MLB Player News
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Chris Owings SS | LAD
Diamondbacks' Chris Owings: Hitting well, but strikeouts mounting
Owings went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored in the Diamondbacks' 9-1 win over the Dodgers on Saturday.
Injuries to Jake Lamb (shoulder) and Steven Souza (pectoral) have pressed Owings into more extensive action than expected through the first two-plus weeks of the season, but with the utility man slashing an impressive .304/.347/.457 over 49 plate appearances, the Arizona offense certainly hasn't suffered for it. He's reached base in all but two of his last 13 games and has been especially productive against same-handed pitching, but Owings isn't without his warts. Owings owns a 34.7 percent strikeout rate -- more than 12 points above his 2017 mark -- and carries a .464 BABIP, suggesting that a steep downturn in his slash line could be in the offing.
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Paul DeJong SS | DET
Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Out of lineup Sunday
DeJong is not in the lineup Sunday against the Reds.
DeJong went 10-for-22 with three homers through the first week of the season but is hitting just .114 (4-for-35) with one home run in the nine games since. He'll get the afternoon off to reset before likely rejoining the starting lineup Monday against the Cubs. Greg Garcia will take over at shortstop and bat sixth in his absence.
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J.P. Crawford SS | SEA
Phillies' J.P. Crawford: Hot bat heads to bench
Crawford is out of Sunday's lineup against the Rays, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
Even with the DH available to the Phillies in Tampa Bay, Crawford was still squeezed from the lineup. Crawford got off to a really slow start, but is hitting .385 with two home runs, two walks and one strikeout in his last 13 at-bats. He has reportedly made a swing change which has helped him unlock some power. Pedro Florimon is starting at shortstop and hitting ninth.
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J.P. Crawford SS | SEA
Phillies' J.P. Crawford: Thumps second homer Saturday
Crawford went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Saturday's 9-4 win over the Rays.
While Crawford only has six hits in 36 at-bats on the season, four of them have now gone for extra bases (two doubles, two homers) and five of them have come in the last four games. The 23-year-old's glove is still ahead of his bat, but he at least appears to be shaking off his early-season slump.
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Dansby Swanson SS | CHC
Braves' Dansby Swanson: Three hits in Saturday's loss
Swanson went 3-for-6 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI in Saturday's 14-10 loss to the Cubs.
While Ozzie Albies is generating headlines with his incredible power display to begin the season, his double-play partner has been just as impressive in his own way. Swanson's put together a .357/.390/.571 slash line through 13 games with a homer, a steal, seven runs and 10 RBI, and he already has seven multihit games on the year -- a mark he didn't reach until June 9 last year.
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Orlando Arcia SS | MIN
Brewers' Orlando Arcia: Not starting Saturday
Arcia is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Mets.
Arcia is off to a slow start with the bat this season, hitting .159/.213/.182 through his first 13 games. Some of his struggles are BABIP-related, as his BABIP is just .200. He's also seen a spike in soft contact, though, up to 34.3 percent after posting a 22.9 percent rate last year. It's still a small sample, however, so expect him to have plenty of time to turn things around before his job is under any real threat. Eric Sogard will start at shortstop in his place Saturday.
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Johan Camargo SS | SF
Braves' Johan Camargo: Homers in third straight game at Triple-A
Camargo (oblique) went 1-for-4 with a solo home run for Triple-A Gwinnett in Friday's extra-inning loss to Rochester.
He's now homered in three straight games while on his rehab assignment, but the blasts have been Camargo's only hits in 16 at-bats for Gwinnett. The Braves are taking their time in activating him from the disabled list, in part because of Ryan Flaherty's performance at third base in his place, but Camargo's power surge may be enough to convince the front office he's just about ready.
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Nick Ahmed SS | TEX
Diamondbacks' Nick Ahmed: Ends three-game hitless streak with homer
Ahmed went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in the Diamondbacks' 8-7 win over the Dodgers on Friday.
Ahmed had been in the midst of an 0-for-13 slump before leaving the yard in the top of the eighth inning, giving the Diamondbacks a vital insurance run. Even with the brief drought at the plate, Ahmed has still been one of the Diamondbacks' most productive regulars this season, supplying a .286/.375/.543 line across 40 plate appearances. Since the on-base and slugging percentages are well above Ahmed's career marks, regression is almost certainly coming, but there's reason to be optimistic about some level of sustainability. As Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic noted earlier this season, Ahmed made a concerted effort this spring to change his swing path and plate approach, which is already paying dividends in elevating the shortstop's fly-ball and line-drive rates.
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Johan Camargo SS | SF
Braves' Johan Camargo: Nearing activation
Camargo (oblique) is back to full health and could return to Atlanta by the end of this weekend, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
As has been the case for the past week, Camargo's health isn't the main concern at this point. Instead, the Braves want to give him more time to shake off any rust since the Triple-A season started a full week after the big leagues. Camargo has appeared in five games in the minors thus far -- including three with Gwinnett -- going 3-for-20 with two home runs and two RBI while playing the field in those contests. Expect to see him return to the fold and regain his status as the primary third baseman soon, though he may be eased back into the lineup for the onset of his campaign.
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Jeter Downs SS | NYY
Reds' Jeter Downs: Four hits for Dayton
Downs tallied a career-high four hits, including a home run Thursday for Low-A Dayton.
He now boasts an impressive .314/.368/.457 slash line with one home run and three steals (on three attempts) through 38 plate appearances at Low-A. His 23.7 percent strikeout rate is manageable, particularly for a 19-year-old making his full-season debut, but his .400 BABIP is propping up his batting average a bit.