MLB Player News

Ohtani is out of the lineup for Monday's game at Texas.

Ohtani started the last six games after essentially sitting out a series in a National League park and went 10-for-22 with three homers in that stretch. The Rangers have left-hander Mike Minor on the mound Monday, so the Angels decided it's a good time for an off day. Mike Trout will serve as the designated hitter while Brian Goodwin starts in center field.

Belt went 1-for-3 with a pair of walks and two runs scored in Sunday's 10-4 win over Arizona.

Belt has been operating as the club's leadoff man against righties this past week, and he moved down to second in the order against a southpaw Sunday. Part of the move to the top of the order was based on a lack of better on-base options, but it may have had something to do with the first baseman's mid-June power drought (.204 slugging percentage over last 15 games). Belt's power tends to come in bunches, so if he starts putting a charge into the ball again, then a move back to the middle of the order wouldn't be surprising.

Harper went 3-for-4 with a home run, a walk, four RBI and an additional run in Sunday's 13-6 win over the Marlins.

Each of Harper's three hits -- his most since May 30 -- plated a run and allowed the Phillies to avoid a series sweep at the hands of the last-place Marlins. He capped his afternoon with the two-run blast in the eighth inning, leaving him one home run and one hit shy of 200 and 1,000, respectively, for his career.

Soler went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and a walk Sunday in the Royals' 7-6 win over the Blue Jays.

Soler's fifth-inning solo shot off Nick Kingham ended a frustrating stretch for the slugger, who had gone 1-for-27 with 13 strikeouts over the preceding seven games. The slump has resulted in Soler's season average plunging to .233, but that's a fair price for fantasy managers to pay in light of the career-best power production the 27-year-old has supplied. The home run was his 22nd of the season, exceeding his previous career high by 10 with 78 games left to play. He'll be back in the lineup for Monday's series finale as the Royals' designated hitter and No. 5 batter, per Joel Goldberg of FOX Sports Kansas City.

Ohtani went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs during Sunday's 12-3 win over the Athletics.

Ohtani made the most of his two hits, which consisted of solo home runs to center field in the fourth and eighth innings. The slugger has been in particularly good form of late, with a .478 average, three home runs, five runs scored, and five RBI over his last seven games. Ohtani will look to keep it up in his next series on the road against Texas.

Blackmon went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI, a walk and two runs scored Sunday against the Dodgers.

Blackmon plated a run in the fifth inning on an infield single, and he clubbed a solo homer to right center in the bottom of the ninth in a 10-5 loss. The 32-year-old has now hit safely in eight of his last 11 contests, slugging four homers while driving in nine runs over that span. He'll aim to stay hot at the dish with five games remaining before the All-Star break.

Pederson went 3-for-5 with three RBI, a walk and a run scored Sunday against the Rockies.

Pederson drove home a run in the fifth inning on a single to left field, and he plated two more in the sixth on another single. The 27-year-old outfielder has pieced together a modest six-game hitting streak, registering two extra-base hits and four RBI during that stretch. He'll aim to keep it rolling heading into Tuesday's series opener with the Diamondbacks.

Martinez went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs in a 12-8 loss to the Yankees on Sunday.

The designated hitter was part of a three-homer barrage during the first inning for the Red Sox, but that didn't hold up, as again the Yankees reached double digits in runs. Martinez enjoyed hitting in London, going 6-for-9 in the two-game European set. He is batting .298 with 18 home runs, 47 RBI, 49 runs and one stolen base in 295 at-bats this season.

Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a double, three RBI and a walk in Sunday's win over the Mariners.

Alvarez doubled home a pair of runs in the first inning, and he collected his third RBI of the afternoon in the third on a single to right field. The 22-year-old has been impressive in his first 16 big-league contests, hitting .317 with seven homers and 21 RBI, though the Astros appear likely to hold him out of the next two contests in Colorado without a designated hitter slot available.

Alvarez is "unlikely" to play in Houston's next two contests against the Rockies, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Astros are heading to Colorado for a brief two-game series, so skipper AJ Hinch doesn't intend to use Alvarez without a designated hitter slot available. He's expected to return to action when the team returns home to face the Angels for a three-game series beginning Friday.