MLB Player News

Stanton went 1-for-5 with a solo home run Saturday against the Royals.

Stanton homered in the ninth inning to record his 11th home run of the season, this one coming off right-hander Blaine Boyer. It was his second home run in four games, and he now has at least one hit in eight of his past ten games. His much discussed strikeout rate is now returning close to his career baseline, so early concerns regarding his performance should be eased.

Brantley went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's win over the Astros.

Brantley's power surge continued Saturday with his fourth homer in eight games. He's now up to seven home runs with a .333/.369/.572 slash line over 34 games and has been excellent batting second in Cleveland's loaded lineup that has been red hot over the last month.

Ohtani is out of the lineup Saturday against the Rays.

Ohtani is scheduled to pitch in Sunday's contest, so he won't be the designated hitter Saturday, following the same system the Angels have used all season. The team (and Ohtani's fantasy owners) would probably love him to hit more often, as he's hitting .321/.367/.619 with six homers in 90 plate appearances. It's remained a sacrifice worth making in order to allow him to pitch, however, as he's also recorded a 3.58 ERA and a 32.8 percent strikeout rate through his first six starts on the mound.

McCutchen sustained a bruised knee on a slide and exited Saturday's win over the Rockies, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

McCutchen went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run and was replaced in right field by Gregor Blanco for the start of the eighth inning. The 31-year-old is considered day-to-day and could be available for Sunday's series finale, but with an off day Monday, the team could illustrate additional caution with the veteran outfielder.

Turner is not in the lineup for Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader in Washington, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Turner had started four straight games since coming off the disabled list earlier this week, but the Dodgers will play it safe and not give him the start in the nightcap. Max Muncy is starting at third base and batting second in his stead.

Miller is not in the lineup Saturday against the Angels.

Miller has lived up to modest expectations so far this season, hitting .250/.325/.411 with four home runs in 34 games. He'll get the day off Saturday against the left-handed Andrew Heaney, with C.J. Cron playing first base.

Buxton is not in the lineup against Milwaukee on Saturday.

Buxton is just 2-for-23 since returning from a trip to the disabled list with migraines and a fractured toe. On the season, he's hitting just .156/.194/.203. Jake Cave will make his major-league debut in center field in Buxton's place.

Miller went 3-for-5 with a run in a win over the Angels on Friday.

All three hits were singles, but the performance served as Miller's fourth multi-hit effort over the last nine games. A solid month has brought the veteran's season average up 24 points to .250 since May 1, and his slugging percentage vaulted over the .400 mark as well.

Carpenter went 2-for-5 with an RBI single and a run in a win over the Phillies on Friday.

Carpenter was back in the two-hole Friday after having dropped down to seventh in the order the prior two nights. The struggling veteran's pair of singles extended a modest hitting streak to three games, a stretch during which he's gone 6-for-13 with three doubles, two RBI and a run. Carpenter has much work left to do to get a current .173/.301/.315 season line back up to acceptable levels, but his current mini-surge is an optimistic step in that direction.

Belt (knee) entered Friday's loss to the Rockies in the seventh inning and struck out in his only plate appearance.

The red-hot Belt was held out of the starting lineup after experiencing knee soreness following Thursday's contest, but he was healthy enough to enter Friday's game in a key situation. While he was unable to extend his homer streak to five games, the fact that he stayed in the game to play left field indicates that his minor knee ailment shouldn't be an issue going forward.