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Bobby Witt SS | KC
Royals' Bobby Witt: Locked in as No. 2 hitter
Witt will start at third base and bat second in Monday's game against the Guardians.
Witt has batted out of the No. 2 spot in each of his first four MLB games, and he's provided little reason for the Royals to move him down in the order. He was one of the few bright spots for Kansas City in Sunday's 17-3 blowout loss, going 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI.
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Trevor Story SS | BOS
Red Sox's Trevor Story: Won't play Monday
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Story (illness) won't be available for Monday's game against the Tigers, Sean McAdam of BostonSportsJournal.com reports.
While the Red Sox begin a three-game series in Detroit on Monday, Story is set to travel separately with the team while he continues to deal with a case of the flu. Cora reiterated Monday that Story's illness isn't COVID-19-related, and the fact that the prized offseason pickup is traveling with the team seemingly supports that notion. Even so, with Story already ruled out for Monday, he'll be available for no more than five of the Red Sox's six games this week, which could make it difficult for fantasy managers to justify including him in their lineups.
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Joey Wendle 2B | ATL
Marlins' Joey Wendle: Crosses plate twice Sunday
Wendle went 2-for-4 with two runs scored in Sunday's loss to the Giants.
The veteran infielder accounted for both of Miami's runs on the afternoon while getting the start at shortstop and hitting sixth. Wendle is off to a quick start to his Marlins tenure, going 3-for-7 with a walk and three runs scored through two games.
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Kahlil Watson RF | CLE
Marlins' Kahlil Watson: Begins season with bang
Watson homered for the second time in as many games Sunday for Low-A Jupiter in a win over Palm Beach.
The 16th overall pick in the 2021 Draft got an aggressive assignment to full-season ball to begin the season despite not turning 19 until later this week, but it's Watson who is dominating older pitchers, not the other way around. He's 4-for-10 with two doubles and two homers through his first three games for the Hammerheads, and while his 1:5 BB:K is a sign that the hot streak could end quickly if he doesn't sharpen his plate discipline, it's hard to argue he shouldn't keep swinging given what's been happening when he makes contact. The Marlins appear to have landed a gem with Watson, but he still remains at least a couple years away from his big-league debut.
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Nick Ahmed SS | TEX
Diamondbacks' Nick Ahmed: Notes improvement
Ahmed (shoulder) hopes to begin taking at-bats at extended spring training this week, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.
Ahmed was enthused when discussing the state of his right shoulder after receiving two cortisone shots in late March. "It's way better than it was two weeks ago," the shortstop said. According to the report, Ahmed has been hitting and throwing since early last week, which contradicts an earlier report from Steve Gilbert of MLB.com, who indicated Ahmed was hitting and taking grounders but not throwing. Ahmed could return at some point next week while the Diamondbacks are one the road.
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Oneil Cruz CF | PIT
Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Getting work in outfield
Cruz started in left field for Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
As part of their decision to send Cruz to Triple-A to begin the season, Pirates management stated that they wanted the prospect to get experience in the outfield. However, through five games with Indianapolis, Cruz has appeared at shortstop four times as opposed to the outfield only once. However, he looked quite accustomed to left field when he made a sliding catch in the top of the seventh inning to save a likely extra-base hit while fieldng the position Sunday. It's not clear when Cruz may get the call to Pittsburgh, though he's maintained a .381 on-base percentage with one extra-base hit across 21 plate appearances in Indianapolis.
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Willy Adames SS | SF
Brewers' Willy Adames: Crosses plate twice Sunday
Adames went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, two runs, a walk and two strikeouts in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Cubs.
Adames has recorded hits in each of the first three games in the 2022 season, and he put the Brewers on the board with his solo shot in the top of the third inning during Sunday's series finale. During his three-game hitting streak to open the year, he's gone 4-for-12 with a homer, a double, two runs, two RBI, a walk and five strikeouts.
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Tim Anderson 2B | LAA
White Sox's Tim Anderson: Knocks two doubles
Anderson went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two runs scored in Sunday's 10-1 win over Detroit.
Anderson wasted no time making an impact in his season debut after serving a two-game suspension; he ripped a double on the first pitch of the game and came around to score on a Jose Abreu groundout. The star shortstop then doubled and scored again in the seventh. Anderson has hit .322 over the last three years and looks poised to repeat that success in 2022.
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Wander Franco SS | TB
Rays' Wander Franco: Drives in two runs
Franco went 3-for-4 with a double, a stolen base, two RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 8-0 win over the Orioles.
Franco helped Tampa Bay complete a three-game sweep to begin the 2022 campaign. He drilled a two-run single in the seventh inning and finished the series 6-for-11 with a pair of strikeouts. Taylor Walls replaced him near the end of the game and got an at-bat in the eighth inning of the blowout victory.