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Zachary Neto SS | LAA
Angels' Zach Neto: Goes deep twice
Neto went 3-for-5 with two home runs, a double and six RBI in Sunday's win over Houston.
Neto put the Angels on the board with his two-run shot in the sixth inning. He then delivered two more clutch hits, a go-ahead solo homer in the eighth and a go-ahead three-run double in the ninth. He snapped a 10-game homerless drought, which was also a 3-for-39 (.077) slump. Neto is now slashing .248/.317/.444 with 23 home runs, 57 extra-base hits and 30 steals through 152 games.
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Dansby Swanson SS | CHC
Cubs' Dansby Swanson: Picks up 18th steal
Swanson went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and one run scored in Sunday's 5-0 win over the Nationals.
Swanson was also caught stealing once, putting him at 18-for-21 on the basepaths this season. The shortstop has had a challenging year at times, but he's ending on a high note -- he's batting .313 (26-for-83) in September over 20 contests. Swanson's late surge has him up to a .241/.311/.386 slash line with 16 home runs, 64 RBI, 79 runs scored, 23 doubles and two triples across 145 games this year.
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Trevor Story SS | BOS
Red Sox's Trevor Story: Sitting for nightcap
Story is not in the lineup for the second game of Sunday's doubleheader against the Twins, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.
The Red Sox are starting a rather surprising number of regulars in both ends of the twin bill, but Story is not among those starting in Game 2, which makes sense given he just returned earlier in September after missing five months with a dislocated left shoulder. Story went 1-for-4 with a run scored and three strikeouts in the Red Sox's 8-1 win in the early game. Nick Sogard with take over at shortstop and bat sixth against right-hander Zebby Matthews.
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Nasim Nunez 2B | WAS
Nationals' Nasim Nunez: Starting for demoted Abrams
Nunez will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Cubs.
Nunez will close the weekend with consecutive starts at shortstop after he went 1-for-3 in Saturday's 5-1 win. With the Nationals optioning CJ Abrams to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, Nunez could take on an everyday role in the middle infield during the final week of the regular season.
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Mason McCoy SS | SD
Padres' Mason McCoy: Lands on injured list
The Padres placed McCoy on the 10-day injured list Sunday with back inflammation.
McCoy's IL stint is backdated to Thursday, making him eligible to return for the Padres' final game of the regular season Sept. 29. He has appeared in 19 games with the Padres this season, slashing .204/.278/.245. The Padres will replace McCoy on the 28-man active roster with veteran infielder Nick Ahmed, who was called up in a corresponding transaction.
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Nick Ahmed SS | TEX
Padres' Nick Ahmed: Receives call-up
The Padres selected Ahmed's contract on Sunday.
Ahmed is back in the majors and will provide infield depth in the absence of Mason McCoy, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with back inflammation. While Ahmed has been in the San Diego organization since Sept. 1, he never made an appearance with a minor-league affiliate and was instead working at the team's complex in Arizona. He had hit .232/.271/.300 in 69 games between the Dodgers and Giants this season.
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Isiah Kiner-Falefa 2B | BOS
Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: On bench Sunday
Kiner-Falefa is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.
Nick Gonzales will take over at shortstop and atop the batting order against right-hander Hunter Greene. Kiner-Falefa occupies those spots most days, and he's provided a .286 average this month as the Pirates' primary leadoff hitter, though it's been a rather empty batting average (five doubles, no homers, three RBI in his last 19 games).
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Mookie Betts SS | LAD
Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Homer and steal in loss
Betts went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer and a stolen base in Saturday's loss to the Rockies.
Betts clubbed a two-out, two-run homer in his second at-bat to bring the Dodgers back within one run of Colorado and later added a leadoff single in the fifth, though he was left stranded after stealing second. It marked the All-Star's fourth long ball this month and his 18th on the campaign, while the steal was the second in his last three games. Betts is now slashing .274/.313/.534 in September with nine extra-base hits, 17 RBI, 12 runs and three stolen bases.
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Luisangel Acuna SS | CHW
Mets' Luisangel Acuna: Goes yard again Saturday
Acuna went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and a solo home run in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Phillies.
The 22-year-old has been on fire since getting promoted last weekend, batting .385 (10-for-26) in his first eight big-league games with six extra-base hits, including three homers. Acuna's power display is especially impressive considering he hit only seven home runs in 131 games at Triple-A this season. Francisco Lindor (back) should return to the lineup any day now and reclaim the starting job at shortstop, but with a playoff spot on the line, the Mets could keep Acuna's red-hot bat in the lineup at another position.
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Anthony Volpe SS | NYY
Yankees' Anthony Volpe: Homers, steals base in win
Volpe went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, a walk and a stolen base in Saturday's win over the Athletics.
Volpe slugged a leadoff homer in his first at-bat to increase New York's lead to three runs and drew a free pass his second time around before swiping his 27th bag of the campaign. The shortstop has now tallied two RBI in back-to-back contests while also hitting safely in three straight. The long ball was his 12th of the campaign and his first since Aug. 3 against the Blue Jays.