MLB Player News
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Trea Turner SS | PHI
Nationals' Trea Turner: Swipes first base of season Sunday
Turner went 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Reds.
The steal was his first of the year. Turner has been hitting down in the order in the early going, slotting in fifth Sunday, and while that may end up costing him some opportunities to run wild on the basepaths, there's no guarantee he'll be stuck there all season. The shortstop has already drawn three walks through three games, and he seems intent on proving to manager Dave Martinez he has the OBP chops to hit at the top of the order.
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Javier Baez SS | DET
Cubs' Javier Baez: Off to slow start
Through the first four games of the season, Baez is 1-for-15 with a walk and four strikeouts.
The slow start includes an 0-for-7 game in Friday's 17-inning marathon against the Marlins. Baez batted .273 in each of the last two seasons, so he'll likely get going soon enough, though manager Joe Maddon could turn to veteran Ben Zobrist for some occasional starts at second base while the 25-year-old works his way out of this early slump.
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Miguel Rojas SS | LAD
Marlins' Miguel Rojas: Not in Sunday lineup
Rojas is not in the lineup Sunday against the Cubs, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.
Rojas has recorded a base hit in each of the first three games of the year (all starts), and owns a .438 on-base percentage helped by three walks in Friday's 17-inning marathon. He'll get his first day off of the season Sunday afternoon, however, giving way to Yadiel Rivera at shortstop.
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Trea Turner SS | PHI
Nationals' Trea Turner: Hits solo homer
Turner went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, a walk and two runs scored Saturday against the Reds.
Turner contributed to a 13-7 rout with a solo shot off Luis Castillo to lead off the fourth inning. He batted sixth for the second straight game, though he came to the plate five times in the high-scoring affair.
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Orlando Arcia SS | MIN
Brewers' Orlando Arcia: Day off Saturday
Arcia is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Padres.
Arcia will head to the bench for Saturday's series finale after starting the team's first two games of the season, going 2-for-9 with one RBI. In his place, Eric Sogard will start at shortstop and hit sixth.
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Corey Seager SS | TEX
Dodgers' Corey Seager: Takes seat Saturday
Seager is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Giants.
Seager will get the day off after going hitless (0-for-7) across the team's first two games of the season. Enrique Hernandez will start at shortstop and hit second in his stead. Seager should be back in the lineup for the series finale Sunday.
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J.P. Crawford SS | SEA
Phillies' J.P. Crawford: Not starting Saturday
Crawford is not in the lineup Saturday against the Braves.
Crawford started the opening two games of the season at shortstop, scoring the game-winning run Friday in the 11th inning. He'll sit Saturday in favor of Scott Kingery, who made his major-league debut at third base the day before. New manager Gabe Kapler appears to want to rotate his players frequently, so it may take some time before it's clear how often Crawford will be playing.
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Javier Baez SS | DET
Cubs' Javier Baez: Heads to bench Saturday
Baez is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Marlins.
Baez will get the day off to clear his head after opening the season 0-for-10. In his place, Ben Zobrist will start at second base and hit seventh.
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Miguel Rojas SS | LAD
Marlins' Miguel Rojas: Drives in winning run Friday
Rojas went 1-for-5 with three walks and an RBI in Friday's 2-1 extra-inning win over the Cubs.
The shortstop saw very few pitches to hit during the marathon with light-hitting catcher Chad Wallace and the pitcher's spot behind him in the batting order, but Rojas made it count when he did, bringing home Brian Anderson from second base with a single in the 17th inning off Cubs closer Brandon Morrow. The career .256 hitter is just 2-for-9 to begin the season, and with J.T. Riddle (shoulder) potentially taking over starting duties at shortstop once he gets healthy, this could well end up being the high point of Rojas' season as a hitter.
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Nick Ahmed SS | TEX
Diamondbacks' Nick Ahmed: Drives in five against Rockies
Ahmed went 3-for-4 with a home run and five RBI in the Diamondbacks' 9-8 win over the Rockies on Friday.
Coming off an injury-shortened 2017, Ahmed has the job as Arizona's starting shortstop to begin 2018, and Friday's offensive explosion was certainly a good way to kick off the gig. Ahmed isn't likely to repeat this performance often, as the 28-year-old has never had an OPS higher than .717 in any of his seasons at the big-league level. That said, fantasy GMs who have a need at middle infield should keep tabs on Ahmed to see if he can parlay his starting role into consistent production.