MLB Player News

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt and shortstop Brandon Crawford (calf) both returned to the starting lineup Friday night against Philadelphia, per MLB.com.

Both players received the day off on Thursday. Belt, who is batting fifth, is hitting .306 with seven homers and 24 RBI on the year. Crawford, who is batting sixth, is hitting .293 with eight homers and 37 RBI on the year.

After being pulled from Thursday's loss to the Athletics due to an illness, Tigers outfielder Yoenis Cespedes said he expects to play in Friday's game at the Chicago White Sox, reports MLB.com.

"I threw up, and I felt a little lightheaded," Cespedes said. "But I'm good now."

Indians outfielder Michael Brantley returned to the starting lineup as a designated hitter and is batting third Thursday against the Royals, per the Northeast Ohio Media Group. It's the fifth time this season he's serving as a designated hitter.

Brantley has at least a hit in 25 of the last 30 games played. He is hitting .299 (35 for 117) with 12 doubles, four homers, 25 RBI and 20 walks over that span.

Cleveland is an underdog (+100) at Kansas City, per VegasInsider.com.

Tigers outfielder Yoenis Cespedes was pulled after two innings Thursday against the Athletics due to flu-like symptoms. He was replaced in left field in the top of the third inning by Daniel Fields, who made his MLB debut.

Cespedes struck out in his only at-bat Thursday. He came into Thursday batting .279 with two home runs, four doubles and five RBI in his last 17 games.

Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon went 4 for 5 from the plate in Wednesday's 7-6 win against the Dodgers. 

Blackmon hit two doubles, giving him a total of eight for the season. One of those was a ground-rule double during Colorado's rally in the ninth inning.

It's the first time he's recorded four hits in a game this season and the eighth time he's hit four in a game in his career. 

Blackmon also stole a base, his 11th of the season. He scored two runs and now has a slash line of .262/.339/.431. 

Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson hit another home run in Wednesday night's 7-6 loss over the Rockies. 

For Pederson, he has now hit a home run in five consecutive games. This is the first time a Dodgers rookie has ever accomplished this feat. Pederson finished the game 2 for 3, drew a walk and scored three runs. 

Pederson holds a slash line of .267/.393/.606 for the season. 

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton hit his 17th home run of the season in Wednesday night's 7-3 win over the Cubs. 

Stanton has not hit homers in two consecutive games. Wednesday's home run came in the fifth inning and was hit off of Jon Lester. He finished the game 1 for 3 and also drew a walk. 

Stanton now has a slash line of .231/.325/.533 this season. 

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter collected two RBI to help lead the Cardinals to a 7-4 victory over the Brewers on Wednesday.

Carpenter finished the game 2 for 4 with one run scored. Carpenter drove in the two runs when he singled off Jimmy Nelson in the fourth inning.

He is now batting .314 on the season. Over his last six games, Carpenter is 6 for 19 with two RBI.

Indians outfielder Michael Brantley, who has been bothered by a sore back throughout the season, was held out of the starting lineup Wednesday against left-hander Jason Vargas and the Royals.

Brantley is a .320 hitter (24 for 75) against left-handed pitchers this season. He has at least a hit in 25 of the last 30 games played. He is hitting .299 (35 for 117) with 12 doubles, four homers, 25 RBI and 20 walks over that span.

The Cubs have placed right fielder Jorge Soler on the 15-day disabled list with a left ankle sprain. Soler initially injured the ankle after twisting it on Monday. 

Outfielder Mike Baxter is being recalled from Triple-A to take Soler's spot on the 25-man roster, according to CSN Chicago.

Manager Joe Maddon expects Soler to be out for 2-3 weeks, ESPN.com reports.