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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Starting rehab assignment Tuesday
Stanton (elbows) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on Tuesday.
Stanton had been working out at the Yankees' spring training complex in Florida, and after a pitstop in New York to get a final evaluation, he's been cleared for rehab games. The expectation is that he will be ready for activation within the next week or so, although the Yankees have not revealed an exact target date for Stanton's season debut. The designated hitter is coming back from tennis elbow in both arms.
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Johnathan Rodriguez RF | ATH
Guardians' Johnathan Rodriguez: Makes second straight start
Rodriguez started in right field and went 0-for-2 with a walk in Monday's 7-4 loss to the Reds.
Rodriguez started both games since he was called up Sunday to replace a struggling Jhonkensy Noel. Both starts have come against left-handers, and Rodriguez appears to have taken Noel's spot as part of a platoon in right field with Nolan Jones. Cleveland is getting AL-low production from its right fielders, and the Guardians hope Rodriguez can bring some of that .902 OPS he had at Triple-A Columbus to the majors.
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Bo Naylor C | MIL
Guardians' Bo Naylor: Homers in loss
Naylor went 2-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Monday's 7-4 loss to the Reds.
The home run was Naylor's ninth in 50 games. Naylor, who hit a home run for a second straight game, may be emerging from a slump. He's gone 5-for-7 with three RBI and four runs in those two contests. This mini eruption comes after a stretch in which the catcher had one hit over 26 at-bats.
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Jonatan Clase LF | TOR
Blue Jays' Jonatan Clase: Connects on clutch homer
Clase went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a 5-4 win in 10 innings against St. Louis on Monday.
Clase came through when Toronto needed him most, smashing a 415-foot solo homer with one out in the ninth inning to tie the game. The long ball was his first of the campaign over 69 plate appearances and just the second of his major-league career. Clase's big performance was sorely needed, as he entered Monday having gone 0-for-14 over his previous four games.
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Alejandro Kirk C | TOR
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk: Enjoys big day at plate
Kirk went 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles and two total RBI in Monday's 5-4, extra-inning win against St. Louis.
Kirk's nine total bases were a season high, and he tied a campaign-best mark with four hits. Among the knocks was an eighth-inning solo homer and a 10th-inning double that plated the winning run. Kirk is slashing a cool .316/.361/.421 on the campaign, and those marks have been buoyed by a hot nine-game stretch during which the backstop is batting .457 (16-for-35) with five extra-base hits, 10 RBI and just three strikeouts.
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Jeff Hoffman RP | MIN
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Tosses clean inning for 16th save
Hoffman struck out one batter in a perfect 10th inning to record a save against the Cardinals on Monday.
Hoffman's task wasn't easy, as he had to deal with the automatic runner at second base in the bottom of the 10th while protecting a one-run lead. He was able to get the job done, needing just nine pitches (eight strikes) to set the side down in order. Hoffman has successfully converted each of his past six save opportunities, and he's tied for sixth in the majors with 16 saves on the season. A few blowups have his ERA at an undesirable 5.46, but Hoffman appears to be secure in Toronto's closer role and has held the opponent scoreless in six of his past eight outings.
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Jose Berrios SP | TOR
Blue Jays' Jose Berrios: Shines with 6.2 scoreless frames
Berrios tossed 6.2 scoreless innings in a no-decision against St. Louis on Monday, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out one batter.
Berrios notched just five whiffs and one punchout, but he didn't need to miss bats to be effective. The right-hander recorded his fifth straight quality start, though he has just one victory during that stretch. Berrios has been particularly effective across his past three outings, giving up just one run over 18.2 frames while posting a 15:6 K:BB. He had an uneven beginning to the campaign, but Berrios has brought his ERA down to a solid 3.38 with a 1.25 WHIP through 82.2 innings on the season.
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Roman Anthony LF | BOS
Red Sox's Roman Anthony: Plates run in big-league debut
Anthony went 0-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in Monday's 10-8 loss to the Rays in 11 innings.
Anthony, who is one of baseball's top prospects, was called up Monday and got the start in right field while batting fifth in his MLB debut. The 21-year-old had a relatively quiet first game, and he committed an error in the fifth inning that allowed a run to score. However, Anthony made amends to some extent in the ninth, when he notched an RBI on a groundout to contribute to a Red Sox rally that sent the contest to extra frames. Anthony is expected to get consistent playing time in right field in the absence of Wilyer Abreu, who landed on the injured list Monday due to an oblique strain.
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Jose Caballero SS | NYY
Rays' Jose Caballero: Swipes two bags off bench
Caballero walked in his only plate appearance and stole two bases before scoring a run against Boston on Monday.
Caballero began the game on the bench, but he still made an impact on the outcome. The utility man entered as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning, and in the ninth he walked before stealing both second and third base and coming around to score on a sacrifice fly. Caballero has been in and out of the lineup, starting just twice over Tampa Bay's past five games. However, he's brought value with his speed, as his 23 thefts are tied for most in the majors.
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Brayan Bello RP | BOS
Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Goes 6.1 frames in no-decision
Bello allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits and one walk while striking out four batters over 6.1 innings in a no-decision against Tampa Bay on Monday.
Bello got through three scoreless frames before giving up a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth. One of those runs was unearned, so even though the right-hander was charged with one more run in the seventh, he still was credited with his second straight quality start. Despite allowing a fair amount of traffic on the basepaths, Bello was relatively efficient in tossing 82 pitches (55 strikes), and he logged his second-longest start of the campaign with 6.1 frames. Bello holds a 3.96 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 37:25 K:BB through 52.1 innings this season, and he's lined up to make his next start at home against the rival Yankees.