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Michael Conforto DH | CHC
Cubs' Michael Conforto: Hits 14th home run Saturday
Conforto went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Marlins.
Conforto provided an offensive lift before getting pulled for pinch hitter Matt Shaw in the seventh inning, as he connected for this 14th home run of the season in the third. The veteran outfielder has posted a solid .821 OPS across 97 games, and he continues to see most of his playing time in matchups against right-handed pitchers, recording only seven at-bats versus lefties this year. Conforto can have some fantasy value when he's in the lineup, though his sporadic role makes him hard to rely on as a regular option.
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Ivan Herrera DH | STL
Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Homers again Saturday
Herrera went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in Saturday's 10-7 loss to the Rockies.
Herrera has homered in consecutive contests, and he's logged multiple hits in five of his last six games. In that span, he's supplied nine RBI. The catcher continues to log a fair amount of time at designated hitter to keep his bat in the lineup while Leo Bernal learns the ropes behind the dish. Herrera is batting .248 with a .744 OPS, 16 homers, 62 RBI, 87 runs scored, 24 doubles, one triple and eight stolen bases over 142 games this season.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Reason for optimism after batting session
Ohtani (biceps/knee) didn't experience any discomfort while taking swings in the batting cage Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Ohtani did some hitting in the cage during Saturday's win against Washington and reportedly felt fine. However, manager Dave Roberts said the team will wait to see how the two-way star feels Sunday before deciding next steps. It's not clear if Ohtani has a chance to return to the lineup following a three-game absence Sunday, but at the very least, how he recovers from the session Sunday could help determine whether he'll be able to avoid a stint on the injured list.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Hitting in cage Saturday
Ohtani (biceps/knee) is slated to hit in the batting cage Saturday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Ohtani is out of the lineup for the third straight day Saturday as he deals with right biceps soreness and lingering left knee inflammation. To this point, the Dodgers have hesitated from putting him on the injured list, and how Ohtani feels during and after Saturday's hitting session could go a long way toward determining his timeline to return. Katie Woo of The Athletic notes that should Ohtani be placed on the injured list, it will have to be the 15-day IL due to his status as a two-way player.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Sitting Saturday as expected
Ohtani (knee/biceps) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Nationals, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Ohtani will sit out a third consecutive game Saturday as he continues to manage soreness in his knee and biceps. The Dodgers remain hopeful that he won't require a trip to the injured list, though a move may be necessary if he isn't able to return to the lineup within the next several days. Dalton Rushing will serve as Los Angeles' designated hitter and bat seventh.
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Josh Bell DH | MIN
Twins' Josh Bell: Slugs homer No. 18
Bell went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk during a 4-1 loss to the White Sox on Friday.
Bell scored the lone Twins run Friday with a solo shot in the ninth inning off Grant Taylor. The long ball broke a drought of 12 straight games without a blast. Over his last 30 games, Bell is slashing .304/.380/.473 with five homers and 21 RBI in 125 plate appearances.
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Ivan Herrera DH | STL
Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Launches three-run homer Friday
Herrera went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in Friday's 7-6 victory over the Rockies.
Herrera delivered the game's decisive swing with St. Louis trailing 6-4 in the ninth with a 430-foot blast to center field to give the Cardinals a one-run lead in the top of the ninth. The homer was his 15th of the season and completed a comeback after the Cardinals had squandered an early three-run advantage. Herrera has had four multi-hit performances in his last five games, and this homer snapped a 15-game stretch without a long ball.
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Eugenio Suarez DH | CIN
Reds' Eugenio Suarez: Homers in return
Suarez went 1-for-3 with a walk, a home run, three RBI and an additional run scored in Friday's 10-7 loss to Milwaukee.
Suarez returned from a two-game absence after passing his US naturalization test. He celebrated with a two-run shot in the third inning, his 21st home run of the season. Suarez has homered three times in the last six games and driven in nine runs during that stretch.
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Yordan Alvarez DH | HOU
Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Two hits in Friday's win
Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Friday's 3-1 victory over the Diamondbacks.
Alvarez was the only Houston player to record multiple hits. He hit a single in the third inning, advanced to third on Isaac Paredes' RBI double and later scored on Jose Altuve's sacrifice fly. Alvarez added another single in the fifth. He's posting pedestrian numbers of late, hitting .242 with a .745 OPS over his last 10 games, but he remains the most dangerous hitter in the Astros' lineup by a wide margin.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Not expected to play Saturday
Manager Dave Roberts said after Friday's game that he does not expect Ohtani (knee/biceps) to play Saturday against the Nationals, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
If Ohtani ends up sitting Saturday, it would mark the first time since he joined the Dodgers that he's missed three consecutive games. Prior to Friday's contest, Roberts said he was still "hopeful" Ohtani would avoid the injured list, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. "I wouldn't say confident, but hopeful," Roberts said. Ohtani is dealing with lingering knee and biceps issues, injuries which have kept him from pitching in a game since July 3.