MLB Player News
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Ha-seong Kim SS | SD
Padres' Ha-Seong Kim: Swipes another bag
Kim went 2-for-4 with a run and a stolen base Tuesday in a loss to the Rockies.
Kim is up to seven thefts on the campaign, tied for seventh in MLB. He's still batting a modest .228 on the season but has perked up over his past 12 games, slashing .268/.412/.488 with two homers, six RBI, nine runs, four steals and a 10:5 BB:K over that stretch.
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Miguel Rojas SS | LAD
Dodgers' Miguel Rojas: Collects two hits, steal in win
Rojas went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base against the Nationals in Tuesday's 4-1 victory.
Rojas got the start at shortstop while Mookie Betts shifted to second base with southpaw Patrick Corbin starting for Washington. That has been the usual lineup arrangement versus lefties in what has developed into a platoon situation, with Gavin Lux starting at second and Betts playing shortstop versus right-handed starters. Rojas has performed well when given the opportunity, slashing .281/.324/.500 with two homers, five RBI, four runs and a stolen base over 34 plate appearances. Meanwhile, Lux has struggled mightily with a .148/.224/.164 slash line, though the Dodgers seem set on sticking with him for the time being.
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Blaze Alexander SS | ARI
Diamondbacks' Blaze Alexander: Returns to lineup as No. 2 hitter
Alexander (hamstring) will start at shortstop and bat second in Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.
Alexander didn't play in either of Arizona's last two contests after leaving Sunday's 5-3 win over the Giants with right hamstring cramping, but he'll be back in action for the series finale in St. Louis. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo will tinker with his lineup and move Alexander up to the two hole after the rookie had batted no higher than sixth in any of his previous 13 starts.
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Kevin Newman SS | ARI
Diamondbacks' Kevin Newman: Swats first home run
Newman went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 14-1 win over the Cardinals.
Newman launched his first home run of the season as part of Arizona's six-run fifth inning. He made a second consecutive start at shortstop while Blaze Alexander tended to a hamstring injury that the Diamondbacks do not consider serious. Newman is batting .189 over 12 games.
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Elly De La Cruz SS | CIN
Reds' Elly De La Cruz: Seventh homer, 12th steal in win
De La Cruz went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, a stolen base and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 8-1 win over the Phillies.
De La Cruz has been on a tear, going 7-for-18 with three homers and six steals in his last seven games. The 22-year-old shortstop has looked like a budding star over the first month of the season, slashing .295/.402/.641 with seven homers, 22 runs scored, 17 RBI and a league-leading 12 stolen bases through 23 games.
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Blaze Alexander SS | ARI
Diamondbacks' Blaze Alexander: Out again Tuesday
Alexander (hamstring) remains out of the lineup for Tuesday's contest in St. Louis.
Alexander tweaked his right hamstring Sunday and has now missed two straight starts. He was reportedly available off the bench Monday, so it shouldn't be long before he's ready to return to the lineup. However, with a team off day coming Thursday, the Diamondbacks might elect to hold him out until Friday. Kevin Newman will be at shortstop again Tuesday.
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Masyn Winn SS | STL
Cardinals' Masyn Winn: Notches steal Monday
Winn went 1-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks.
Winn has gone 3-for-13 with two walks, a double, a steal and two runs scored over his last four contests. The shortstop is in a starting role and leads the Cardinals with a .323 batting average. He's added an .824 OPS, four steals, six RBI, eight runs scored, three doubles and two triples, but he has yet to hit a home run this season. Winn should see a majority of the playing time at shortstop, with Brandon Crawford around to spell him occasionally.
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Oneil Cruz SS | PIT
Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Collects three hits
Cruz went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI on Monday against the Brewers.
Cruz hit eighth in the order for the third straight game against a right-handed pitcher as the Pirates seek to get him on track at the plate. He showed some reasons for optimism with his three-hit performance, highlighted by a two-RBI single in the sixth inning that gave the team some insurance runs. Most importantly, Cruz struck out only once after punching out multiple times in seven of his previous 10 games.
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Elly De La Cruz SS | CIN
Reds' Elly De La Cruz: Steals base in loss
De La Cruz went 0-for-3 with a stolen base in Monday's 7-0 loss to the Phillies.
De La Cruz stole his MLB-leading 11th bag, and the Reds lead the league with 39 steals in 22 games. Other than De La Cruz's steal, nothing much happened for Cincinnati's offense, which managed just two hits and a walk against Philadelphia pitching.
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Blaze Alexander SS | ARI
Diamondbacks' Blaze Alexander: Available off bench Monday
Alexander (hamstring) is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Cardinals but said he will be available off the bench, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.
Alexander's early exit in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Giants was attributed to a right hamstring cramp, and the Diamondbacks don't seem to believe the rookie is dealing with anything significant a day later. He noted that he's not dealing with any structural damage, but because Alexander is still experiencing some discomfort in the hamstring, he'll get a day off Monday to continue healing. Kevin Newman will pick up the start at shortstop in Alexander's stead.