MLB Player News

Morel isn't in the Cubs' lineup Friday against Pittsburgh.

Friday marks the fourth time Morel has been held out of the lineup in the Cubs' last five games as he continues to slump at the plate. Jeimer Candelario will serve as Chicago's designated hitter in Morel's absence while Nick Madrigal starts at third base.

Vogelbach isn't in the Mets' lineup Friday against the Angels.

Left-hander Patrick Sandoval will draw the start Friday for the Angels, so the lefty-hitting Vogelbach will retreat to the bench to begin the game. DJ Stewart will take over as the Mets' designated hitter as Jeff McNeil shifts to right field and Danny Mendick mans second base.

Ohtani is started at designated hitter and batting second in Friday's game versus the Mets, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.

Ohtani was diagnosed with a torn UCL in his right elbow earlier this week, an injury which will keep him from pitching for the rest of the season at minimum. He plans to continue hitting though, at least until a decision is made about possible surgery. Ohtani has clubbed a league-leading 44 home runs this season.

Rooker went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a win over the White Sox on Thursday.

Rooker's 418-foot solo shot to center in the sixth inning ignited the Athletics' comeback from a 5-3 deficit. The 28-year-old has been on a power tear of late with three homers in his last four games, and he's now hitting .314 with five extra-base hits and six RBI across his last nine contests overall.

Belt went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to Baltimore.

Belt now has four homers in his last four games. Since the start of August, he's gone 20-for-63 (.317) with seven long balls and a 1.148 OPS. Overall, it's been an impressive bounce-back campaign from the veteran first-baseman in his first year with Toronto. Belt's now slashing .256/.372/.478 with 15 homers, 46 runs scored and 37 RBI across 360 plate appearances.

Encarnacion-Strand started at first base and went 0-for-4 in Thursday's 3-2 loss to Arizona.

Encarnacion-Strand slotted in at first base after the Reds placed Joey Votto (shoulder) on the injured list Thursday. The injury clears the way for Encarnacion-Strand to receive a steady dose of plate appearances, but he's struggled to make an impact in the majors so far, slashing .234/.306/.364 in August with a 35.3 percent strikeout rate.

Stanton went 4-for-5 with a home run, a double and two RBI in Thursday's loss to Washington.

Stanton recorded hits in each of his first two trips to the plate but was left stranded both times as the Yankees grabbed an early lead. He then launched a solo shot to lead off the bottom of the eighth and drove home Oswald Peraza with a single in the ninth to make it a one-run game, though New York would still come up short. It marked the 33-year-old outfielder's first four-hit performance of the season while it was his first game with an RBI since Aug. 13. He's now batting .222 in August with five home runs, 12 RBI and eight runs scored.

McCutchen is out of the lineup Thursday against the Cubs.

McCutchen will grab some rest after going 3-for-4 with three doubles and a walk in Wednesday's series finale versus the Cardinals. Bryan Reynolds will serve as the Pirates' designated hitter Thursday as Josh Palacios, Ji Hwan Bae and Connor Joe start across the outfield.

Morel is not in the lineup Thursday versus the Pirates.

It's his second straight absence from the Cubs' starting lineup, though Morel did single as a pinch hitter Wednesday in Detroit. The 24-year-old is slashing just .107/.206/.232 over his last 63 plate appearances dating back to Aug. 3.

Brantley (shoulder) will remain on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land at least through this weekend, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The Astros had indicated that a return this weekend was a possibility, but manager Dusty Baker said that while Brantley is "champing at the bit," the veteran outfielder is "not physically there yet." Brantley played back-to-back games with Sugar Land on Tuesday and Wednesday and will get some rest Thursday before returning to action Friday. A timetable for his activation is not clear. The 36-year-old hasn't played in a major-league game in over a year because of ongoing shoulder issues.