MLB Player News

Martinez (groin) is expected to join the Dodgers during the upcoming road trip to Miami and Washington, which begins Sept. 5, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

While this news doesn't give an official return date for Martinez, it likely means the slugger is closing in on activation from the 10-day injured list. He was placed on the injured list Aug. 22 due to left groin tightness, and the team later revealed he'd need 2-to-3 weeks to recover.

Pederson is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Reds, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Giants are facing a left-handed starting pitcher for the third day in a row, and as was the case the last two days, Pederson will open on the bench. He has not started against a southpaw in over a month, so the pattern will likely continue.

Ozuna went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a second run scored in Sunday's loss to the Giants.

The veteran slugger got hold of a first-pitch slider from Scott Alexander in the sixth inning and drove it over the wall in left-center field, bringing Atlanta to within a run, but the NL East leaders were never able to find an equalizer in an eventual 8-5 loss. Ozuna has hit safely in six straight games and 22 of his last 23, ripping off a .386/.457/.735 slash line during that blistering stretch with seven of his 29 homers and 21 of his 70 RBI on the season.

Soler went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a double in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Nationals.

Soler's two-run blast in the third was enough to propel the Marlins to a narrow victory over the Nationals. He's now up to 35 home runs this year and is tied with Mookie Betts for fifth-most in baseball. Soler's power continues to be the staple of his game, as he lacks a high batting average and doesn't steal bases. He's got home runs in back-to-back games and 10 total in August and is now slashing .241/.328/.516 with 71 RBI, 70 runs and a 56:129 BB:K in 525 plate appearances overall.

Pederson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Pederson will join fellow left-handed hitters Wade Meckler and LaMonte Wade on the bench while Atlanta brings a southpaw (Jared Shuster) to the hill for the second straight game. Heliot Ramos will replace Pederson in left field and will bat seventh.

Martini went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and two RBI in Saturday's 8-7 win over Arizona.

Martini has now posted a monstrous 1.423 OPS through five games with the Reds since being called up from Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, and so long as he's wielding a hot bat, he'll likely continue to play on a near-everyday basis while Cincinnati is without the likes of Jonathan India (foot), Joey Votto (shoulder), Jake Fraley (toe) and Stuart Fairchild (concussion). Martini will serve as the Reds' designated hitter and No. 5 batter in Sunday's series finale.

McCutchen is not in the lineup Sunday versus the Cubs.

Bryan Reynolds will take a turn as the Pirates' designated hitter with Josh Palacios, Jack Suwinski and Connor Joe starting across the outfield. McCutchen remains one home run away from reaching 300 for his career.

Morel is not in the lineup Sunday against the Pirates.

Ian Happ, Mike Tauchman and Seiya Suzuki will start across the outfield as Cody Bellinger takes a turn as the Cubs' designated hitter. Morel hit a double Saturday at Pittsburgh but is slashing just .117/.209/.250 over his last 67 plate appearances dating back to Aug. 3. He now finds himself on the bench for the fourth time in five games and may be moving into more of a part-time role.

The Mets activated Vientos (wrist) from the 10-day injured list Sunday. He'll start at third base and bat eighth in the Mets' series finale with the Angels.

Vientos will be back in action Sunday after missing exactly 10 days due to left wrist tendinitis. The 24-year-old has posted a disappointing .195/.230/.288 batting line across 126 major-league plate appearances this season, but he should play regularly down the stretch as the Mets look ahead to 2024 and beyond.

Baker went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Saturday in a loss to the Phillies.

Baker produced St. Louis' lone run of the contest with his solo shot off Zack Wheeler in the third inning. It was the 26-year-old's first major-league long ball, and there may be many more to come if his 33 homers over 84 games in the minors this season is any indication. Baker has played sparingly during his two call-ups to the big club, though he could start to see more opportunities down the stretch with the Cardinals sitting 12 games out of an NL wild-card spot.