MLB Player News
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Marcell Ozuna DH | PIT
Cardinals' Marcell Ozuna: Opens scoring with three-run blast
Ozuna went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer and two runs scored in Tuesday's 14-3 win over the Braves.
Ozuna wasted little time in getting the Cardinals on the board with his first-inning blast off Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz. Ozuna would score again on Yadier Molina's fifth-inning homer. The left fielder is batting .237 with 12 homers, 37 RBI and 32 runs scored through 40 games this season. He entered Tuesday's game with a career-low .233 BABIP, which is likely contributing to his struggles to hit for a good average.
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Bryce Harper 1B | PHI
Phillies' Bryce Harper: Nursing sore knee
Harper said his left knee was a bit sore following Tuesday's loss to the Brewers, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Harper had a pair of sliding catches that took him into the wall down the right-field line during Tuesday's game, though he never actually exited the contest. The 26-year-old will be re-evaluated Wednesday.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Giants' Brandon Belt: Returns to starting nine
Belt (knee) is starting at first base and batting fourth Tuesday against the Blue Jays, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Belt had been held out of the starting lineup for two straight contests due to knee soreness, but he clubbed a two-run homer Sunday in a pinch-hit appearance and evidently feels healthy enough to return following a scheduled off day.
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Injury clarified
Stanton's official diagnosis is a left shoulder strain, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
The Yankees have been vague about the exact nature of Stanton's injury, with manager Aaron Boone giving evasive answers when he was asked Tuesday, but the club later clarified the outfielder is dealing with a strain to the shoulder that has been keeping him out of action. There's still no timetable for a return for Stanton; however, he's started to face live pitching and do defensive work at extended spring training, which hopefully means there's a rehab stint in his near future.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Launches first homer
Ohtani went 2-for-3 with a home run, two walks and two RBI in Monday's 5-4 win over the Twins.
Ohtani's first long ball of the season was a no-doubter, as he took Twins ace Jose Berrios deep to center field for a 429-foot blast in the third inning. The reigning American League Rookie of the Year should continue to serve as the Angels' designated hitter on an everyday basis with his throwing program for his rehab from Tommy John surgery not expected to impact his availability until September.
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AJ Reed DH | HOU
Astros' AJ Reed: Back in action at Triple-A
Reed (oblique) went 0-for-4 with Triple-A Round Rock on Monday and is now batting .130 (3-for-23) since his return from the 7-day injured list.
The oblique issue cost Reed close to three weeks and he's struggled since his activation, striking out nine times to raise his strikeout rate for the season to 38.9 percent. Last year, Reed fanned 23.7 percent of the time at the Triple-A level. He logged 141 plate appearances in the big leagues in 2016 but has played in all of three major-league games since. The 26-year-old's spot on Houston's 40-man roster seems tenuous.
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Mark Canha LF | TEX
Athletics' Mark Canha: Homers in return to lineup
Canha went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in an extra-inning loss to the Mariners on Monday. He was also caught stealing on his one attempt.
Canha celebrated his return from the injured list with a 364-foot shot to left in the second that opened the scoring on the night for the Athletics. The veteran's round tripper was his first since April 8 and his fourth extra-base hit of the campaign thus far.
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Daniel Vogelbach DH | TOR
Mariners' Daniel Vogelbach: Slugs 10th homer
Vogelbach went 1-for-3 with two walks and a three-run home run in Monday's 6-5 extra-inning win over the A's.
His eighth-inning blast off Lou Trivino knotted the score at 4-4 and set the stage for a wild 10th inning, which saw Oakland take the lead on its fifth solo homer of the night only for Seattle to rally in the bottom half of the frame. Vogelbach now has 10 homers on the year, but only two in his last 18 games, to go along with a robust .248/.394/.587 slash line.
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Eloy Jimenez DH | TOR
White Sox's Eloy Jimenez: Cleared for rehab stint
Jimenez (ankle) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Jimenez is expected to DH for the Knights on Tuesday. According to Van Schouwen, general manager Rick Hahn said the young outfielder is expected to rejoin the White Sox next Monday in Houston, though it sounds like a return over the weekend isn't out of the question if Jimenez's ankle responds well in his return to game action.
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Yordan Alvarez DH | HOU
Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Pops another homer at Triple-A
Alvarez went 2-for-4 with his 15th home run of the season and three RBI in Triple-A Round Rock's 4-2 win over Oklahoma City on Sunday.
With a .436 average, three home runs and a 7:11 BB:K over his last 10 games, Alvarez only seems to be strengthening his bid for a promotion to the big leagues. The Astros haven't alluded to any potential callup date for Alvarez, whose eventual arrival in Houston may hinge on the performances of Tony Kemp and Tyler White in the games to come. One of those two players would likely need to be removed from the roster in order to open up a spot for the 21-year-old slugger.