MLB Player News

Brantley is not in the lineup Saturday against the Blue Jays, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Brantley has started the past eight games, slashing .310/.394/.448 with a home run and a 3:4 BB:K during that stretch. He'll give way to Jake Marisnick in the outfield in this one.

Soler went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run in Friday's 14-2 loss to the Orioles.

He gave the Royals a brief lead in the first inning with his second long ball in as many nights, but the game was all O's after that. Soler is slashing .253/.344/.540 on the year with 38 homers -- matching his career total coming into 2019 -- and 97 RBI.

Martinez went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer, an RBI double and two runs scored in Friday's 7-6 extra-innings win over the Angels.

Martinez's third-inning blast off Angels starter Jose Suarez gave the Red Sox a 4-0 lead at the time. He later drove in Xander Bogaerts with a double in the sixth. Martinez has found his power groove with five homers in his last six games, during which he's hitting 11-for-26 with 15 RBI and nine runs scored. The surge has him up to a .314/.388/.582 slash line with 33 homers, 90 RBI and 87 runs scored.

Belt went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run, an RBI double, and three runs scored in Friday's 8-3 win over the Padres.

Belt got things going with his first-inning homer off Padres starter Dinelson Lamet. The first baseman then scored on a Joey Rickard single as part of a seventh inning rally. Belt's big night was capped by his RBI double to plate Austin Slater before coming around to score on an Evan Longoria double. Over his last seven games, Belt is hitting .360 (9-for-25) with five RBI and six runs scored. The surge has raised his season line to .234/.344/.404 with 16 homers, 54 RBI and 69 runs scored in 129 games.

Cabrera (biceps) is available to pinch hit Friday against the Twins, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Cabrera will sit for the third straight game Friday, but he appears to be close to returning to the lineup. Ronny Rodriguez will serve as the designated hitter in his absence.

Choi went 2-for-4 with a two-run double, a walk and two runs in a win over the Astros on Thursday.

Choi's timely two-bagger in the seventh inning snapped a 6-6 tie and cinched his third multi-hit effort of the last four games. Choi's recent success comes in the wake of extended struggles, as the 28-year-old South Korean went 8-for-45 over his first 16 games of August.

Blackmon is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Pirates, Nubyjas Wilborn of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Blackmon will head to the bench after starting the last nine games and posting a .495 OPS in that stretch. Ian Desmond, Sam Hilliard and Yonathan Daza will start in the outfield from left to right.

Cabrera (biceps) is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Twins.

Cabrera will remain on the bench for the third straight game due to left biceps tightness. The 26-year-old took batting practice Thursday and downplayed the injury, but he'll have to wait at least one more game before returning to the starting nine. Ronny Rodriguez will serve as the designated hitter while Jordy Mercer starts at second base Friday.

Turner went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and three RBI in Thursday's loss to Arizona.

Turner got the Dodgers on the board with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, doubled home a run in the third, and swatted a solo shot to left field in the ninth. The 34-year-old got off to a slow start in the power department this season but has slugged 16 long balls since the start of July. He is now up to 25 home runs and 64 RBI in 2019.

Belt went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Padres.

It was Belt's 15th home run of the season, and his third over the past 12 contests. The 31-year-old has notoriously been a streaky hitter, but he was stuck in one of the biggest ruts of his career for the good part of two months. That said, he is starting to show a little life at the plate, and it wouldn't be outlandish for him to go on a healthy hot streak to close out 2019 based on his track record. Belt's fantasy owners got even more good news when the first baseman stuck in the two hole, even with Buster Posey returning to the lineup Thursday.