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Francisco Lindor SS | NYM
Mets' Francisco Lindor: Pops homer in Monday's loss
Lindor went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's loss to the Blue Jays.
The star shortstop supplied the only offense for the Mets in a 2-1 loss, taking Trey Yesavage deep in the seventh inning to spoil a shutout bid for Toronto. Lindor has hit safely in three straight games as he regains his form following a two-month layoff due to a calf strain, but on the season he still sports a disappointing .679 OPS with three homers and two steals in 28 contests.
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Lance McCullers SP | MIL
Astros' Lance McCullers: Sharp in first rehab outing
McCullers (shoulder) struck out four and allowed two hits and no walks over three scoreless innings in a rehab start Thursday with Triple-A Sugar Land.
Pitching in a game for the first time since May 13 after being sent to the injured list due to a right rotator cuff impingement, McCullers delivered an encouraging performance. He mixed in five different offerings in the 42-pitch appearance, averaging 90.9 mph with his sinker while displaying strong control. McCullers had issued 22 free passes in 39.1 innings with the Astros prior to landing on the shelf, so keeping his walks in check in his subsequent rehab outings will be imperative if he hopes to reclaim a spot in a crowded Houston rotation once he returns from the 15-day IL. In addition to their current five starters, the Astros are expected to bring Cristian Javier (shoulder) back from the 60-day IL later this week, and Ronel Blanco (elbow) is also in the midst of a rehab assignment and could be an option for the rotation around the same time McCullers is ready for activation.
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Xavier Edwards 2B | MIA
Marlins' Xavier Edwards: Swipes bag in second straight game
Edwards went 1-for-5 with a run scored and a stolen base in Monday's win over the Rockies.
The 26-year-old infielder stole a bag for a second straight game while extending his current hitting streak to eight games. Over that span, Edwards is batting .400 (12-for-30) with a double, a triple, two steals, three RBI and three runs, and on the season he's swiped 13 bags in 16 attempts over 85 contests, keeping him in range of a third straight campaign with 25 or more steals.
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Kyle Stowers 1B | MIA
Marlins' Kyle Stowers: Crosses plate three times in win
Stowers went 1-for-3 with a walk, a hit by pitch, a double and three runs scored in Monday's win over the Rockies.
It was a typically wild night at Coors Field, and the Marlins produced multiple runs in three separate innings en route to a 10-7 victory. Stowers was in the thick of all three offensive outbursts as he shows signs of shaking off his June malaise. Over the last eight games, the 28-year-old is batting .276 (8-for-29) with five extra-base hits, five runs and five RBI.
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Cristian Javier SP | HOU
Astros' Cristian Javier: Fires six scoreless in rehab start
Javier (shoulder) struck out four and scattered three hits and two walks over six scoreless innings Saturday in a rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land.
Making the fifth start of his rehab assignment and his fourth in a row with Sugar Land, Javier turned in a brilliant performance while building up to 85 pitches (52 strikes). Though he averaged 91.8 mph with his four-seam fastball -- down a full tick from his average in three starts with Houston before landing on the shelf -- Javier was still able to make bats miss, as he induced six whiffs on that pitch and along five whiffs on his changeup. Javier will likely return from the 60-day injured list to make a start this weekend against the Rays in Houston, sliding into the rotation spot vacated by Kai-Wei Teng, who was demoted to Triple-A last weekend.
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Hurston Waldrep SP | ATL
Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Likely to move into rotation
Waldrep is a likely candidate to join the Atlanta rotation in the near future, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
The 24-year-old right-hander was added to the 26-man roster Friday and threw 55 pitches over two relief innings that day, working behind Reynaldo Lopez. Lopez's next start is scheduled for Wednesday and manager Walt Weiss has hinted that the duo could be piggybacked, but Atlanta is also likely looking for ways to get Bryce Elder some extra rest, as he showed reduced velocity in his last start and has struggled over the second half of June. Once Waldrep is further stretched out, he could join a six-man rotation that gets the team through to the All-Star break -- Atlanta doesn't get another day off before the break once they begin a series against the Cardinals on Tuesday.
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Bryce Elder SP | ATL
Braves' Bryce Elder: Could get extra rest before ASB
Elder's velocity was down about one mph on all his pitches in his most recent start, and Atlanta is likely to look for opportunities to give him extra rest, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
The right-hander has looked fatigued over his last three starts, coughing up 19 runs in 14 innings on 27 hits, including five homers. Atlanta's rotation is already missing multiple members, however, and depth is an issue. Hurston Waldrep, who was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett this past weekend and threw 55 pitches over two innings of relief behind Reynaldo Lopez on Friday, could be an option to make a spot start and buy Elder an extra day of rest.
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Anthony Seigler 2B | BOS
Red Sox's Anthony Seigler: Making most of opportunity
Seigler started at second base and went 2-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 6-3 win over Washington.
Seigler made a seventh consecutive start Monday and has hit safely in all seven. He's 11-for-23 with three doubles, a home run, three RBI, one steal and five runs during the streak. Injuries to Trevor Story (abdomen) and Marcelo Mayer (forearm) have created an opportunity for Seigler.
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Nicky Lopez 2B | TEX
Rangers' Nicky Lopez: Moves to shortstop
Lopez started at shortstop and went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Monday's 6-3 win over the Guardians.
Lopez covered shortstop Monday while Corey Seager receiving a planned maintenance day. When Seager is back in the lineup, Lopez could end up seeing most of his reps at second base. That said, Lopez will have to fend off Ezequiel Duran for playing time at that position if Duran isn't needed in the outfield while Brandon Nimmo (shoulder) appears to be at risk of joining Wyatt Langford (hamstring) on the injured list.
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Evan Carter CF | TEX
Rangers' Evan Carter: Benefits from teammates' injuries
Carter started in center field and went 2-for-3 with two runs scored in Monday's 6-3 win over the Guardians.
Carter was activated off the injured list Sunday when the Rangers placed Wyatt Langford (hamstring) on the IL. That injury, along with a shoulder injury suffered by Brandon Nimmo on Sunday that could lead to an IL stint, should present outfield opportunities for Carter. He typically only starts against right-handers and is batting .182 (.100 against lefties) in 68 games this season.