MLB Player News

Martinez (hamstring) is not in the starting lineup Saturday versus the Rockies.

As expected, Martinez will remain on the bench for another contest Saturday while nursing an injured hamstring. The plan is to see if he can go in Sunday's series finale, but for the time being, Will Smith will slot in at designated hitter while Austin Barnes enters the lineup at catcher and bats ninth against Colorado.

Pederson isn't in the Giants' lineup Saturday against the Rangers, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Southpaw Andrew Heaney will draw the start for Texas, so Pederson will take a seat for the start of Saturday's game. Luis Matos, Austin Slater and Heliot Ramos will start in San Francisco's outfield from left to right.

Choi isn't in the Padres' lineup Saturday against Arizona.

Choi hasn't collected a hit (0-for-12) since July 29, so he'll miss out on a start Saturday. Fernando Tatis will step in as the Padres' DH, allowing Jose Azocar to start in right field and bat eighth.

Encarnacion-Strand (hand) isn't in the Reds' lineup Saturday against the Pirates.

Encarnacion-Strand made an early exit from Friday's contest after taking a pitch to the hand and will get an extra day to recover. Henry Ramos will serve as Cincinnati's designated hitter Saturday, and Joey Votto will start at first base.

The Cardinals recalled Baker from Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.

With Dylan Carlson (oblique) headed for the 10-day IL, Baker will come up from the minors to give St. Louis an additional bench bat. The 26-year-old first baseman is 5-for-19 in the majors this season and boasts a .334/.439/.720 slash line through 380 plate appearances in the minors.

Harper (back) is starting as the Phillies' designated hitter Saturday against the Twins.

Harper made an early exit Thursday after experiencing back spasms and was forced to sit out Friday's game as well. He'll be back in action Saturday and look to remain hot with a .316/.357/.605 slash line since the start of August.

Cabrera will sit Saturday against Boston.

Cabrera finds himself on the bench for the second time in three games, with Riley Greene again serving as the designated hitter. Cabrera's final MLB season hasn't seen him go out on a high note, as he's hitting .259/.332/.332 with just one home run.

Soler isn't in the Marlins' lineup Saturday against the Yankees.

After going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts during Friday's series opener, Soler will catch a breather Saturday. Josh Bell will instead serve as Miami's designated hitter and Yuli Gurriel will start at first base.

Turner (heel) is back in the lineup Saturday against the Tigers, batting third and serving as the designated hitter.

Turner has been dealing with a bone bruise in his left heel throughout August, appearing in just three games and none since Monday. The injury typically requires an absence of at least a month, but the veteran has elected to play through the problem down the stretch. Whether or not the issue leads to increased absences and decreased performance remains to be seen.

Belt will sit Saturday against the Cubs.

The Cubs are sending out lefty Justin Steele, so it's no surprise to see Belt hit the bench. He's started just five times against a southpaw all season. George Springer will rest his legs as the designated hitter Saturday, with Cavan Biggio stepping into Springer's usual spot in right field.