MLB Player News

Stanton went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Friday in a loss to Houston.

Stanton plated the final run in a losing effort for New York with his 435-foot blast to left field in the eighth inning. The slugger has gone deep in each of his last three games, going 4-for-11 and driving in seven runs over that stretch. Stanton's power surge extends back to July 8 -- he's belted 10 homers in 21 games since that date, though he's hitting a modest .218 during that stretch.

Meneses went 2-for-4 with a walk and a two-run home run in Friday's 6-3 victory over the Reds.

Meneses touched up starter Graham Ashcraft for a game-tying home run in the eighth inning, his ninth homer of the season. He endured a power outage over the final two weeks of July as Meneses continues to be rather streaky. The late bloomer has five hits -- including two homers -- over his last four games, and fantasy managers will have to hope this is the start of a hot stretch.

Ramirez went 3-for-5 with one RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 8-0 win over the Tigers.

Ramirez is quietly batting .290 this season to go along with nine homers, four steals, 38 RBI and 37 runs scored. The Rays' roster is crowded and he often finds himself out of the starting lineup against right-handed pitchers, but he's not in a strict platoon role. Curtis Mead's promotion creates even more competition for playing time, but Ramirez should continue to start roughly four days per week.

Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's win over the Yankees.

Alvarez is up to 20 home runs on the season and has hit safely in each of his eight games since returning from a 39-game stint on the injured list. His 1.017 OPS is nearly identical to last season and despite the missed time, he's still on pace for a third consecutive season with 30 or more homers. A healthy Alvarez remains one of the best hitters in the game and a stalwart in the heart of the Astros lineup.

Ozuna went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 8-0 win over the Cubs.

He went back-to-back with Sean Murphy in the fourth inning, crushing a Kyle Hendricks sinker out of Wrigley Field entirely. Ozuna has an OPS north of .850 since the start of May, though he gets lost in the shuffle a bit with all the great bats in the Atlanta lineup. His 23 home runs rank fifth on the club.

McCutchen is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Brewers, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

After going hitless in his final three July games, McCutchen has collected five hits in his first three games of August. The 36-year-old will get what looks like a routine breather as Bryan Reynolds takes a turn as the designated hitter. Josh Palacios will start in left field and bat leadoff against right-hander Colin Rea.

Ford is out of the lineup again Friday versus the Angels.

Ford is slashing just .130/.216/.283 with 25 strikeouts over his last 51 plate appearances dating back to July 15 and seems to have been relegated to a bench role. Cal Raleigh is serving as the Mariners' designated hitter Friday as Tom Murphy handles the catching duties.

Twins bench coach Jayce Tingler said Friday that Buxton (hamstring) will be shut down for the next two weeks, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Buxton was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday due to nagging tightness in his right hamstring that has since been diagnosed as a muscle strain. The team will see how he responds to the two-week shutdown period before attempting to map out a timetable for his return. Matt Wallner is serving as Minnesota's designated hitter Friday night against the Diamondbacks.

Ohtani (hand) is serving as the designated hitter and batting second Friday versus the Mariners.

Ohtani was pulled from his start Thursday night against Seattle due to renewed cramping in his right hand, but the issue doesn't seem to affect him when he hits. It's unclear when he might take the mound again, but the two-way superstar can keep padding his terrific offensive totals in the meantime.

Jimenez is out of the lineup Friday at Cleveland due to a sore heel, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

This may be something of a lingering issue for Jimenez, who was limited to pinch-hitting duties in Thursday's series finale against the Rangers. Oscar Colas is serving as Chicago's designated hitter Friday against the Guardians and Andrew Benintendi, Luis Robert and Trayce Thompson will start across the outfield.