MLB Player News

Blackmon is not in the starting lineup for the Rockies on Wednesday.

Blackmon has struggled at the plate over his last 10 games, hitting only .244 with one RBI and 14 strikeouts in 41 at-bats. Blackmon should be back in the lineup on Thursday as the Rockies host Jacob deGrom and the Mets. The outfielder has no hits in eight career at-bats against deGrom.

Belt went 1-for-2 with three walks and a run scored in Tuesday's 9-7 win over Cincinnati.

Belt has responded well to being moved down to sixth in the order, homering Monday and reaching base four times Tuesday. He appears to be breaking out of the eight-game slump in which he went 2-for-33. He will likely stick in the six-hole so long as the Giants continue to put up runs like they have over their last two contests.

Dickerson went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in the Padres' 7-6, 12-inning loss at the hands of the Blue Jays.

Tuesday's sixth inning blast makes it three straight days with a homer for Dickerson, who seems determined to hold onto regular playing time following the departure of Melvin Upton Jr. This recent three-game tear raised Dickerson's batting line to .288/.329/.550, although he has just 80 at-bats on the season. Even after the Melvin Upton Jr, the Padres organization still overstocked with outfield talent, with Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe tearing up the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. Still, it would be hard to imagine Dickerson losing playing time if he continues anything close to his recent pace at the plate.

Cabrera homered, walk, knocked in two runs and scored twice in a 2-for-4 game in Tuesday's win over the Red Sox.

Cabrera is on a roll, with four multi-hit games in his last seven, now including two homers, two doubles and six walks in that span. The home run was his 20th, giving him 12 seasons with at least 20 homers in his illustrious career. Still, his power output hasn't quite been up to his career standards -- his .512 slugging percentage would be his worst since his first full season back in 2004 with the Marlins at age 21.

Martinez will serve as the designated hitter in his first two games with Triple-A Toledo, but could return to the outfield as early as Friday, Katie Strang of ESPN reports.

While starting as a designated hitter seemed to signal his elbow wasn't ready to play the outfield, it appears the issue won't keep him off the field much longer. When healthy, he should retake his everyday role in right field, but Martinez may require a lengthier rehab before his return to the majors.

Brantley (shoulder) remains without a timetable to return but says he is "very confident" he will return and have an impact this season, Chris Assenheimer of The Chronicle Telegram reports.

Brantley had surgery last week to remove scar tissue from the shoulder that's nagged him all season and while he's yet to resume baseball activities, he's optimistic about returning this season. The 29-year-old will likely begin jogging and light-arm exercises in the coming weeks but could be held out all of August as he works his way back to full strength.

Ozuna is out of the lineup for Tuesday's matchup with Philadelphia, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

Ozuna will get his first maintenance day in eight games as Ichiro Suzuki takes his place in center and bats leadoff. Ozuna has gone 7-for-38 (.184) with no homers in 10 games since the start of the second half. He'll likely be back out there when the Phillies send Zach Eflin to the mound in the series finale.

Belt homered and knocked in two runs in a 3-for-4 game Monday against the Reds.

Belt was dropped to sixth in the lineup Monday and responded in resounding fashion. He had been in a horrendous slump, with just a .223/.310/.348 line and zero home runs since his last blast June 19 against the Rays. If he can come up with a few more nights like these in the near future, expect him to rise back to his old spot in the heart of the Giants' order.

Martinez (elbow) will begin a rehab stint at Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday, starting as a designated hitter, Katie Strang of ESPN reports.

The Tigers seemingly aren't in any rush to get Martinez back in Detroit, so it's possible that the outfielder will take a longer-than-usual rehab assignment at Triple-A. That being said, his ability to play in the outfield while with Toledo will be the signal that he's likely a few days away from rejoining the Tigers.

Dickerson went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer in Monday's loss to the Blue Jays.

The outfielder has started on consecutive days, collecting six hits, two home runs, three RBI and four runs scored in the process. Dickerson had been struggling at the dish after the All-Star break, but this could be the start of a turnaround for the lefty. He's now hitting .280 with four home runs over 75 MLB at-bats this season.