MLB Player News
-
Alec Burleson DH | STL
Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Taking seat versus lefty
Burleson is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Marlins.
After starting in each of the Cardinals' last 29 games, Burleson will finally get a break in the series opener in Miami. With southpaw Braxton Garrett on the bump for Miami, Cardinals skipper Oliver Marmol likely viewed it as an opportune time to give the lefty-hitting Burleson a day off. Dylan Carlson will step in for Burleson in right field.
-
J.D. Martinez DH | NYM
Mets' J.D. Martinez: On base four times Sunday
Martinez went 2-for-3 with two walks, a double, a run scored and an RBI in Sunday's win over the Padres.
The veteran DH was a key part of the Mets' 11-run eruption Sunday, and Martinez enjoyed a huge weekend overall against San Diego -- he went 6-for-9 at the plate with two doubles, two homers, six RBI and nine runs, and he reached base in 10 straight plate appearances during the three-game set. The 36-year-old is slashing .293/.363/.518 on the season with eight home runs and 27 RBI in 44 contests.
-
J.P. Martinez RF | ATL
Braves' J.P. Martinez: Sent back to minors
Atlanta optioned Martinez to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.
Even with Atlanta battling multiple injuries in its outfield, Martinez has hardly played, making just one start and receiving only 10 plate appearances during his three weeks in the majors. Forrest Wall was called up from Gwinnett to replace Martinez on the 26-man active roster.
-
Joc Pederson DH | ARI
Diamondbacks' Joc Pederson: Delivers two runs in win
Pederson went 1-for-2 with two walks, a double, two RBI and three runs scored in Sunday's 12-5 win over the White Sox.
Pederson got the rout started with a two-run double in the first inning, extending an RBI streak to four games. The month of June had been a quiet one for the DH (.419 OPS in nine games) prior to this recent stretch in which he's been involved in several rallies. Pederson has three walks, a double, two home runs, 10 RBI and seven runs scored over the last four games.
-
Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Clobbers pair of homers
Ohtani went 2-for-3 with two solo home runs during Sunday's 3-0 win over the Royals.
Ohtani teed off on Brady Singer, tagging the Royals' starter for solo homers in the third and sixth innings for Ohtani's second multi-homer game of 2024. The 29-year-old is now up to 19 home runs on the season, tied for fourth-most in MLB. Ohtani owns a .976 OPS through 278 plate appearances and is the only player in baseball with at least 15 homers and stolen bases.
-
Jorge Soler RF | ATL
Giants' Jorge Soler: Drives in four runs
Soler went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, four RBI, three runs scored and a walk in Sunday's win over the Angels.
Soler began the Giants' nine-run fourth inning with a walk and came around to score. Later that frame, he belted a three-run shot before capping off his day with an RBI double in the eighth. It was his eighth home run of the season and second over his last 18 games. While Soler is still sporting a lackluster .224/.309/.383 slash line this season, he's starting to heat up; he's gone 15-for-48 (.313) with five extra-base hits and 10 runs scored over his last 13 games.
-
Manny Machado 3B | SD
Padres' Manny Machado: Gets ejected Sunday
Machado was ejected from Sunday's game against the Mets in the sixth inning for arguing balls and strikes. He went 1-for-3 with an RBI and two strikeouts.
Padres manager Mike Shildt was also tossed from the game after leaving the dugout to argue with the home plate umpire. Machado slammed his bat in frustration with the called third strike but didn't make any contact with the umpire, so he shouldn't be subject to any further punishment from MLB.
-
Nick Martini DH | CIN
Reds' Nick Martini: Getting regular work against RHPs
Martini will start at designated hitter and bat sixth Sunday against the Brewers.
The lefty-hitting Martini will pick up his second straight start against a right-handed starting pitcher or primary pitcher and may have temporarily supplanted Jacob Hurtubise as a strong-side platoon player at DH. Martini owns an underwhelming .205/.252/.357 slash line over 123 plate appearances on the season in the majors, so he'll most likely be the odd man out of the everyday lineup against right-handed pitching once the Reds get Noelvi Marte back from an 80-game suspension June 27.
-
Matt Carpenter DH | STL
Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Losing out on DH starts
Carpenter is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
The lefty-hitting Carpenter finds himself on the bench for the fifth game in a row, with St. Louis having faced three lefties and two righties during that stretch. Though he appeared headed for a regular role at DH versus righties after Lars Nootbaar (oblique) was placed on the injured list May 31, Carpenter seems to have fallen out of favor after mustering a .130/.200/.261 slash line through his first eight games of June. The Cardinals may just prefer to rotate a number of regulars at the DH spot rather than settling on a primary option.
-
Manny Machado 3B | SD
Padres' Manny Machado: Returns to third base Saturday
Machado started at third base and went 0-for-4 in a loss to the Mets on Saturday.
Machado recently missed four games due to a strained right hip flexor and was limited to DH duties in four straight contests following his return. The veteran was able to resume playing the field Saturday, though he didn't look like he was up to full speed while running out a grounder in the seventh inning. It's unclear how much the hip issue is bothering Machado, as he's batting just .200 (4-for-20) with no runs or RBI and seven strikeouts since returning to the lineup.