MLB Player News

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt will miss his third straight game on Friday. 

Belt has been sidelined with a sore groin and was initially listed as questionable for Friday against the Padres. 

Manager Bruce Bochy said that Belt may return to the lineup on Sunday, but Monday is more likely, per MLB.com.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard was left out of the starting lineup Friday against the Nationals for the first time in four games this season. Darin Ruf drew the start at first base with left-hander Gio Gonzalez on the hill.

Howard, who is batting .083 (1 for 12) through three games, is a career .224 hitter against lefties. 

Ruf, who made a third straight start Friday (started in left field previous two days), has no hits in seven at-bats this season.

Rockies first baseman Justin Morneau and center fielder Charlie Blackmon were not in the starting lineup Friday against the Cubs. Chicago started left-hander Travis Wood.

Drew Stubbs replaced Blackmon in center field, while Wilin Rosario started at first base for Colorado. 

Blackmon, who bats left-handed, is batting .143 (2 for 14) with one double and no RBI in three games. He also has one run, one walk and six strikeouts.

Morneau, who also bats left-handed, is batting .077 (1 for 13) with one double and no RBI in three games. He has no walks and one strikeout.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt, who is hoping to avoid a stint on the disabled list, took 25 swings in the cage on Wednesday, and could be used as a pinch-hitter on Thursday against San Diego, manager Bruce Bochy told reporters, per the San Francisco Chronicle.

Belt has been sidelined since Tuesday with a groin strain.

"I think we got it at the right time," Bochy said. "We did the best thing that could be done (Tuesday) night and pulled him out. Hopefully we'll be able to throw him out there in the next few days."

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton had a very poor day at the plate in the team's 2-0 loss to the Braves on Wednesday.

''You go through spells like that,'' Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. ''We came out of spring training and I thought we were swinging the bats really well. I give the Braves credit for the way they pitched. They pitched really well and shut us down.''

Stanton struck out three times, walking once. His batting average in the early stages of the season is .125. 

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt is dealing with a very mild groin strain and is optimistic he will avoid landing on the DL with the injury, Belt said per CSN Bay Area.

Belt pulled up lame when trying to make a catch in Tuesday's game and was forced to leave with the injury. He is hoping to take some batting practice Wednesday, but doesn't know when he will be able to return yet.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's matchup with the Diamondbacks.

Belt left Tuesday's game with a groin injury and was scheduled to undergo an MRI Wednesday. With the first baseman sidelined, catcher Buster Posey will shift to first base and Hector Sanchez will enter the game at catcher.

The Giants will also start Matt Duffy at second base and Justin Maxwell in right field Wednesday, sending Joe Panik and Gregor Blanco to the bench.

Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg has decided to adjust his outfield for Philadelphia's second game against the Red Sox, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Sandberg is going with Ben Revere in center field, Darin Ruf in left field, and Jeff Francoeur in right field, pushing Grady Sizemore and Odubel Herrera to the bench. Ruf will make his season debut after hitting .235 with three home runs and eight RBI in 102 at-bats in 2014.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt was forced out of Tuesday's contest against Arizona with a groin strain, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Belt came up lame after trying to catch a popup near the first base line in the bottom of the fourth inning. He lined out in the first and singled in the fourth before limping out of the game. He was replaced by Joaquin Arias.

After the game, manager Bruce Bochy told reporters that Belt will undergo an MRI on Wednesday to determine the extent of the injury. Belt is hitting .167 this season. Bochy acknowledged that he will have his Triple-A options on alert because he is lacking depth on the bench, per Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.

"I just don't think it's too bad right now in my opinion," Belt said, per the Bay Area News Group.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly stopped short Monday of calling rookie Joc Pederson the team's starting center fielder, but he added, "You're going to see Joc a lot in center field."

"We really like the way Joc goes about his business," Mattingly said, per MLB.com. 

Mattingly added Scott Van Slyke and Andre Ethier are likely going to start in center field the days Pederson is off, per the Los Angeles Times. 

Mattingly said he spoke with Ethier over the weekend about his reserve role. Ethier was hoping to be a starter -- either with the Dodgers or another team.

"Any step can change his whole situation," Mattingly said. "If one guy takes a bad step, turns an ankle, Andre's playing every day."