MLB Player News
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Mookie Betts SS | LAD
Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Nearing batting practice
Manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Betts (hand) continues to swing a bat and could soon be cleared to take batting practice, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
The 31-year-old was cleared to resume taking swings last week and has since progressed to hitting soft toss and flips. Betts still has significant work to do in his rehab program, but a return in mid-August doesn't appear to be out of the question.
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Elly De La Cruz SS | CIN
Reds' Elly De La Cruz: Swipes four bags
De La Cruz went 3-for-4 with four stolen bases in Sunday's loss to the Rays.
De La Cruz did all he could for the Reds in the 2-1 loss, logging three of the team's six hits and recording four thefts in a game for the second time this season. The 22-year-old is up to a league-leading 55 steals, a whopping 24 ahead of runner-up Brice Turang. De La Cruz now owns a .263 average with 18 home runs, 45 RBI, 70 runs scored and 55 stolen bases in 64 attempts (86 percent) across 104 games played.
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Darell Hernaiz 3B | OAK
Athletics' Darell Hernaiz: Solid workload in rehab games
Hernaiz (ankle) played in back-to-back rehab games for Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday, logging eight innings at second base in the former and taking a full allotment of plate appearances as the designated hitter in the latter.
Hernaiz went a combined 2-for-9 during that stretch and has hit .364 over 24 plate appearances across six rehab games overall. The 22-year-old has also gotten the green light for a pair of steal attempts -- both successful -- during his time in the minors, supporting the notion his previously injured ankle could be back to full strength. Hernaiz appears well on track to be activated from the 60-day injured list at some point early in the coming week.
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Tyler Fitzgerald SS | SF
Giants' Tyler Fitzgerald: Keeps raking in win
FItzgerald went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Saturday's win over Colorado.
Fitzgerald went hitless in his first three trips to the plate before launching a solo shot in his final at-bat to extend San Francisco's lead to five runs. It marked the outfielder's eighth home run in his last 10 games while he also extended his hitting streak to 10 games with the long ball. For the month, Fitzgerald is now batting .390 with 11 extra-base hits, 15 RBI and 13 runs scored.
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Oneil Cruz SS | PIT
Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Monster home run in loss
Cruz went 2-for-4 with a home run, a triple and two runs scored in Saturday's loss to the Diamondbacks.
Cruz jumped on the first pitch he saw from Brandon Pfaadt in the opening frame and launched it 472 feet to right-center field for the shortstop's 16th home run of the campaign and his fourth this month. The 25-year-old would then add his second triple of the season in the sixth before coming around to score on a groundout from Connor Joe. Cruz has put together a nice July thus far, slashing .304 with 11 extra-base hits, 16 RBI and 11 runs scored. Saturday's performance also marked his seventh multi-hit outing this month.
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Dansby Swanson SS | CHC
Cubs' Dansby Swanson: Reaches, scores twice in win
Swanson went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored in Saturday's 9-4 win against the Royals.
It's mostly been a struggle this season for Swanson, but he's been showing some signs of life lately. The shortstop is riding a five-game hitting streak, during which he's gone 7-for-18 with a couple of runs scored and two stolen bases. Swanson is slashing just .219/.291/.345 overall, however, numbers which are all down from last year. He'll need a big finish to get his numbers more in line with his strong results from the past few seasons.
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Jeremy Pena SS | HOU
Astros' Jeremy Pena: Drives in two
Pena went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored Saturday against the Dodgers.
Pena has recorded a hit in every game since the All-Star break and has an overall hitting streak of nine contests. In that span, he's gone 14-for-34 with six RBI, seven runs scored and two home runs. Pena has had a resurgent season, highlighted by a .284 batting average with only a 16 percent strikeout rate in 424 plate appearances.
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Xavier Edwards SS | MIA
Marlins' Xavier Edwards: Notches two thefts Saturday
Edwards went 0-for-3 with a walk and a pair of stolen bases in Saturday's 7-3 victory versus Milwaukee.
Though he didn't get a hit in the contest, Edwards had a productive performance from a fantasy perspective with the pair of thefts. His ninth-inning walk extended his on-base streak to 14 games, during which the shortstop is batting .404 (19-for-47) with eight stolen bases and a 10:9 BB:K. Despite his lack of power, Edwards has been a solid fantasy pickup due to his speed and ability to rack up hits.
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Brooks Baldwin 2B | CHW
White Sox's Brooks Baldwin: Notches second steal
Baldwin went 3-for-4 with two doubles, one stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Mariners.
Baldwin earned the first multi-hit effort of his big-league career, and all three of his doubles in the majors have come over the last two games. He also picked up his second steal. Baldwin is still hitting just .207 over nine contests, but the White Sox appear committed to giving him a long look at second base in the second half. His speed is his best asset, but that won't shine through until he gets on base more consistently.
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Javier Baez SS | DET
Tigers' Javier Baez: Blasts homer in third straight game
Baez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 7-2 win over the Twins.
Baez has now gone deep in three straight games for the first time since 2022 and the third time overall in his career. After only going deep once in his first 63 games this season, Baez has seemed to have found his power stroke, at least temporarily. The 31-year-old still has a ways to go to be trusted for fantasy purposes with a .491 OPS for the season, but he's shown in the past that he can get hot fast.