MLB Player News

Turner will sit as expected Saturday against the Pirates.

Turner was pulled early Friday for rest and was not expected to start Saturday. The issue appears to be simply one of regular maintenance, as he hasn't been reportedly dealing with any specific injury. Max Muncy will start at third base Saturday, with Matt Beaty getting the nod at first base.

Martinez is back on the bench Saturday against the Astros.

No reason has been given for Martinez's absence, but he missed four games in a row with an illness and a sore back earlier in the week, so there's a good chance that Saturday's absence is related. He went hitless in his return to action Friday. Christian Vazquez will be the designated hitter for Saturday's contest.

Reyes is not in the lineup Saturday against the Blue Jays.

Reyes is hitting .303 with nine homers in his last 24 games. Josh Naylor will start in right field.

Canha, who went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in a win over the Mariners on Friday, is expected to serve as the primary designated hitter during Khris Davis' stay on the injured list due to a hip injury, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The veteran has already been doing a pretty convincing Davis impression over the last several games, as he's now left the yard on five occasions over the last eight contests overall. He's slashing .229/.353/.600 on the season, and while he isn't likely to be as prodigious as Davis, Canha is coming off a 2018 season in which he slugged a career-high 17 home runs.

Carpenter went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-2 loss to Atlanta.

The veteran slugger only has seven homers on the year, but three of them have come in the last seven games. Carpenter's .210/.327/.381 slash line and 15 RBI through 49 games are well below expectations, but a shift down to fifth in the order behind the likes of Paul Goldschmidt and Marcell Ozuna might be just what he needs to kick-start his production.

Turner was pulled early from Friday night's game against the Pirates for rest purposes, and he's not expected to play Saturday, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Turner is just 3-for-19 with a pair of RBI over his last seven games, so perhaps skipper Dave Roberts has sensed that his starting third baseman needs a day or two to rest. Max Muncy could draw the start at third base Saturday, which would open up a slot for David Freese at first.

Cabrera went 2-for-2 with two walks, a home run and two RBI in Friday's 9-8 win over the Mets.

Cabrera's batting a robust .306 with a .381 on-base percentage, but this was just the second home run of the season for the veteran. His .387 slugging percentage would be a career worst, though Cabrera certainly seems to be seeing the ball well and could start to string together some extra-base hits. He had a .448 slugging percentage last year before getting shut down with a biceps injury.

Belt isn't in Friday's starting lineup against the Diamondbacks, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Belt will take a seat with the lefty Robbie Ray set to toe the rubber for the opposition. Tyler Austin draws the start at first base and will bat cleanup in Belt's absence.

Blackmon (calf) won't play Friday against the Orioles, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports.

As expected, Blackmon will take a seat Friday as he continues to battle a calf issue. "He's feeling better, but is still sore," stated skipper Bud Black. "This is truly day-to-day, there's still no timetable of when we think he's going to be in the lineup."

Pederson is out of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Pirates.

Pederson will sit against a right-hander for the second time this week, though it once again is the result of the opposing team using an opener. Matt Beaty will start in left field and bat leadoff Friday.