• Oneil Cruz homers, drives in three in losing effort
    Oneil Cruz went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer and three RBI on Monday in the Pirates’ lopsided defeat at the hands of the Reds.

    Advice: Cruz was one of the few bright spots for Pittsburgh in this one as he drove in a run with a fifth-inning ground out before slugging a gargantuan 458-foot moonshot — his 11th big fly of the season — a couple frames later off Reds reliever Fernando Cruz. The 25-year-old shortstop has been scuffling at the dish in recent weeks, batting .216 (25-for-116) with four homers and three steals over his last 30 games. He’s also struck out a whopping 40 times during that span. The flashes of dynamic game-changing talent are still there on occasion, but Cruz remains a bit of a work in progress at the moment. Rotoworld Monday, 7:19 pm
  • Getting Monday off
    Rocchio is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Orioles.

    Advice: Rocchio will get a breather after he started at shortstop in each of the Guardians' last four games while going 3-for-12 with a double and a walk. Gabriel Arias (personal) was reinstated from the family medical emergency list Monday and will be thrust into the lineup immediately upon his return, replacing Rocchio at shortstop. Rotowire.com Monday, 1:54 pm
  • Closing in on rehab assignment
    Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Monday that Edman (wrist) could begin a rehab assignment soon, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

    Advice: Edman has taken live at-bats from both sides of the plate in recent days and his surgically repaired right wrist has responded well. Since he's resided on the injured list all season, the 29-year-old would presumably require an extended minor-league rehab assignment before being activated, but he's tracking toward a return to the Cardinals before the All-Star break. Rotowire.com Monday, 6:52 am
    Tommy EdmanSTL - 2B,SS,OF
    11:15 am vs CIN
     
  • Swipes sixth bag
    Cruz went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base Sunday against the Rays.

    Advice: Cruz made plenty of highlights Saturday by blasting a home run into the Allegheny River, but he's slumped with only two hits across 19 at-bats during Pittsburgh's current homestand. He did manage to tally his sixth stolen base of the season Sunday, his first since returning from ankle soreness that caused him to miss games on June 14th and 15th. Rotowire.com Monday, 6:38 am
  • Doubles twice, drives in three
    Pena went 3-for-5 with two doubles, three RBI and a run scored in Sunday's win against the Orioles.

    Advice: Pena hit an RBI double in the first inning before knocking a two-run double in the sixth. He'd been stuck in a 6-for-49 (.122) slump since his last multi-hit game June 5. Pena's homerless drought has now reached 31 games, and he's attempted only one steal in his last 15 contests. Still, he bumped his season slash line up to .280/.316/.382 through 314 plate appearances. Rotowire.com Sunday, 6:36 pm
  • Goes yard again in loss
    Abrams went 3-for-5 with a double, a homer, two RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's loss to the Rockies.

    Advice: Abrams doubled in his second at-bat before coming around to score Washington's first run of the contest on a Lane Thomas single. The shortstop would then add a leadoff homer in the fifth to cut Colorado's lead down to one run, giving him 12 long balls on the season. Abrams has now logged multiple hits in three consecutive games and is batting .361 in June with three homers, 13 RBI and 12 runs scored. He's also struck out just twice over his last eight games while drawing four walks. Rotowire.com Sunday, 7:33 am
  • Homers, reaches four times
    Merrill went 3-for-3 with a three-run homer and a walk in Saturday's win over Milwaukee.

    Advice: Merrill singled in his first at-bat before crushing a three-run shot off Carlos Rodriguez in the fourth to put San Diego on the board. The shortstop would reach four times on the night and has now recorded multiple hits in three of his last four games. He's also homered in three of his last four and in seven of his last 10 while posting at least one RBI in four straight. Rotowire.com Sunday, 6:45 am
  • Ninth-inning grand slam in loss
    Turang went 3-for-4 with a grand slam and a walk in Saturday's loss to the Padres.

    Advice: Turang reached base four times in the contest, topping things off with a ninth-inning grand slam to bring Milwaukee back within two runs of the Padres. The grand slam was the second of his career, and he's now collected at least one RBI in three consecutive games. Turang has also recorded multiple hits in three straight and is now batting .296 on the campaign with five homers, 31 RBI and 26 stolen bases. Perhaps the only downside is that he's been caught stealing in each of his last three attempts, including twice Saturday. Rotowire.com Sunday, 6:36 am
     
  • Makes splash in Saturday's win
    Cruz went 1-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Rays.

    Advice: He destroyed the first pitch he saw from Zach Eflin in the first inning, sending the 78.2 mph curveball out of the stadium to right field and straight into the Allegheny River. Per Adam Berry and Justice delos Santos of MLB.com, it's just the sixth time since PNC Park opened that a ball has been hit into the river on the fly. Despite his prodigious physical tools, Cruz is still having trouble producing consistently for the Pirates, but he has stepped things up this month. Through 16 games in June, the 25-year-old is slashing .250/.283/.464 with three homers, one steal, 11 runs and 11 RBI. Rotowire.com Sunday, 6:18 am