MLB Player News
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Yu Chang SS | TB
Rays' Yu Chang: Picks up start versus lefty
Chang will start at second base and bat eighth in Tuesday's game against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Chang will be making his fifth start in six games, but most of his opportunities came while Brandon Lowe was tending to a sore shoulder. The lefty-hitting Lowe was back in the lineup for Monday's 4-0 win, but he'll retreat to the bench Tuesday with the Yankees bringing southpaw Nestor Cortes to the hill. The righty-hitting Chang will most likely fill a short-side platoon role moving forward.
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David Fletcher 2B | ATL
Angels' David Fletcher: Good to go Tuesday
Fletcher (foot) is starting at shortstop and batting leadoff Tuesday against the Mariners, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
The 28-year-old exited Monday's contest after fouling a ball off his left foot and suffering a contusion, but it doesn't appear to be a significant concern since he's back in action a day later. Fletcher has a .358/.382/.528 slash line with two home runs and 10 RBI in 15 games since returning from the IL in late July.
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Xander Bogaerts SS | SD
Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts: Nursing sore shin
Bogaerts isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Pirates due to a lower-shin injury, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
The 29-year-old fouled a ball off his shin over the weekend, and he'll take Tuesday off since he's apparently still feeling some soreness after Boston's scheduled day off Monday. Enrique Hernandez, fresh off the injured list, will start at shortstop with Bogaerts receiving an extra day to rest up.
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Jeremy Pena SS | HOU
Astros' Jeremy Pena: Back in action Tuesday
Pena (neck) is batting seventh and playing shortstop Tuesday in Chicago, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.
The neck stiffness that kept Pena out of Monday's game appears to have been minor. In 18 games since his last home run, Pena has slashed .194/.214/.239 with three doubles and four RBI.
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Josh H. Smith 3B | TOR
Rangers' Josh Smith: Not starting Tuesday
Smith is on the bench for Tuesday's game against the Athletics.
Smith is on the bench for the fourth time in seven games, and he appears to have shifted into more of a super-utility role of late after previously seeing action as the Rangers' primary third baseman earlier this month. Ezequiel Duran has since taken over as the preferred option at the position, with his hot hitting and Smith's modest .576 OPS since the beginning of August likely being the primary factors.
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Joey Wendle 2B | ATL
Marlins' Joey Wendle: Idle against lefty
Wendle is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Padres, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
The lefty-hitting Wendle will take a seat with southpaw Sean Manaea toeing the rubber for San Diego. Charles Leblanc will check in for Wendle at third base, while shortstop Miguel Rojas spells Wendle as the Marlins' leadoff man.
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Jon Berti 3B | CHC
Marlins' Jon Berti: Gets Tuesday off
Berti is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Padres, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
Though his absence from the lineup is somewhat surprising with the left-handed Sean Manaea taking the hill for San Diego, the righty-hitting Berti looks like he'll still have a clear path to at least semi-regular playing time following his recent return from the injured list. In his four starts since being activated last week, Berti has gone 4-for-17 with two doubles and a stolen base, his 29th of the season. Despite missing nearly a month of game action, Berti still leads all of baseball in steals.
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Luke Williams 2B | ATL
Marlins' Luke Williams: Playing time picks up
Williams will start at second base and bat ninth in Tuesday's game against the Padres, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
Williams will make his fourth start in five games Tuesday, but his inclusion in the lineup is likely a byproduct of southpaw Sean Manaea taking the hill for Miami. Even though his opportunities have picked up of late, the righty-hitting Williams may have a tough time finding regular starts against right-handed pitching following the recent returns of Jon Berti and Brian Anderson from the injured list.
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J.P. Crawford SS | SEA
Mariners' J.P. Crawford: Plates pair in win
Crawford went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI singles and a walk in a win over the Angels on Monday.
The veteran shortstop snapped a 1-1 tie with his third-inning knock, which drove home Jesse Winker, and he added another timely single in the ninth inning to cap off Seattle's wild six-run rally. Crawford now has three straight two-hit efforts and boasts an impressive .282 average and .370 on-base percentage over the 46 plate appearances covering his last 11 games.
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Masyn Winn SS | STL
Cardinals' Masyn Winn: Showing pop, speed in Double-A
Winn is hitting .268/.345/.453 with 10 homers and 18 steals through 61 games with Double-A Springfield.
He's had significant hot and cold stretches, and Winn is actually now in the midst of a cooler one, having gone just 2-for-15 over his last four games -- which comes on the heels of an 11-game stretch in which he hit .346 with a 1.077 OPS. But as they say, speed never slumps, and Winn has remained active on the basepaths even when his bat hasn't been as effective. He's up to 33 steals now across two levels of the minors this year, which combines well with his solid plate discipline, growing power and cannon arm at shortstop to make Winn an exciting prospect for a Cardinals team that's looking for a long-term answer at his position.