Duffy is starting at second base and batting leadoff Tuesday against the Tigers.
Duffy carries a .328/.364/.426 slash line through 66 plate appearances this season and will be rewarded with his first look at the very top of the Royals' batting order. He's still not playing regularly, but he's making his rare opportunities matter and might be able to steal more starts from the slumping Michael Massey.
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Royals' Matt Duffy: Three hits, three runs in win
Rotowire
Duffy went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, a walk, one RBI and three runs scored in Saturday's 11-8 win over the Angels.
Duffy continues to make the most of limited playing time -- this was his third multi-hit effort of the season. The infielder has gone 6-for-15 (.400) over his last five games. For the season, he owns a .394/.412/.545 slash line with a home run, four RBI, four runs scored and a 1:6 BB:K across 34 plate appearances. Duffy's been used more as a reserve than a platoon option, starting five times against southpaws and four times against righties. With Michael Massey, Nicky Lopez and Hunter Dozier all scuffling, Duffy could see an uptick in playing time until his bat cools off.
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Royals' Matt Duffy: Three hits in loss
Rotowire
Duffy went 3-for-3 in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Blue Jays.
Individually, this was an encouraging game from Duffy, but the hitters behind him in the order went a combined 0-for-11 with one walk. Through two games, Duffy is 5-for-7 with a home run, two RBI and one strikeout. He's been one of the Royals' few bright spots, so there's a case to be made for him challenging for more regular playing time -- at least against southpaws.
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Royals' Matt Duffy: Goes yard in season debut
Rotowire
Duffy went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 7-4 loss to the Twins.
Duffy got the start at third base and batted ninth Sunday. Considering Hunter Dozier went 0-for-7 with two strikeouts over the first two games of the season, this could be Duffy's chance to make a push for playing time. Over 77 games with the Angels last year, he slashed .250/.308/.311. He hasn't hit more than five homers in any of his last five seasons (dating back to 2016), so he shouldn't be counted on for power production.
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Royals' Matt Duffy: Makes MLB roster
Rotowire
Duffy has been informed that he's made the Opening Day roster for the Royals, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Duffy was signed to a minor-league contract and invited to spring training back in January. The veteran infielder struggled last year with the Cubs with a .619 OPS across 247 plate appearances. He's likely to be a bench option for the Royals to begin the 2023 campaign.
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Royals' Matt Duffy: Receives contract from Royals
Rotowire
Duffy signed a minor-league contract with the Royals on Friday.
The veteran infielder will be given an invitation to major-league spring training. It's a good landing spot for Duffy, as the Royals recently freed up some playing time in the infield when they traded Adalberto Mondesi. Duffy was solid for the Cubs in 2021 but struggled last season with the Angels, putting up a .619 OPS across 247 plate appearances.
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Angels' Matt Duffy: Not in Friday's lineup
Rotowire
Duffy isn't starting Friday against the Rangers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Duffy started the last three games and went 3-for-10 with two runs, an RBI, a walk and two strikeouts. He'll get a breather while Luis Rengifo starts at the hot corner and leads off.
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Angels' Matt Duffy: Riding pine Sunday
Rotowire
Duffy is not in Sunday's lineup against the Twins.
Duffy is hitting .267 with one home run and four RBI over his last 10 games. Michael Stefanic is starting at second base, pushing Luis Rengifo to third base.
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Angels' Matt Duffy: Homers in Tuesday's win
Rotowire
Duffy went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Rangers.
Duffy got the Angels on the board when he took a Cole Ragans offering down the left-field line in the second inning. Duffy was part of a rally in the sixth after getting aboard with a single, and he scored the last run of the game. The 31-year-old has posted consecutive multi-hit efforts for the first time since late May. He's up to a .260/.311/.328 slash line with two homers, 14 RBI, 11 runs scored and seven doubles through 206 plate appearances. Duffy appears to have near-everyday playing time at third base.
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Angels' Matt Duffy: Receives breather
Rotowire
Duffy is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners, Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Luis Rengifo will step in at third base while Duffy rests after starting 13 of the Angels' last 15 games at either corner-infield spot. Since his return from the injured list Aug. 29, Duffy is slashing .200/.273/.300 with three extra-base hits.
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Angels' Matt Duffy: Regains everyday role
Rotowire
Duffy will start at third base and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Guardians.
He'll be making his sixth consecutive start at third base and looks to be fairly secure as an everyday player now that fellow infielder Andrew Velazquez (knee) has been shut down for the season. Since returning from the injured list Aug. 29, Duffy is hitting .195/.250/.317 in 14 games.
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Angels' Matt Duffy: Goes deep Monday
Rotowire
Duffy went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday's loss to Cleveland.
Duffy accounted for the Angels' first runs of the game with his two-run shot to left field in the fourth inning. The long ball was his first since he returned from a lengthy stint on the injured list Aug. 29. Duffy has struggled since being activated, slashing .211/.250/.342 with five RBI over 13 games.
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Angels' Matt Duffy: Sits in series finale
Rotowire
Duffy is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Duffy will retreat to the bench for the series finale after starting at first or third base in five of the Angels' last six games while going 5-for-20 with two doubles, a walk and three RBI. Now that he's healthy again, Duffy will likely be competing with Andrew Velazquez and Mike Ford for two spots in the Angels' everyday infield.
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Angels' Matt Duffy: Starting at first Monday
Rotowire
Duffy will start the game at first base and bat sixth in the order Monday against Detroit, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Duffy has recorded a .517 OPS since returning from the 60-day injured list Aug. 29, though he is currently on a three-game hitting streak. Mike Ford will ride the bench Monday in favor of Duffy.
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Angels' Matt Duffy: Activated by Angels
Rotowire
Duffy (back) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list Monday.
Duffy had been on the injured list since the end of June, but he spent the last few weeks on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Salt Lake and hit .179 with a run, an RBI, a walk and six strikeouts over eight minor-league games. Duffy isn't starting Monday against the Yankees and will likely have to compete with Luis Rengifo for playing time at third base over the final month of the season.
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Angels' Matt Duffy: Kicks off rehab assignment
Rotowire
Duffy (back) has gone 1-for-10 with three strikeouts over three games in a rehab stint with Triple-A Salt Lake.
Duffy kicked off the rehab assignment Tuesday and has thus far played one game each at first base, third base and DH. The veteran hasn't played in a big-league game since June 26, when he was pulled from a contest against Seattle with lower back tightness. Duffy isn't eligible to be activated until next weekend, so he'll likely continue logging at-bats with the Triple-A club in the meantime.
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Angels' Matt Duffy: Nearing rehab assignment
Rotowire
Duffy (back) will begin a rehab assignment next week, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Duffy has been out with lower-back spasms since late June. His late-July move to the 60-day injured list means he can't return until near the end of August, so his rehab assignment won't be a particularly brief one.
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Angels' Matt Duffy: Shifts to 60-day injured list
Rotowire
Duffy (back) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Thursday.
Duffy appeared to be closing in on a return, as he began baseball activities Friday. However, he now won't be eligible to return until at least late August. David Fletcher was activated from the injured list in a corresponding move.
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Angels' Matt Duffy: Resumes baseball activities
Rotowire
Duffy has progressed to light baseball activities but is being conservative with his recovery in hopes that his back spasms don't flare up, per MLB.com.
Angels head athletic trainer Mike Frostad indicated July 15 that Duffy has been able to play catch and swing a bat, but the veteran infielder hasn't yet started a rehab assignment. He last played June 26 before departing with what was later diagnosed as lower back spasms. Duffy slashed .261/.308/.291 with no homers, seven runs and five RBI over 143 plate appearances before landing on the IL.
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Angels' Matt Duffy: Lands on injured list
Rotowire
Duffy was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday due to lower-back spasms.
Duffy exited Sunday's game against Seattle due to the injury, which is evidently serious enough to knock him out for at least 10 days. Matt Thaiss was recalled to take his place on the roster while David MacKinnon is starting at third base in his place.
