MLB Player News

Martinez went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in Tuesday's 9-3 win over the Nationals.

Martinez extended his hitting streak to 14 games with his seventh-inning blast. He's batting .333 (20-for-60) in that span, and he's gone deep in three straight games and five of his last eight. The designated hitter's surge has him up to a .277/.312/.610 slash line with 12 long balls, 39 RBI, 25 runs scored and 13 doubles through 40 contests this season. He remains a fixture in the heart of the Dodgers' potent lineup.

Ruf is serving as the Brewers' designated hitter and batting leadoff Tuesday night against the Blue Jays.

Ruf could be in for an uptick in playing time with Jesse Winker landing on the injured list Tuesday due to a cervical strain. The 36-year-old got a turn at leadoff last Friday versus the Giants and went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.

Harper is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Mets.

This is a planned day of physical and mental rest for Harper, who went hitless (but drew three walks) over the final three games of the Phillies' four-game weekend series at Atlanta. Kyle Schwarber will take a turn out of the DH spot Tuesday in Queens and Dalton Guthrie will cover left field.

Winker was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to May 28, with a cervical strain.

The injury had been described as neck discomfort, but further resting revealed the strain. There is not yet an estimated recovery timetable on Winker, who has scuffled to a brutal .204/.315/.231 batting line in 39 games when healthy this season for the Brewers. Abraham Toro will fill the vacant spot in Milwaukee's active roster.

Lewis (undisclosed illness) went 2-for-5 with a walk, two home runs and four RBI for Triple-A Reno on Sunday.

Lewis began a rehab assignment at Reno last week and is 6-for-23 with a double, three home runs and 10 RBI over five games. "He's pushing in the right direction. It's a matter of him building endurance," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. He'll return to Reno's lineup Tuesday after getting Monday off.

Martinez went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Monday's 6-1 victory over the Nationals.

Martinez is now on a 13-game hit streak and has hit safely in 15 of 16 games in May overall. The designated hitter is also well on pace to pass his total of 16 home runs from last season, as he has 11 prior to the end of May.

Pederson (hand) said he will swing the bat Monday for the first time since landing on the 10-day injured list May 15, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

A painful right hand contusion has kept Pederson out of commission for the past two weeks, but being able to resume swinging represents a major milestone in his recovery process. Depending on how Pederson fares in his workouts over the next few days, he could be cleared to head out on a rehab assignment as soon as this weekend, if the Giants determine that he requires one. While Pederson has been on the shelf, the Giants have been leaning on J.D. Davis and Blake Sabol as their primary options at designated hitter.

The Rockies placed Blackmon on the bereavement list Monday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Blackmon's absence from the lineup for Monday's game against the Diamondbacks was initially believed to be a routine day off, but he apparently didn't make the trip with the Rockies for the start of a four-game series in Arizona. Per MLB rules, Blackmon can remain on the list for 3-to-7 days, so he could be back with the team as soon as Thursday's series finale. The Rockies recalled corner infielder Elehuris Montero from Triple-A Albuquerque to replace Blackmon on the 26-man active roster.

Blackmon is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Blackmon will get a breather in the series opener after he served as the Rockies' designated hitter in all three games of the club's weekend series with the Mets while going 5-for-14 with two home runs and five RBI. Kris Bryant will get a day out of the outfield and will step in at DH in place of Blackmon on Monday.

Morel is absent from the lineup for Monday's game versus the Rays.

It's a day off for Morel after he had started each of the previous 17 contests. Morel has finally started to slow down a bit in recent days, going 1-for-14 with five strikeouts across his last four games. Edwin Rios will be the designated hitter Monday in place of Morel.