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Trevor Story SS | BOS
Red Sox's Trevor Story: Shifts to 60-day injured list
Story (shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Thursday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
The move was strictly procedural, as Story has already been ruled out for the rest of the 2024 season. The transaction opened a 40-man roster spot for the newly acquired Vladimir Gutierrez.
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Javier Baez SS | DET
Tigers' Javier Baez: Doubles twice in loss
Baez went 2-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 9-7 loss to the Rangers.
The doubles were Baez's first of the season, and he's still sitting on just one home run across 17 games. The shortstop isn't hitting a ton of singles either, as he's batting just .172. While he's shown an ability in the past to heat up quickly, his struggles the past few seasons don't instill a ton of confidence. Baez should continue to see regular playing time, however, giving him an opportunity to turn things around.
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Blaze Alexander 3B | BAL
Diamondbacks' Blaze Alexander: Heads to bench in series opener
Alexander is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Giants.
Alexander will take a seat for the series opener as the Giants bring ace right-hander Logan Webb to the hill. While the rookie still looks to be the Diamondbacks' preferred option at shortstop while Geraldo Perdomo (knee) is on the shelf, Alexander might have a shorter leash than anticipated while he's experienced some early hiccups defensively. Jace Peterson will cover shortstop Thursday.
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Bobby Witt SS | KC
Royals' Bobby Witt: Notches fourth steal
Witt went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in a 4-2 win over the White Sox in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader.
Witt also went 1-for-4 in the nightcap. He's hit safely in five of the last seven games, batting .333 (10-for-30) in that span. The shortstop is off to another strong start in 2024 with a .321/.369/.628 slash line, four home runs, four steals, eight RBI, 18 runs scored, six doubles and three triples across 84 plate appearances. He's also striking out at a 22.6 percent clip, a bit higher than the 17.4 percent mark he had last year, but that's a fair trade-off for more contact.
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Gunnar Henderson SS | BAL
Orioles' Gunnar Henderson: Keeps slugging Wednesday
Henderson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Twins.
Henderson has six homers on the year, including one in each of the last three games. He's also posted four straight multi-hit efforts. The shortstop is thriving as the leadoff hitter in a strong offense, slashing .288/.346/.603 with four stolen bases, 15 RBI and 13 runs scored through 18 contests overall.
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C.J. Abrams SS | WAS
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Smacks fifth homer
Abrams went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's win over the Dodgers.
He drove the second big-league pitch of Landon Knack's career over the fence in right-center field, giving the Nats all the offense they would need as Jake Irvin and the bullpen combined for a shutout. Abrams launched a career-high 18 homers in 2023 but is well ahead of that pace to begin this season, slashing .295/.358/.656 with five home runs, three steals, 10 runs and 11 RBI in 15 games.
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Orelvis Martinez 2B | WAS
Blue Jays' Orelvis Martinez: Could be nearing promotion
Martinez crushed a 10th-inning grand slam Wednesday to give Triple-A Buffalo a 12-9 win over Columbus.
The ball traveled an estimated 469 feet and left Huntington Park completely, landing onto a second-floor patio in a building behind the left-field bleachers. Martinez has had a strong start to the season, slashing .296/.356/.519 over 14 games with six doubles, two homers and 10 RBI, and his 20.3 percent strikeout rate is a significant step forward from the 27.0 percent mark he posted with Buffalo in 2023. The Blue Jays have used four different players at second base already this season, rotating Cavan Biggio, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Davis Schneider and Ernie Clement through the keystone, but none of them offer the upside of the 22-year-old Martinez. If the front office deems him ready for the next challenge, his big-league debut could come at any time, but his bat may not be the thing holding him back -- Martinez has committed five errors already this season in his 13 starts at second base.
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Romy Gonzalez DH | BOS
Red Sox's Romy Gonzalez: MRI comes back negative
An MRI on Gonzalez's left wrist came back negative Thursday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
Gonzalez felt pain while taking swings Wednesday, but it appears he's avoided a serious setback. The Red Sox still figure to shut him down for a bit to let the wrist calm down. Gonzalez had been hoping for a return from the injured list when his 10 days are up, but that's unlikely now.
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Elly De La Cruz SS | CIN
Reds' Elly De La Cruz: Smacks fifth homer
De La Cruz went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Mariners.
De La Cruz provided the lone run for the Reds via a solo shot off Bryce Miller in the top of the second, giving the shortstop five home runs already on the season. Four of those long balls have come over his last 10 games, though De La Cruz is just 2-for-17 (.117) at the plate over his last five. He's also struck out multiple times in three of his last five contests.
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Dansby Swanson SS | CHC
Cubs' Dansby Swanson: Swipes bag in win
Swanson went 2-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks.
Playing against the team that drafted him first overall back in 2015, Swanson notched his first multi-hit performance in 12 days. The shortstop hasn't really gotten going yet, as he's batting just .235 with two home runs and two stolen bases across 18 games. However, Swanson is at no real risk of losing playing time, and he has the talent to heat up in a hurry.