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Blake Perkins CF | CLE
Brewers' Blake Perkins: Sitting in series finale
Perkins is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.
He'll cede his spot in left field to Brandon Lockridge. The switch-hitting Perkins had started six of the previous seven games and has a fairly clear path to playing time versus both lefties and righties until Milwaukee gets one of Andrew Vaughn (hand) or Jackson Chourio (hand) back from the injured list.
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Mookie Betts SS | LAD
Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Said to be 'symptom-free'
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday that Betts is "symptom-free" in regard to his strained right oblique, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Betts said at the start of the week that he's "light years" ahead of schedule in his recovery, and Roberts' comments Friday affirm that outlook. While the star shortstop isn't expected to be ready for activation off the IL when first eligible April 15, it's looking increasingly likely that he'll beat the initial 4-to-6 week timeline. Per MLB.com, Betts has been participating in defensive drills but hasn't yet resumed swinging a bat.
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Luis Robert CF | BAL
Mets' Luis Robert: Out of Sunday's lineup
Robert is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.
It's likely just a maintenance day for Robert, who started the previous six games and batted .364 (8-for-22) with four walks, a homer, two steals and five runs during that span. Carson Benge will shift to center field for Sunday's series finale while Tyrone Taylor and Brett Baty start in the corners.
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Harrison Bader CF | SF
Giants' Harrison Bader: Hitting bench amid slump
Bader is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Jung Hoo Lee will slide over from his usual spot in right field to cover center in place of Bader, who will sit for the second time in four games. Bader has gotten off to a sluggish start to his first season with San Francisco, slashing just .115/.145/.192 with one home run, zero steals, three RBI and four runs across 55 plate appearances.
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Will Benson RF | CIN
Reds' Will Benson: Playing time slipping
Benson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
After beginning the season with starts in Cincinnati's first five games against right-handed pitching, Benson finds himself on the bench Sunday for the fourth time in the past six contests, all of which have been versus righties. Noelvi Marte is starting in right field and batting eighth in the series finale versus the Halos and appears to be the Reds' preferred option at the position.
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Michael Conforto DH | CHC
Cubs' Michael Conforto: Reaches three times in loss
Conforto went 1-for-3 with two walks and a run scored in Saturday's 4-3, extra-innings loss to the Pirates.
This was Conforto's first game action in three days, as the veteran has settled in as a reserve outfielder for the Cubs. With Seiya Suzuki back in the fold, Conforto figures to remain on the bench, though he could eventually see more time at DH if he continues to show some life in his bat. Over his last five appearances, Conforto is slashing .385/.556/.462 with five walks, three RBI and three runs scored.
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Corbin Carroll RF | ARI
Diamondbacks' Corbin Carroll: Returns to action
Carroll started at designated hitter and went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Saturday's 4-3 loss to Philadelphia.
Carroll returned to the lineup after missing two games with a tight hip flexor. His first-inning walk preceded an RBI single by Adrian Del Castillo. Carroll was available off the bench the last two days, which indicates the issue wasn't considered serious.
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Teoscar Hernandez LF | LAD
Dodgers' Teoscar Hernandez: Continues strong start to season
Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run, an additional run and a double in Saturday's 6-3 victory against the Rangers.
Hernandez broke a 1-1 tie and gave Los Angeles a lead it would never lose with a three-run blast off Jack Leiter in the first inning. The slugger was in a mini three-game slump coming into Saturday, going 1-for-11 with four strikeouts over that span, but he's been very good overall at the outset of the campaign. Hernandez is slashing .306/.327/.531 with three home runs, 11 RBI. 10 runs and a stolen base through 13 games.
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Mickey Moniak LF | COL
Rockies' Mickey Moniak: Slugs two homers Saturday
Moniak went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four total RBI in a loss to the Padres on Saturday.
Moniak opened the scoring with a two-run blast in the first inning and added a solo shot in the third. He later singled in the eighth frame for his fourth RBI of the game. Moniak is thriving in the early portion of the campaign, slashing .300/.313/.800 with five home runs, nine RBI and six runs through nine contests. He's started each of Colorado's past seven games and seems to have an earned an everyday spot in the lineup.