Player Notes

Brandon Moss hit a pair of homers to lead the A's past the Yankees 5-2 on Wednesday.
Advice: Moss had a two-run homer off Phil Hughes in the second and added an insurance blast off Joba Chamberlain in the eighth. The good news is that Moss has five homers since May 25. The bad news is that he has absolutely no hits of any other kind since May 20. Part of that is because the A's have faced a lot of lefties lately. That changes now, so Moss will resume getting consistent at-bats.

Josh Hamilton went 2-for-5 with a homer, two runs scored and two RBI against the Mariners on Monday.
Advice: Coming off a Sunday off-day against Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia, Hamilton teed off in an easier matchup, taking Aaron Harang deep for a two-run shot in the second. Hamilton owners, much like the Angels, are stuck in a holding pattern with the former top slugger. Nobody is going to take his .217/.273/.395 slash line off your hands and offer you value back, but it's unlikely that you have a more talented backup to insert into the lineup until Hamilton regains his stroke.

Lucas Duda will start at first base for the first time this season in Monday's game against the Braves.
Advice: Meanwhile, Daniel Murphy has moved back over to second base while Jordany Valdespin is on the bench. Mets manager Terry Collins has resisted using Duda at first base because they anticipate Ike Davis returning at some point, but there's no question that they are a much better defensive team with Duda at first base as opposed to left field.
More: Adam Rubin on Twitter

Michael Morse (quad) returned to the Mariners' lineup Friday.
Advice: Morse was scratched from Wednesday's lineup due to ongoing issues with his right quad, but was able to return following the Mariners' off-day. He finished 1-for-3 with a double and is batting just .154 (2-for-13) over his last seven games.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said Friday that Josh Willingham is dealing with some minor knee soreness.
Advice: This is why Willingham has been used out of the DH spot this week. While the situation warrants monitoring, it doesn't appear that the issue will take him out of the lineup.
More: Phil Miller on Twitter

Yoenis Cespedes (hamstring) is out of the A's starting lineup again on Thursday versus the Yankees.
Advice: Cespedes departed Tuesday's game in the second inning with tightness in his left hamstring and hasn't played since, but the injury is not considered serious and the Oakland outfielder should be cleared to return to action this weekend. Coco Crisp (heel) is also sitting out on Thursday afternoon against New York.
More: Susan Slusser on Twitter

Starling Marte was scratched from Thursday's lineup due to a sore left rib cage.
Advice: He's being called day-to-day for now, but fantasy owners are crossing their fingers in hopes that it's not an oblique issue. Marte is coming off the first four-hit game of his career and is on pace for 105 runs and 50 steals this season.
More: Rob Biertempfel on Twitter

Denard Span (foot) is not in the Nationals' starting lineup for Monday's game against the Phillies.
Advice: Span fouled a ball off his foot on Sunday. He's hoping to be back in the lineup Tuesday. Jeff Kobernus will start in center field versus the Phillies.
More: James Wagner on Twitter

Matt Kemp (hamstring) will not be activated during the Dodgers' current roadtrip.
Advice: That means we can rule out his return until at least June 24. Kemp was originally aiming to return sooner, but the Dodgers slowed down his timetable after he had a minor setback last weekend.
More: David Vassegh on Twitter

Astros manager Bo Porter suggested Friday that Justin Maxwell (hand) may not be the starting center fielder when he returns from the disabled list.
Advice: Maxwell is still locked into a starting job, but could be used in one of the corner outfield spots. "I'm going to say that he will start. I'm not going to say it will be at center field," Porter said. "Brandon Barnes has done a great job there. He will warrant some continued playing time. That's why we've had Maxwell play some places beside center field [during his rehab assignment]."
More: Astros.mlb.com

Dexter Fowler is day-to-day with a bruised knuckle on his right finger.
Advice: Fowler suffered the injury Thursday when he was hit on the hand by a pitch while attempting to pull back from a bunt attempt. He apparently didn't require an X-ray, but he has some swelling that needs to go down before being cleared to play.
More: Troy Renck on Twitter

Mike Carp hit his eighth home run of the season, a two-run shot, to help the Red Sox beat the Orioles on Saturday.
Advice: Carp was supposed to be a part-time player, but he's forcing the hand of Red Sox manager John Farrell with his play. The first baseman is hitting .320/.372/.680 with eight homers in 103 at-bats this year. He won't continue to hit at such a clip, but it's worth riding while he's hit in deeper mixed leagues.

B.J. Upton went 2-for-4 with two home runs in the Braves' comeback victory over the Giants on Saturday.
Advice: The multi-homer game was his first this year, giving him eight home runs through 59 games. We keep looking for signs that Upton may be figuring it out and this may finally be it. But until he does it for a few games in a row, we'll wait before pronouncing him right this time.