MLB Player News

Ozuna is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.

Ozuna will hit the bench for the second time in less than a week while he heads into the All-Star break amid a slump at the plate. Over his last eight games, Ozuna went 4-for-29, dropping his season average to .221. Atlanta will give Ronald Acuna a day out of the outfield and deploy him as the designated hitter Sunday in place of Ozuna.

Ruf went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Brewers.

Ruf opened the scoring in the sixth inning with a blast off Brewers starter Eric Lauer. This was Ruf's second straight game with a homer, and he's up to nine long balls on the year. The 35-year-old has hit safely in nine of 15 games in July, though he hasn't record a multi-hit effort since June 23. He's slashing .227/.336/.376 with 32 RBI, 41 runs scored and two stolen bases through 283 plate appearances. Ruf should continue to work his way into the lineup regularly versus southpaws.

Morel will sit for the second portion of Saturday's doubleheader against the Mets.

Morel went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in the first game, dropping his OPS in his surprising rookie season slightly to .816. David Bote will handle second base in the nightcap.

Pederson isn't starting Saturday's game against Milwaukee.

Pederson will head to the bench after three consecutive starts since left-hander Eric Lauer is on the mound for the Brewers. Yermin Mercedes is starting in left field and batting fifth.

Belt isn't in the lineup Saturday against the Brewers.

Belt started the last three games but will head to the bench with left-hander Eric Lauer on the mound Saturday. Darin Ruf is taking over at first base and batting third.

Canha isn't starting the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cubs.

Canha went 4-for-14 with a solo homer, four walks and six strikeouts over his last four matchups but will take a seat for a second consecutive game. Jeff McNeil is shifting to left field while Luis Guillorme starts at second base.

Ruf went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Friday's 8-5 win over the Brewers.

Ruf's ninth-inning blast got the Giants within a run. He's mostly been limited to a timeshare role at first base and in the outfield lately, though he's hit safely in eight of 14 games in July. The 35-year-old is up to a .227/.337/.366 slash line with eight homers, 31 RBI, 40 runs scored and two stolen bases through 279 plate appearances. He should continue to play regularly versus left-handed pitchers.

Turner went 3-for-5 with four RBI and a run scored in Friday's 9-1 win over the Angels.

All three of Turner's hits were singles. His first RBI of the game came on a groundout in the first inning, and he added a two-run single in the sixth and a one-run single in the eighth. This was the third baseman's third three-hit since June 30, and he's gone 22-for-50 (.440) in that span. The 37-year-old is slashing .254/.326/.403 with eight home runs, 51 RBI, 39 runs scored, one stolen base and 21 doubles through 344 plate appearances.

Blackmon went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI and a run scored in Friday's 13-2 win over the Pirates.

Blackmon opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first inning and added another in the eighth. This was his fifth straight multi-hit performance, a span in which he's gone 11-for-22 (.500) with six RBI. The 36-year-old's surge at the plate has lifted his slash line to .278/.329/.475 in 354 plate appearances. He's added 14 home runs, 52 RBI, 46 runs scored, 16 doubles, three triples and two stolen bases. He remains a strong fantasy play when the Rockies are at home.

Soler (pelvis) was activated from the 10-day injured list and is starting in left field and batting fourth Friday against the Phillies, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Soler is back in the lineup after he missed two weeks of action while nursing a pelvic injury. The outfielder has compiled a .217 average with 13 homers, 34 RBI and 31 runs over 254 at-bats in 67 games this season. Jon Berti (groin) was placed on the 10-day IL, opening a roster spot for Soler's return.