MLB Player News

Buxton isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Brewers, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Buxton will take a seat while Eddie Rosario gets the nod in center field and Oswaldo Arcia starts in left. The 22-year-old went 1-for-7 with a triple over the past two games, coming off a hand injury that kept him out for three games. Buxton has struck out at a 42.9 percent clip through the Twins' first 14 games of the 2016 season.

Brantley is scheduled to play back-to-back games Friday and Saturday with Triple-A Columbus.

Playing back-to-back games is considered the last hurdle to overcome before returning to the Indians lineup, so given that the Indians felt confident enough to schedule it now is a very good sign. The schedule states that his location on Sunday is TBD, so things should become clearer following the second game of the back-to-back.

Ozuna is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Nationals, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports.

It's been a rough start to the year for Ozuna, who is hitting .200 with a 14:1 K:BB in 51 plate appearances. Ichiro Suzuki will get the start in center field and hit second Wednesday.

Soler is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Cardinals.

He has been the Cubs' primary left fielder of late, but Soler is failing to make a big impact with his bat, going hitless with four strikeouts in his last three games. Kris Bryant will get the start in left field and hit fifth Wednesday.

McCutchen went 1-for-4 with a walk, while also scoring twice and stealing his first base of the season Tuesday in San Diego.

Those who drafted McCutchen for his combination of power and speed were surely starting to get a little antsy, but he has quelled any fears with a pair of homers and a steal in the last three games. The 2013 NL MVP swiped just 11 bags in 2015 after getting at least 18 in each of his six previous seasons, but it'd be shocking if he didn't end up breaking double digits once again at age 29.

Harper hit a grand slam, his seventh home run, in Tuesday's win against the Marlins.

The grand slam was his only hit in four at-bats, which lowered his average to .333. More importantly, Harper's power continues to be absolutely ridiculous, as his slugging percentage is up to .867. With seven home runs in 13 games, Harper is on pace for 87 on the year. Take "on pace" numbers with a grain of salt as always, but Harper is as good a bet to challenge records as anybody in baseball these days.

Brantley (shoulder) worked out with the Indians on Tuesday and will continue his rehab at Double-A Akron on Wednesday, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Brantley still needs to get in consecutive games in order to clear the final hurdle in his rehab but that could come shortly if he doesn't suffer any setbacks.

Belt is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks.

He will head to the bench for the first time this season with lefty Robbie Ray due up for Arizona. Buster Posey is set to start at first base in Belt's absence, his first start at first this year, as Trevor Brown takes over behind the plate. Belt has hit safely in seven of his last eight games with three home runs over that span, including one against a left-handed pitcher.

Reed homered for the third time in five games during Monday's game against Triple-A Las Vegas.

He's hitting .244/.319/.561 through 10 games, boasting three homers and 11 RBI with a 5:11 BB:K. Thanks to the emergence of Tyler White and the return of Evan Gattis, the Astros don't have a pressing need for Reed at the present time, but Gattis' expected return to occasional catching duties may open up flexibility for at-bats at first base or DH for Reed if he forces his way onto the Astros' 25-man roster in the coming weeks.

Pederson credits mechanical adjustments made this winter with his early-season success, the Dodgers' official site reports.

Pederson is off to a .257/.316/.514 start, including a pair of homers in 12 games. His .14 BB/K is uncharacteristically low compared to last season's 0.54 mark, but we should see that rise considerably over the course of the season. The bigger concern is that Pederson has just three at-bats versus left-hand pitching, though manager Dave Roberts has not called this a strict platoon.