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Taylor Walls SS | TB
Rays' Taylor Walls: On bench Wednesday
Walls is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals.
Walls will hit the bench for the second time in three games as Jose Caballero gets the nod at shortstop. Though the Rays value Walls mainly for his defense and baserunning, he's maintained an .826 OPS so far in June, which should allow him to continue holding down at least a semi-regular role in the lineup.
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Lenyn Sosa 2B | TOR
White Sox's Lenyn Sosa: Goes yard twice in win
Sosa went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Diamondbacks.
The second baseman put the White Sox in the lead for good with his fifth long ball of the season in the fourth inning, a two-run homer off Zac Gallen, and he added a solo shot off Tayler Scott in the eighth. It was the first multi-homer game of Sosa's career, and the four RBI were also a personal best. Over nine games since returning from his latest IL stint, he's gone 9-for-30 (.300) with five of those hits going for extra bases (two doubles, a triple and two home runs.)
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Jake Mangum CF | PIT
Rays' Jake Mangum: Idle Wednesday
Mangum is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals.
With Mangum heading to the bench, the Rays will roll out a starting outfield of Christopher Morel, Chandler Simpson and Josh Lowe from left to right. Since getting activated from the 10-day injured list May 30, Mangum is hitting .286 and has chipped in one home run, two stolen bases, 17 RBI and eight runs over a stretch of 23 games.
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Zachary Neto SS | LAA
Angels' Zach Neto: MRI reveals no damage
MRI results on Neto's right shoulder came back negative Wednesday, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.
Neto was pulled from Tuesday's contest early after jamming his right shoulder during a stolen-base attempt in the eighth inning. However, he didn't suffer any structural damage and is currently being viewed as day-to-day. Scott Kingery filled in as Philadelphia's shortstop during Wednesday's game against the Red Sox and and may be in line for a few more starts until Neto is ready to return.
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Sean Burke SP | CHW
White Sox's Sean Burke: Fans seven in fourth win
Burke (4-7) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing two unearned runs on five hits and two walks over five innings during a 7-3 victory over the Diamondbacks. He struck out seven.
The rookie right-hander tied his season high with seven strikeouts, a mark he set last Thursday against the Cardinals. Burke has given up two earned runs or fewer in eight of 10 starts since the beginning of May, posting a 3.33 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 48:26 K:BB over 54 innings during that span. He'll try to keep rolling in his next outing, which is scheduled to be a tough road matchup against the Dodgers next week.
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Mauricio Dubon LF | ATL
Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Exiting lineup Wednesday
Dubon is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.
Dating back to June 15, Dubon has slashed .323/.382/.806 with four home runs and three walks over a stretch of nine games, but he may not be locked into an everyday role just yet. He'll take a seat Wednesday for the second time in four games, with his absence from the lineup opening up left field for Taylor Trammell while Jose Altuve covers the keystone.
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Lance McCullers SP | MIL
Astros' Lance McCullers: Returns to mound work
McCullers (foot) threw a bullpen session Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
The veteran right-hander landed on the shelf June 16 due to a right foot sprain, and he was kept off the mound for only about a week. Assuming McCullers can continue ramping up his throwing program back up with no issues, he may not be looking at an extended absence.
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Framber Valdez SP | DET
Astros' Framber Valdez: Throws seven scoreless
Valdez didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 1-0 win over Philadelphia, allowing four hits and four walks while striking out three over seven scoreless innings.
Valdez delivered his first scoreless outing since April 8, blanking the Phillies despite struggling with his control. The 31-year-old lefty has now walked at least four batters and struck out three in two consecutive starts. In his last four starts, Valdez has a 2.16 ERA and a 29:13 K:BB across 25 innings. He's tentatively scheduled to face the Cubs on Sunday in his next turn through the rotation.
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J.C. Escarra C | NYY
Yankees' J.C. Escarra: Will go on paternity list
Escarra will miss Wednesday's game against the Reds and is expected to be placed on the paternity list, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
Escarra was supposed to be in Wednesday's lineup, but he'll instead be away from the team while attending the birth of his child. The Yankees didn't have time to call up a player to Cincinnati, so Austin Wells will start behind the plate, with Ben Rice likely serving as the reserve catcher, per Hoch.
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Brooks Lee 3B | MIN
Twins' Brooks Lee: Getting night off
Lee is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.
Willi Castro (wrist) will return to the lineup after a three-game absence and will fill in at third base for Lee, who will take a seat for the first time since June 10. While starting in each of Minnesota's last 13 games, Lee slashed .373/.385/.529 with two home runs and eight RBI. Though he'll likely see most of his starts at third base while Royce Lewis (hamstring) is on the shelf, the hot-hitting Lee could move over to the keystone to maintain a regular spot in the lineup once Lewis is ready to return from the injured list.