Orioles' Austin Slater: Not in lineup versus lefty
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Slater is absent from the lineup Tuesday in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series against the Royals, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Slater was in the lineup more often than not versus lefties down the stretch for the Orioles, but he will begin Tuesday's contest on the bench against southpaw Cole Ragans. Ragans does have reverse splits, with lefties producing a .723 OPS off him this season and righties just a .594 OPS. Colton Cowser, Cedric Mullins and Anthony Santander will form Baltimore's outfield trio Tuesday.
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Orioles' Austin Slater: Plates three in blowout
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Slater went 3-for-4 with an RBI double, a two-RBI single and two runs scored during Monday's 13-3 win over the White Sox.
Slater contributed to the Orioles' offensive bonanza, delivering a pair of RBI hits for his first three-hit game with Baltimore. Since being traded at the end of July, Slater has gone 13-for-44 (.295) with six RBI and seven runs scored across 19 games. The outfielder has a .618 OPS on the year.
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Orioles' Austin Slater: Homers Wednesday
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Slater went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Mets.
Slater was responsible for the Orioles' first hit off Sean Manaea, a two-run, opposite-field homer in the sixth inning that tied the game 2-2. It's Slater's second home run of the year and his first in 12 games with Baltimore. The 31-year-old outfielder has been limited to the short side of a platoon, though he's batted leadoff in the Orioles' last four games against left-handed starters. Overall, Slater's slashing .221/.338/.290 with 17 runs scored, 15 RBI and three stolen bases across 160 plate appearances between Baltimore, Cincinnati and San Francisco this season.
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Orioles' Austin Slater: Logs first steal with new team
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Slater recorded a stolen base as a pinch runner in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Red Sox.
Slater has gone 6-for-15 with two doubles, one RBI and two runs scored over nine contests with the Orioles, but his theft Sunday was his first with his new team. He's had limited chance to make an impact as a short-side platoon player, and it's unlikely he serves as anything more than a fourth or fifth outfielder. For the year, he has a .211/.331/.260 slash line with one home run, three steals, 13 RBI and 16 runs scored over 151 plate appearances between the Giants, Reds and Orioles.
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Orioles' Austin Slater: Dealt to O's
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The Orioles acquired Slater and infielder Livan Soto from the Reds on Tuesday in exchange for cash, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.
Earlier this month, Slater was traded from the Giants to the Reds, and he now finds himself with a third organization in the aftermath of the trade deadline. The righty-hitting Slater is known for his ability to hit lefties, but he's batting just .175 in those matchups this season. He's unlikely to see significant playing time for Baltimore.
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Reds' Austin Slater: Starts against lefty
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Slater started in left field and went 1-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in Friday's 8-5 loss to the Nationals.
Slater made his third start since joining the Reds -- all against opposing lefties -- and delivered his first two runs in a Cincinnati uniform. He's 2-for-13 since being acquired from San Francisco. Once TJ Friedl (hamstring) returns from the injured list, the outfield picture will become crowded. The lefty-hitting Friedl typically starts against pitchers of either handedness, so Slater will compete with Stuart Fairchild and Rece Hinds for at-bats.
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Reds' Austin Slater: Debuts for new team
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Slater started in center field and went 1-for-3 in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to Colorado.
Slater made his first appearance as a member of the team after Cincinnati acquired him from the Giants on Sunday. He could be a regular in the lineup heading into the All-Star break and shortly thereafter. Reds manager David Bell said TJ Friedl (hamstring) could rejoin the team 7-to-10 days after the break.
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Reds' Austin Slater: Joining new team Tuesday
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Slater won't be available to make his Reds debut until Tuesday's game against the Rockies, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
The Reds swung a deal late Sunday to acquire Slater from the Giants, and he apparently wasn't able to catch a flight from San Francisco to Cincinnati in advance of the Reds' series opener Monday versus the Rockies. While the Reds wait for Slater to report to the club, the team called up Rece Hinds from Triple-A Louisville on Monday to provide an extra body in the outfield after Stuart Fairchild (spine) joined fellow outfielders TJ Friedl (hamstring) and Nick Martini (thumb) on the injured list. Jake Fraley (personal) is also on the family medical emergency list, so Slater could have an opportunity to see meaningful work right away once he joins the Reds, even though he had largely been deployed as a short-side platoon outfielder throughout his eight-season run with the Giants.
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Reds' Austin Slater: Shipped to Cincinnati
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The Reds acquired Slater and cash considerations from the Giants on Sunday in exchange for left-handed pitcher Alex Young, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.
Slater will head to Cincinnati after producing a disappointing .200/.330/.244 slash line with one home run, nine RBI, 12 runs scored and two stolen bases over 112 plate appearances in 43 games with the Giants this season. With Will Benson struggling to a .187/.275/.365 slash line while striking out 40.1 percent of his plate appearances on the season, Slater could be called on to replace him in Cincinnati's everyday outfield moving forward, or at least platoon with him. In addition to Benson's ongoing struggles, the Reds are woefully shorthanded in the outfield at the moment with Nick Martini (thumb) joining TJ Friedl (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list Sunday and with Stuart Fairchild missing Sunday's loss to the Tigers with a back injury. Jake Fraley (personal) also remains on the family medical emergency list.
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Giants' Austin Slater: Sitting down Wednesday
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Slater isn't in the Giants' lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Slater has gone just 1-for-11 with six strikeouts in his last five contests, and he'll now sit out for the second game in a row. Luis Matos will instead start in right field and bat ninth.
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Giants' Austin Slater: Sitting Tuesday
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Slater isn't in the Giants' lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cubs, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
After going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and an RBI during Monday's game, Slater will get a day to regroup Tuesday while Luis Matos starts in right field, batting ninth.
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Giants' Austin Slater: Gets aboard four times
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Slater went 2-for-2 with a two-run home run, a walk, a hit-by-pitch and two total runs scored in Sunday's 13-6 win over the Angels.
Mike Yastrzemski started in right field, but he exited the game after drawing a walk in his lone plate appearance. Slater finished it off in right field, and despite facing right-handed pitchers in all but one of his four plate appearances, the outfielder put together an excellent game. He's hitting .409 (9-for-22) with three walks and five RBI over seven games in June in a short-side platoon role. Slater is up to a .230/.373/.279 slash line with a homer, two steals, six RBI and 10 runs scored through 75 plate appearances this season.
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Giants' Austin Slater: Three hits, steal in win
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Slater went 3-for-5 with two RBI, one stolen base and one run scored in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Astros.
Slater has gone 6-for-13 over four games since he returned from a concussion, though all of his hits in that span have been singles. The outfielder is up to a .212/.349/.212 slash line with four RBI, two steals and seven runs scored over 63 plate appearances this season. Slater is strictly a short-side platoon player, which currently has him functioning as a fourth outfielder for the Giants offering coverage at all three outfield positions.
Slater (concussion) will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Sacramento if he's given clearance Monday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Slater has missed more than two weeks of action with concussion symptoms, but it sounds like he's doing better and is on the precipice of games. Because he hasn't missed much time, Slater's rehab assignment should be brief, provided there are no complications.
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Giants' Austin Slater: Exits with concussion-like symptoms
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The Giants took Slater out of Friday's game versus Cincinnati due to concussion-like symptoms, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
It initially seemed like Slater's arm took the majority of the damage after he crashed into the wall in center field during the first inning, but it appears the incident may have instead given the 31-year-old a concussion. No official diagnosis has been given yet, but Slater may be in line for a trip to the 7-day IL.
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Giants' Austin Slater: Exits with apparent injury
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Slater was removed from Friday's game against the Reds with an apparent arm injury, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Slater crashed hard into the outfield wall during the first inning and was later pinch hit for by Michael Conforto. The Giants' training staff will take a closer look at Slater in the clubhouse and should offer an update on his status in the near future.
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Giants' Austin Slater: Notches first steal
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Slater went 1-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base in Wednesday's 8-2 loss to the Mets.
Slater has struggled at the plate this year, but he remains in a short-side platoon role in right field. The steal was his first of the campaign, and he's batting just .115 with one RBI, three runs scored and no extra-base hits over 32 plate appearances. Slater will often play in right field when Mike Yastrzemski is on the bench, but the former's hitting hasn't been strong enough to make much of a fantasy impact.
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Giants' Austin Slater: Starts in right field in exhibition
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Slater (elbow) will start in right field and bat second Monday in the Giants' exhibition versus the Athletics.
After he was limited in the early stages of spring training while completing his recovery from the right elbow surgery he underwent Oct. 11, Slater made his spring debut Feb. 24, but he didn't return to the lineup until March 9 after experiencing a minor setback in his recovery. Manager Bob Melvin noted Friday that Slater recently experienced more soreness in his surgically repaired elbow, but the 31-year-old outfielder has since seemingly quelled some of the concern about his availability for Opening Day. He returned to action for Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks and went 0-for-3 while serving as a backup designated hitter, then made a start at DH in a minor-league game Sunday. Slater's inclusion in the lineup in the outfield Monday implies that the elbow issue is no longer hindering him on defense or at the plate, so if he can come out of the game without any setbacks, he should be in good position to make the Opening Day roster. The right-handed-hitting Slater is likely to fill the short side of a platoon in the corner outfield with either Michael Conforto or Mike Yastrzemski during the upcoming season.
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Giants' Austin Slater: Suffers setback with elbow
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Giants manager Bob Melvin said Friday that Slater had "a little setback" with his right elbow and might not make the Opening Day roster, Brian Murphy of KNBR 680 reports.
Slater had offseason surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow. While he didn't have any restrictions during spring training, he evidently felt something in the elbow recently that has the Giants hitting the pause button. With Slater looking iffy for the Opening Day roster, it could clear a spot for Luis Matos.
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Giants' Austin Slater: Nearing end of rehab
Rotowire
Slater (elbow) reported to spring training with no restrictions as a hitter, though he'll still need to finish his throwing program before being cleared to play in Cactus League games, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Slater is working his way back from offseason surgery to remove a bone spur in his right elbow and is behind the Giants' other outfielders, though his availability for Opening Day doesn't look to be in jeopardy at this stage. Until he's cleared for full outfield work, Slater could be deployed as a designated hitter in Cactus League games so as to get in enough competitive at-bats to prepare himself for the start of the regular season. Slater is projected to serve a short-side platoon outfielder as he heads into his eighth season with the Giants.
