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Xander Bogaerts SS | SD
Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts: Able to hit in cage Friday
Bogaerts (thumb) took swings in the batting cage Friday and will receive treatment throughout the day, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports.
Bogaerts did feel a bit of soreness in his swings, but it seems like the problem isn't too big of a deal. There is speculation that the young shortstop could return to the lineup as early as Saturday, so keep an eye on his status as Saturday's start time approaches.
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Trea Turner SS | PHI
Nationals' Trea Turner: Activated from DL on Friday
Turner (hamstring) was activated from the disabled list on Friday, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post reports.
While he's now back on the active roster, Turner will not immediately return to the starting lineup as manager Dusty Baker has opted to go with Wilmer Difo at shortstop again Friday. Turner has not seen major-league game action since going down April 8, but it appears that will be changing very soon.
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Tim Anderson 2B | LAA
White Sox's Tim Anderson: Leading off Friday
Anderson is batting leadoff and starting at shortstop for Friday's game against the Indians.
It will be just the fourth time this season that Anderson finds himself at the top of the order, but it could serve to jump-start his offensive production. Anderson has been left searching for answers while slashing just .164/.179/.236 this season with 14 strikeouts over 13 games. Tyler Saladino gets the day off.
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Xander Bogaerts SS | SD
Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts: Sits out Friday
Bogaerts (thumb) is not in the lineup for Friday's series opener with the Orioles, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.
The All-Star shortstop appeared to injure his thumb sliding headfirst into second base in Thursday's contest, so it seems that the Red Sox are holding him out to give the ailment a bit more time to heal. It's unclear what exactly the problem is or how severe it is, but in the meantime, Marco Hernandez will pick up a start at shortstop in his stead. Consider Bogaerts day-to-day for the time being.
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Adalberto Mondesi SS | BOS
Royals' Raul Mondesi: Heads back to Omaha on Friday
Mondesi was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Friday.
The Royals tried to let the 21-year-old play his way out of his early-season struggles, but after going hitless in his last seven games and dropping his already low batting average to .103, he'll head back to the minors for more seasoning. Look for Whit Merrifield, Cheslor Cuthbert and Christian Colon to fight for playing time at the keystone until Mondesi returns, which could be relatively soon if the latter hits as well as he did at Triple-A last season (.304 batting average, .864 OPS).
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Aledmys Diaz 1B | HOU
Cardinals' Aledmys Diaz: Day off helps end slump
Diaz, who endured an 0-for-18 slump before a pinch-hit infield single Wednesday, studied film of his at-bats from last season and reevaluated his mental approach earlier that day, Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. "I think a day off helped a lot," Diaz said. "I reset my mind. I came in early, watched a lot of video from the last year. I just feel good. I have confidence it's going to be better in the next couple of games. You have to trust the process, and keep working."
Diaz burst onto the scene last season with a .300/.369/.510 line over 111 games, and he appeared to be on track for more of the same in the early going this season. In Wednesday film study, the shortstop and hitting coach John Mabry pinpointed a narrowing of the hips in Diaz's stance this year when compared to last season -- a factor which potentially was inhibiting his visibility. They also took note of the numbers indicating reduced plate discipline this season, as evidenced by an 18.1 percent increase in Diaz's swing percentage on pitches outside the strike zone.
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Carlos Correa SS | HOU
Astros' Carlos Correa: Returns to lineup Thursday
Correa went 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Angels.
Correa had missed the previous three games with a hand contusion but was back to batting cleanup for the Astros on Thursday. Hand injuries can be tricky, so don't be alarmed if he's not hitting immediately upon his return to duty.
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Trea Turner SS | PHI
Nationals' Trea Turner: Likely to come off DL on Friday
Turner (hamstring) is expected to come off the disabled list Friday, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post reports.
Although it looks like Turner will come off the DL on Friday, manager Dusty Baker said it's unlikely that he'll start Turner for the team's series opener against the Mets. Turner was fully active in an extended spring training game Wednesday, so he should be taking the field for the big club very soon.
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Xander Bogaerts SS | SD
Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts: Has thumb examined after Thursday's game
Bogaerts received tests on his right thumb following Thursday's victory over the Blue Jays, Scott Lauber of ESPN Boston reports.
Bogaerts played the entire game Thursday, but he clearly had some discomfort after a head-first slide into second base late in the game. The current plan is for the club to evaluate him again on Friday, so specific information pertaining to Bogaerts' condition should be available then. If Bogaerts has to miss time, look for Brock Holt to fill in at shortstop.
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Orlando Arcia SS | MIN
Brewers' Orlando Arcia: Takes seat Thursday
Arcia is not in the lineup Thursday against the Cardinals.
The 22-year-old brought his batting average above the Mendoza Line with a two-hit performance Wednesday in Chicago, but he'll head to the bench for a day off nonetheless. Hernan Perez will pick up a start at shortstop in his stead.