MLB Player News
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Byron Buxton DH | MIN
Twins' Byron Buxton: Not quite 100 percent
Buxton is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Houston, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
He also didn't start the series opener Monday. While Buxton hasn't had a setback with his knee issue, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli admits that the slugger is playing at less than 100 percent. "Is he at his absolute strongest and most dynamic right now? No, he's not, so we want to take this as really an opportunity to let him recharge a little bit," Baldelli said. The Twins are going with Joey Gallo at designated hitter against Astros righty Hunter Brown.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Blue Jays' Brandon Belt: Idle for Wednesday's contest
Belt (illness) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Brewers.
After he was removed from Tuesday's 7-2 win with a stomach ailment, Belt will get at least one day off to fully recover. With Belt on the bench, George Springer will handle designated-hitter duties for Toronto.
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Miguel Cabrera DH | DET
Tigers' Miguel Cabrera: Three hits Tuesday
Cabrera went 3-for-3 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's loss against the Rangers.
Cabrera set a season high with three hits against the Rangers, snapping a 2-for-24 stretch. His fifth-inning double was also his first extra-base hit since April 12. Overall, it's been a tough year for the 40-year-old Cabrera. He's now slashing just .196/.272/.239 with seven RBI and no home runs through 103 plate appearances.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Blue Jays' Brandon Belt: Removed with stomach ailment
Belt was removed in the eighth inning of Tuesday's game against the Brewers with a stomach issue, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.
The Blue Jays have had several players deal with stomach issues in 2023, and unfortunately Belt is the latest. The left-handed hitting veteran should be considered day-to-day at this point.
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Brent Rooker DH | ATH
Athletics' Brent Rooker: Sitting second straight
Rooker isn't starting Tuesday against Atlanta.
Rooker has been one of the few bright spots in Oakland's lineup all season, but a prolonged slump at the plate will cost him to miss his second consecutive start. Ramon Laureano will instead serve as Oakland's designated hitter Tuesday, allowing JJ Bleday to start in left field and bat sixth.
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Eloy Jimenez DH | TB
White Sox's Eloy Jimenez: Launches fifth homer
Jimenez went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI on Monday against the Angels.
Jimenez took Carlos Estevez deep in the ninth inning to tally his fifth home run of the season and first since returning from the injured list May 28. Albeit in an extremely small sample, he's shown significant power production across two games by tallying two extra-base hits and driving in four. Jimenez has hit second and fourth in those two contests and will continue to occupy a premium spot in the White Sox order.
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Starting rehab stint Tuesday
Stanton (hamstring) will begin his minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on Tuesday, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
Stanton has been on the road back from a left hamstring strain, and the team confirmed Monday night that he's been cleared to embark on a rehab stint. He hasn't appeared in a game since April 15, so he'll likely need at least a handful of games in the minors before being reinstated from the 10-day injured list.
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Brent Rooker DH | ATH
Athletics' Brent Rooker: Hits bench amid slump
Rooker is out of the lineup for Monday's game against Atlanta.
Rooker remains the Athletics' top power hitter with a team-best 11 home runs and .509 slugging percentage, but he's fallen into a bit of a slump at the dish over the past two weeks. Over his last 11 games, Rooker is hitting just .125 with one extra-base hit and a 42.9 percent strikeout rate. Rooker isn't in any immediate danger of losing hold of an everyday role, but he'll get a day off Monday to clear his head.
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Harold Ramirez DH | WAS
Rays' Harold Ramirez: Takes seat Monday
Ramirez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Cubs.
Ramirez will cede designated-hitter duties to Luke Raley in the series opener in Chicago. The Rays turned to Ramirez at DH for both of the final two games of their weekend series with the Dodgers, with the 28-year-old going 4-for-10 with a home run between those contests to raise his season-long average up to .295.
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Byron Buxton DH | MIN
Twins' Byron Buxton: Hits bench in series opener
Buxton is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Astros.
Buxton is presumably getting a maintenance day in the series opener after he served as the Twins' designated hitter in each of the team's last six games. Alex Kirilloff will handle those duties Monday, but Buxton should be back in the lineup Tuesday against Astros right-hander Brandon Bielak. The Twins have yet to decide on when Buxton will be ready to pick up work in center field, as he's made all 47 of his starts to date as a DH.