 2B | SF
Giants' Brett Wisely: Brings home three runs
Wisely went 2-for-6 with two doubles, three RBI and a run scored in Sunday's win over the Angels.
Wisely doubled in the third inning before knocking a two-run double during the Giants' nine-run fourth. He's produced three multi-hit performances over his last five games and four over his last nine appearances. During that nine-game stretch, he's gone 9-for-31 (.290) with five extra-base hits. Wisely is now slashing .313/.329/.478 through 70 plate appearances.
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Miguel Rojas SS | LAD
Dodgers' Miguel Rojas: Primed for everyday shortstop role
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Sunday's 3-0 win over the Royals that Rojas is expected to see the majority of the starts at shortstop while Mookie Betts is out with a fractured left hand, ESPN.com reports.
Betts suffered the injury in the seventh inning of Sunday's game, when he was hit by a 97.9 mile-per-hour fastball. Fortunately for Betts, the injury is to his non-dominant hand, and Roberts said that surgery won't be necessary, but the seven-time All-Star is still likely headed for a multi-week absence. With 760 career MLB starts at shortstop under his belt, Rojas gives the Dodgers a battle-tested option at the position who's a dependable defender, but the 35-year-old doesn't profile as a high-end fantasy contributor. He's been a solid performer when called upon this season -- usually as a fill-in starter against left-handed pitching -- hitting .278 with three home runs and three stolen bases across 116 plate appearances.
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Brandon Crawford SS | STL
Cardinals' Brandon Crawford: Dealing with hamstring cramp
The Cardinals announced that Crawford was removed from Sunday's 2-1 win over the Cubs in the eighth inning due to a left hamstring cramp, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
The fact that the Cardinals are classifying Crawford's injury as a cramp rather than a strain bodes well for his chances of avoiding a stint on the 10-day injured list, though he still may need a few days off to recover. Crawford has been a lightly used bench piece all season, as he was making just his 12th start of the campaign Sunday. He went 1-for-1 with a double, two walks and a run scored before exiting the contest midway through his eighth-inning plate appearance, when he appeared to tweak the hamstring on a big swing.
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Mookie Betts SS | LAD
Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Suffers hand fracture
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Betts fractured a bone in his left wrist in Sunday's 3-0 win over the Royals and will be out 'for some time," Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Betts went hitless in three at-bats before he exited the game in the seventh inning, when he went down in a heap of pain after taking a fastball off his wrist. On the bright side, Roberts said that the 31-year-old shortstop won't need surgery to repair the injury. Betts will likely be placed on the injured list Monday, and in his absence, Miguel Rojas could step into a starting role in the middle infield for Los Angeles.
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Mookie Betts SS | LAD
Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Exits after being hit by pitch
Betts exited Sunday's contest with the Royals in the seventh inning after being hit in the left hand by a pitch, Kirsten Watson of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.
Betts took a 97.9 mile-per-hour fastball from reliever Dan Altavilla off his left hand in the bottom of the seventh inning, immediately exiting the contest afterward. The 31-year-old was in an obvious amount of pain, and more information on his status will likely come following the conclusion of the game.
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Francisco Lindor SS | NYM
Mets' Francisco Lindor: Blasts leadoff homer
Lindor went 1-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and two runs in Sunday's 11-6 win over the Padres.
On the third pitch he saw, Lindor took Dylan Cease deep for his first leadoff homer since 2019. It was his 12th home run this season and the third in his last nine games. Lindor has been on a steady climb for about a month now with an average of .303 over his last 25 games. After his slow start, the shortstop is now carrying a .231/.305/.420 slash line with 12 homers, 34 RBI and 11 steals for the season.