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Brett Bateman CF | TOR
Blue Jays' Brett Bateman: Taking seat Thursday
Bateman is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game against the Royals.
Bateman started the last five contests and reached base 10 times over that span, but he will begin Thursday's festivities on the bench. Daz Cameron, Myles Straw and Nathan Lukes will patrol the outfield in Thursday's rubber match.
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Denzel Clarke CF | ATH
Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Producing in rehab stint
Clarke (hamstring) has gone 9-for-21 (.429) with a home run, five RBI and two runs across seven rehab games with Triple-A Las Vegas.
Clarke has swung the bat well with Las Vegas, reaching base safely in six straight contests. Recovering from a left hamstring strain, the 26-year-old has split time between center field and designated hitter during his rehab assignment. Entering the assignment, the Athletics planned to build Clarke up with a spring training-like progression, so the club likely isn't in a rush to activate him from the 60-day injured list. In 22 big-league games this season, he's hitting .170/.228/.189 with no homers, six RBI, four runs and two stolen bases.
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Chase DeLauter RF | CLE
Guardians' Chase DeLauter: Triggers game-winning rally
DeLauter (hamstring) entered Wednesday's game as a pinch hitter and singled in a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over the Angels.
DeLauter opened on the bench for a third consecutive game but triggered Cleveland's two-run rally in the top of the ninth inning. He was immediately replaced by a pinch runner, indicating the Guardians didn't want to push him on the basepaths. It's unclear if the pinch-hitting appearance means DeLauter will be ready to return to the starting lineup Friday after the team's off day Thursday.
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Braden Montgomery RF | CHW
White Sox's Braden Montgomery: Productive series against Rangers
Montgomery went 1-for-5 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored Wednesday against the Rangers.
Montgomery started the scoring for the White Sox with an RBI double in the second inning. The performance wrapped up a strong series, as Montgomery collected one hit in all three games while scoring five runs and tallying two RBI. Montgomery has shown promising signs at the plate across 24 games in August, reaching base at a .337 clip while racking up 14 RBI and 15 runs scored.
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Trevor Larnach LF | MIN
Twins' Trevor Larnach: Launches 11th homer
Larnach went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 7-4 loss to the Athletics.
Larnach had the only multi-hit effort for the Twins in this contest. The outfielder had gone 0-for-14 with four strikeouts over his previous five games, and he's hitting just .172 in August. For the year, Larnach is batting .265 with a .770 OPS, 11 homers, 43 RBI, 51 runs scored, 19 doubles, one triple and two stolen bases over 108 contests. His playing time may continue to slip if he can't get his hitting back on track soon -- he sat out three straight games prior to Wednesday.
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Lawrence Butler RF | ATH
Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Pops 12th homer
Butler went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and a second run scored in Wednesday's 7-4 win over the Twins.
Butler provided an insurance run with his long ball in the seventh inning. The outfielder had gone nine games without a homer but still hit .419 (13-for-31) in that span. He's batting .227 on the year while adding a .694 OPS, 12 homers, 41 RBI, 53 runs scored, 15 doubles, one triple and nine stolen bases through 126 contests.
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Brenton Doyle CF | CHW
White Sox's Brenton Doyle: Drives in four
Doyle went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and an additional RBI in Wednesday's 10-4 win over the Rangers.
Doyle went 4-for-10 with six RBI during the White Sox's three-game series against the Rangers. The outfielder had fallen into a part-time role prior to this, but with a little momentum on his side, he may be able to carve out more starts in center field moving forward. Doyle is batting .221 with an .587 OPS three homers, 12 RBI, 26 runs scored, six doubles and 12 stolen bases over 65 games between the White Sox and the Rockies this year.
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Tristan Peters CF | CHW
White Sox's Tristan Peters: Stays white-hot in win
Peters went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double and two total runs scored in Wednesday's 10-4 win over the Rangers.
Peters has homered in five straight games after going deep off reliever Robby Ahlstrom in the fifth inning Wednesday. The power sure now accounts for nearly half of Peters' homers on the year. He's batting .282 with an .821 OPS, 12 long balls, 52 RBI, 53 runs scored, 27 doubles, three triples and seven stolen bases across 128 contests.
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Leody Taveras CF | BAL
Orioles' Leody Taveras: Homers early in win
Taveras went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 8-7 win over the Cardinals.
Taveras' homer was part of a five-run first inning for the Orioles. Coming into Wednesday, the outfielder had just one extra-base hit over his prior 11 games, going 10-for-39 (.256) at the plate in that span. For the season, he's batting .228 with a .662 OPS, eight homers, 49 RBI, 52 runs scored, 13 doubles, six triples and 10 stolen bases through 116 contests. Taveras' playing time has trended up lately, and it should remain consistent as he takes over the starting job in right field in the absence of Tyler O'Neill (shoulder), who landed on the injured list Wednesday.