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Xander Bogaerts SS | SD
Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts: Back in lineup Saturday
Bogaerts (hand) is back in the lineup Saturday, starting at shortstop and batting third, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports.
Bogaerts sat out the past two games while dealing with swelling in his right hand following an HBP, but appears ready to get back to action. It's good news for both the Red Sox and fantasy owners alike, as the shortstop leads the team with a .308 batting average this season to go along with 41 RBI.
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Ruben Tejada SS | BAL
Orioles' Ruben Tejada: Out of lineup Saturday
Tejada is not starting Saturday's matchup against the Twins, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.
The Orioles continue to search for answers in the middle infield and Tejada's absence for three of the past five games indicates he may be on the outside looking in. Jonathan Schoop will move over from second to make his first major-league start at shortstop, enabling Johnny Giavotella to take over at the keystone.
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Dee Strange-Gordon SS | WAS
Marlins' Dee Gordon: Four hits in Friday's win
Gordon went 4-for-5 with a double and two runs scored in Friday's win over the Giants.
Few players can collect hits in bunches the way Gordon can, and the second baseman now has 10 of them in 18 at-bats over his last four games while scoring eight runs. He'll take a .299/.345/.364 slash line into the final Saturday before the All-Star break.
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Paul DeJong SS | DET
Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Hits seventh homer Friday
DeJong went 3-for-4 with a double and a solo homer in Friday's loss to the Mets.
He's stabilized the shortstop position since taking over from Aledmys Diaz, and DeJong is now slashing .304/.333/.582 with six homers, 12 runs and 13 RBI in his last 22 games. The 2015 fourth-round pick made a quick ascent through the Cards system and while his 4:38 BB:K so far in the majors suggests his batting average is due for some regression, his power numbers are for real -- he slugged 22 homers last year at Double-A and already has 20 between Triple-A Memphis and St, Louis this season.
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Aledmys Diaz 1B | HOU
Cardinals' Aledmys Diaz: Scuffling at plate in Triple-A
Diaz is slashing .188/.182/.375 over his first seven games with Triple-A Memphis.
The 26-year-old shortstop has provided some pop in the form of three doubles, a homer and seven RBI, but he's otherwise struggled and has yet to draw a walk. Diaz was somewhat surprisingly sent down to Memphis on June 28 despite a respectable .260 average with the big-league club, with the goal presumably being to have him make a few adjustments at the plate and return as a more effective hitter. A similar approach seems to have worked wonders for outfielder Randal Grichuk, but Diaz actually seems to have regressed in the early going of his minor-league stint.
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Tim Anderson 2B | LAA
White Sox's Tim Anderson: Homers in loss to Rockies
Anderson went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run during Friday's loss to Colorado.
The young shortstop is providing modest production in the counting stats (eight homers, 27 RBI, 35 runs and five stolen bases) because of his consistent at-bats, but his .239/.263/.361 slash line affirms his mediocrity. Anderson is best left to deep formats.
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Francisco Lindor SS | NYM
Indians' Francisco Lindor: Drives in three Friday
Lindor went 3-for-5 with a triple, two runs scored, three RBI and a stolen base in Friday's 11-2 win over the Tigers.
The All-Star now has seven hits in his last three games and continues to be a run-producing machine, hitting .276 (21-for-76) over his last 17 games with a homer and 15 RBI. Lindor's traded some batting average for power so far this season, but a BABIP closer to his career average in the second half could allow him to supply the best of both worlds.
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Bo Bichette 3B | NYM
Blue Jays' Bo Bichette: Earns promotion to High-A
Bichette will be promoted to High-A Dunedin after playing in Sunday's All-Star Futures Game, Freelance writer John Lott reports.
The Midwest League proved to be no competition for Bichette, who slashed .384/.448/.623 over 70 games with Low-A Lansing. At 19 years old, the shortstop will garner national attention over the weekend in Miami before seeing how he matches up against Florida State League pitching.
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Carlos Correa SS | HOU
Astros' Carlos Correa: Mashes 18th homer of year Friday
Correa went 2-for-5 with a double and a two-run homer Friday against the Blue Jays.
Correa crushed his 18th homer of the season to start the scoring for the Astros on a night in which they destroyed Aaron Sanchez. He's had a true breakout as an elite performer in his third season, as he's slashing .320/.397/.560.
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Shawn O'Malley SS | COL
Mariners' Shawn O'Malley: Begins rehab assignment Saturday
O'Malley (shoulder) will start his rehab assignment with Rookie-level Arizona on Saturday, MLB.com's Greg Johns reports.
O'Malley has been out this entire season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder in May. The shortstop resumed baseball activities in early June and finally makes his return to the field this weekend. There has yet to be a clear timetable for O'Malley, but the 29-year-old will likely return to the big-league club around the beginning of August if all goes according to plan.