Mike Trout returned to the Angels' starting lineup Friday against Boston after sitting out on Wednesday with a minor injury to the bottom of his right foot. The injury wasn't serious, but with an off-day on Thursday and the Angels out of contention, they opted to rest their superstar center fielder. Trout will look to pick up where he left off, as he's currently in the midst of one of his finest seasons. The 28-year-old entered Friday batting .293/.436/.651 with an MLB-high (and career-best) 43 homers, along with 100 RBIs, 104 runs and 10 stolen bases.
Matt Chapman returned to Oakland's starting lineup Friday after getting hit in the head with a pitch on Wednesday. He was promptly removed from the game to check for concussion symptoms and was out of the starting lineup on Thursday as a precautionary move, although he entered the game off the bench and appears to have avoided serious injury. A first-time All-Star, Chapman has been a force at the plate this year with 30 homers, 74 RBIs and a .259/.344/.528 batting line across 130 games, so fantasy owners who benched him in daily leagues will want to get him back into their lineups ASAP.
The Yankees placed Gio Urshela on the 10-day injured list Friday with a left groin injury (retroactive to Thursday). Urshela has been one of New York's most reliable offensive contributors this season, batting .331/.370/.555 with 18 homers, 32 doubles and 67 RBIs in 114 games. He was originally removed during the fifth inning of the Yankees' 7-3 win over the Mariners on Wednesday after experiencing tightness while running out an infield hit in the second inning. There's not yet a timetable for his return, but the Yanks hope to have him back sometime in September before the playoffs.
Kevin Kiermaier was out of the lineup for a fourth consecutive game on Friday with a left rib cage contusion that he suffered while trying to rob a home run in the fifth inning of Sunday's game against the Orioles. Kiermaier had hoped to return to the lineup on Tuesday following Monday's off-day, but the center fielder still felt some discomfort in the rib area after going through drills before the game, especially on his swings. The Rays hope to get him back this weekend, otherwise they will need to place him on the injured list. He was batting .242/.284/.423 with 13 homers and 19 steals in 109 games before going down.
The Yankees reinstated Luke Voit from the 10-day injured list on Friday. Voit had been dealing with a sports hernia. The move is good timing for the Yanks, as they placed Gio Urshela on the injured list on Friday as well. Voit was one of the team's top hitters before being sidelined, slashing .278/.392/.493 with 19 homers, 54 RBIs and 58 walks in 94 games. Fantasy owners should fire him up for the stretch run.
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