MLB Player News
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Paul DeJong SS | DET
Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Homers, drives in four against Padres
DeJong went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run and four RBI to help the Cardinals to a 9-5 victory over the Padres on Friday.
DeJong was in a slump to start the month of May but he seems to have snapped out of it as he now has multi-hit efforts in three of his past four games including his eighth homer of the year on Friday. The recent hot streak has pumped his average back up to .263 and his OPS to .834, so he'll look to keep riding that momentum as he looks to replicate his fantastic offensive showing from last year that saw him OPS .857 over 417 at-bats.
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Johan Camargo SS | SF
Braves' Johan Camargo: On base four times Thursday
Camargo went 2-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored in Thursday's win over the Marlins.
Hitting eighth in front of the pitcher resulted in Camargo getting pitched around, but he was able to capitalize when he did see offerings in the strike zone. The 24-year-old had gone 2-for-21 (.095) over his prior seven contests, but walks have helped keep his OBP afloat -- he now has a .220/.360/.463 slash line on the season with two homers, nine RBI and seven runs in 16 games.
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Trevor Story SS | BOS
Rockies' Trevor Story: Goes deep Thursday
Story went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Thursday against the Brewers.
Story hasn't been hitting well to start the season, and is hitless in six of his past 10 games. However, he did manage to hit his eighth home run of the season Thursday in the second inning off Jhoulys Chacin. Most of his production has come at home or against left-handed pitchers this season, as he has slugged .783 and .571 respectively in those scenarios as opposed to a .474 slugging percentage overall this season.
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J.P. Crawford SS | SEA
Phillies' J.P. Crawford: Hits off tee
Crawford (forearm) was able to hit off a tee Wednesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports. "He is progressing nicely," Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said of Crawford's recovery from the Grade 1 right forearm strain.
Since the injury is to Crawford's throwing arm, the Phillies aren't likely to pinpoint a return date for the shortstop until he's able to resume working out in the infield. When Crawford first hit the 10-day disabled list April 29, the general assumption was that he would be sidelined for around two weeks. Based on where Crawford is currently at in the recovery process, it's looking likely that he'll be sidelined at least a little longer than initially hoped.
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Miguel Rojas SS | LAD
Marlins' Miguel Rojas: Swats fifth homer Wednesday
Rojas went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 13-4 loss to the Cubs.
The 29-year-old now has a remarkable five homers in 36 games -- not bad for a player who had four career homers in 358 career big-league contests coming into 2018. Rojas' .248/.296/.391 slash line is less exciting, but for the moment he appears to have the Marlins' starting shortstop job locked down.
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Dansby Swanson SS | CHC
Braves' Dansby Swanson: Still not hitting or catching
Swanson (wrist inflammation) has done some throwing but hasn't begun hitting or catching balls yet, David O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
The wrist inflammation is in his left (glove) wrist, which is why he can throw but not catch yet. We knew shortly after he landed on the DL on May 4 that he would need more than the minimum 10 days, and it now sounds like a late-May return would be the best his owners could hope for. Johan Camargo will continue to fill in at shortstop in the meantime.
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Nick Ahmed SS | TEX
Diamondbacks' Nick Ahmed: Breaks slump with two hits
Ahmed went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run in the Diamondbacks' 8-5 win over the Dodgers on Tuesday in 12 innings.
Ahmed's base hit in the fourth inning ended an 0-for-19 skid at the plate dating back to May 1. The shortstop's season batting average has dropped from .261 to .227 during that span, and while he's unlikely to become much of an asset in that area even with some better luck on balls in play, Ahmed at least remains playable in NL-only and very deep mixed leagues thanks to his power spike. He's on pace for his first double-digit homer campaign, with a career-high 41.5 percent flyball rate supporting the notion that Ahmed has adjusted his approach to sell out for more power.
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Chris Owings SS | LAD
Diamondbacks' Chris Owings: Hits solo blast Tuesday
Owings went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in the Diamondbacks' 8-5 win over the Dodgers on Tuesday in 12 innings.
Owings hit one of three long balls off Dodgers starter Rich Hill to stake the Diamondbacks to an early lead before Los Angeles chipped away at the deficit. Though he served as the No. 2 hitter Tuesday with a southpaw on the mound, Owings will likely be excluded from the lineup more frequently against right-handed pitching with outfielder Steven Souza (pectoral) returning from the disabled list last week and third baseman Jake Lamb (shoulder) set to do the same later this month.
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Javier Baez SS | DET
Cubs' Javier Baez: In Wednesday's lineup
Baez (groin) will bat third and play second base against the Marlins on Wednesday.
Baez was forced to leave Monday's game due to right groin tightness and was held out of Tuesday's starting lineup, though he did enter the game as a pinch hitter. The infielder shouldn't face any restrictions moving forward. Over 32 games this season, he's hitting .290/.333/.653 with 10 home runs, 32 RBI and three stolen bases.
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Trevor Story SS | BOS
Rockies' Trevor Story: Drives in pair in win
Story went 2-for-3 with a walk, double, triple and two RBI in Tuesday's win over the Angels.
Story entered the game in the midst of a 3-for-27 stretch, but he broke out of it with his first multiple extra-base hit game of the season. The .233 average and 31.1 strikeout percentage continue to leave something to be desired, but his seven home runs and 23 RBI continue to lead all NL shortstops.