MLB Player News

Ozuna went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in a win over the Reds on Thursday.

Ozuna's two hits were just singles, but they served as an extension of the slugger's recent stretch of success at the plate. Ozuna has now boosted his season average 29 points to .255 since May 19, as he's churned out six multi-hit efforts over that span. That includes an impressive start to June, one that's seen him go 6-for-14 with an RBI, a walk, a run and Thursday's steal over his first four games of the month.

Carpenter is not starting Friday against the Cubs.

Carpenter has hit .325 with four homers in his last 12 games. He'll get a rest Friday, with Jedd Gyorko starting at the hot corner.

Belt went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in a 7-3 loss to the Mets on Thursday.

The 31-year-old responded from snapping his 10-game hitting streak Wednesday night with a homer. Belt has nine home runs this season, which isn't a ton for a first basemen, but he's on pace for more than 25 in a 550 at-bat season. Belt has never hit more than 18 in any season, and last year, he only had 14. He is also batting .246 with 27 RBI, 29 runs and two steals in 187 at-bats.

Winker went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored Thursday against the Cardinals.

Winker has reached base safely in eight of his last 10 contests, boosting his batting average by 17 points over that span. The 25-year-old has pieced together a .238/.316/.443 with 10 homers and 18 RBI through 55 games this season.

Carpenter went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base Thursday against the Reds.

Carpenter plated a run in the third inning on a single to right field, registering his 22nd RBI on the season. He's collected a base knock in each of his last six games, driving in five runs over that brief stretch.

Soler went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI on Thursday against the Red Sox.

Soler took Marcus Walden deep in the fifth inning to record his 16th homer of the season. One of the more surprising sources of power early on, Soler shows no signs of slowing, mashing five homers in his last 11 games. While he's getting base at just a .291 clip, he ranks among the top-10 in the American League in both homers and RBI through 62 games.

Buxton is not in the lineup Thursday against the Indians, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Buxton will get what appears to be a regular day off following a string of 11 consecutive starts during which he slashed .265/.286/.647 with three homers, 10 RBI and two stolen bases. In his absence, Max Kepler is covering center field and hitting leadoff, with Marwin Gonzalez getting a start in right field as a result.

Martinez was removed from Thursday's game against the Royals due to back spasms, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Martinez was 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored prior to exiting the game in the fifth inning. Sam Travis pinch hit for Martinez, who should be considered day-to-day ahead of Friday's series opener against the Rays.

Choi is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Tigers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Choi will head to the bench along with fellow lefty-hitting lineup regular Brandon Lowe with Detroit bringing southpaw Daniel Norris to the bump for the series finale. With the Rays recently demoting Nate Lowe to Triple-A Durham, Choi looks secure for the time being in a strong-side platoon role at either first base or designated hitter.

Cabrera is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rays.

Cabrera has been managing a sore knee that kept him out of action Saturday and Sunday, but the Tigers cleared him to serve as their designated hitter for the first two games of the series. The 36-year-old was the star of Tuesday's 9-6 win with three hits (including a grand slam), but he went 0-for-4 in Wednesday's 4-0 loss. The Tigers haven't indicated that Cabrera experienced a setback with his knee coming out of Wednesday's contest, so he's likely just getting a maintenance day for the series finale due to the quick turnaround between games.