Chris

Duncan

Duncan, who had been hitting second, switched spot with Ronnie Belliard, who went 0-for-2 before being removed in a double-switch. Duncan might go back to hitting second against right-handers now. He probably won’t play with the Phillies throwing left-hander Cole Hamels on Thursday.

Duncan finished the series against the Reds 8-for-14 with three homers. He doesn’t figure to maintain his .300 average over the rest of the season, but he now has 10 homers in 137 at-bats and he could be good for 6-8 more.

Duncan has shown ample power and little in the way of on-base skills in his brief career as a major leaguer. With Scott Spiezio still limited by an upper respiratory infection, Duncan has a chance to establish himself as the Cardinals’ primary first baseman for the duration of Albert Pujols’ DL stint. He has some value in NL-only leagues.

Duncan hit a two-run shot off Royals starter Scott Elarton and was later removed for So Taguchi. He won’t have any fantasy value.

Duncan started and homered Sunday in his first game back in the majors, but he hadn’t been in the lineup since. It was his only hit in five at-bats.

Duncan will see time at first base and left field while Albert Pujols is out. He might have a little value in NL-only leagues, but he’s not worthy of an immediate pickup.

Duncan and Encarnacion hit two-run shots while Molina added a solo blast. Duncan has yet to start a game for the Cardinals, but he’s 3-for-7 with two homers for the big club. He could earn additional playing time at first base with Albert Pujols ont he DL.

He doubled and also walked and is now 14-for-27 with five homers and eight RBI against Cincy pitching this season.

Duncan has 11 hits and two homers in four games. He shouldn’t have to worry about losing playing time to Preston Wilson against right-handers.

Duncan is 14-for-24 with four homers in his last six games, giving him a .345 batting average and .661 slugging percentage. Considering that Duncan had just seven homers in 52 Triple-A games before being recalled and had never topped 21 homers in a season at any level, the strong performance is rather surprising. Still, he’s worth using while swinging such a hot bat.