MLB Player News

Cespedes didn't report to the ballpark for Sunday's game against the Braves and the team has been unable to contact him, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Cespedes was absent from Sunday's lineup for what appeared to be a standard day of rest, but there's apparently much more to the situation. Hopefully the 34-year-old is physically and mentally okay, and more information should be available as the situation continues to unfold.

Belt is not in the lineup for Sunday's matchup with the Rangers, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Belt returned from the injured list Thursday and will sit against left-hander Kolby Allard after going 1-for-5 with five walks in his first two games back. Wilmer Flores will start at first base and bat second for the Giants.

Dickerson is not starting Sunday against the Rangers, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Dickerson is 5-for-19 through six games and will head to the bench with the Giants loading up on right-handed bats against lefty Kolby Allard. Hunter Pence will move out to left field while Darin Ruf serves as the designated hitter.

Cespedes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Braves, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.

The veteran slugger is 1-for-12 with five strikeouts over the past three games and will receive a day to reset Sunday. Cespedes has a .622 OPS with two home runs and 15 strikeouts in 34 plate appearances this season.

Ozuna went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Saturday's 7-1 win over the Mets.

He took his former Cards teammate Michael Wacha deep in the first inning, setting the tone for a big Atlanta victory. Ozuna has hit safely in eight of nine games to begin the year, batting .367 (11-for-30) with three homers and six RBI.

Blackmon went 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 8-7 loss against the Padres.

Blackmon notched his first long ball of the season with a one-out blast off Garrett Richards in the first inning, and he has hit safely in each of Colorado's four games, notching at least two hits in his last three contests.

Ruf went 2-for-3 with three RBI, a run scored and a walk in Friday's 9-2 win over the Rangers.

Ruf got the Giants on the board with an RBI single in the second inning. He later capped off a three-run seventh inning with a two-RBI double to knock in Evan Longoria and Donovan Solano. Ruf has found most of his at-bats versus southpaws, and he's done handsomely with a .385/.467/.462 triple slash, five RBI and two runs scored in 15 plate appearances. With Brandon Belt back from an Achilles injury, it may be harder for Ruf to find consistent playing time at first base.

Dickerson will not start Friday's game against the Rangers, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The Giants will load up on righties against southpaw Mike Minor. Hunter Pence moves out to left field Friday, with Darin Ruf serving as the designated hitter.

Belt is not in the lineup against lefty Mike Minor and the Rangers on Friday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

It's unclear whether Belt's absence Friday is due to the fact that the Giants are facing a southpaw or the fact that he only just returned from an Achilles injury Thursday. Whatever the reason, Wilmer Flores will slide over to first base in his absence.

Ozuna went 1-for-1 with three walks and a run scored in Thursday's win over the Rays.

One of the free passes was intentional, but this was still an impressive display of patience from the 29-year-old. Ozuna did post a career-high 11.3 percent walk rate in 2019, and if he continues to improve in that area he could emerge as a genuine OBP asset in leagues utilizing that category.