MLB Player News

Belt (back) is not in the lineup for Monday's game in Oakland.

Belt has now missed three straight starts and five of the last six games with a nagging back issue. The Blue Jays haven't seemed concerned that it could lead to a stint on the injured list, but the odds that it will increase as his absence lingers. Vladimir Guerrero is at designated hitter and Spencer Horwitz is playing first base Monday.

Alvarez (knee) is starting at designated hitter and batting third Monday versus the Rangers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez banged his knee while playing the outfield in Sunday's loss to the Yankees, but he finished out that game and won't have to miss Monday's key division matchup against the Rangers. The slugger enters play Monday having reached base a whopping 22 times over his last eight games.

Pederson is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Cubs.

He'll take a seat with the Cubbies sending left-hander Justin Steele to the hill. Mitch Haniger will be in left field.

Ford went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in a loss to the Mets on Sunday.

Ford went back-to-back with Dominic Canzone in leaving the yard during the fourth inning, allowing the Mariners to close a four-run deficit to one. Ford has reached safely in six straight games, an encouraging stretch during which he's posted a .333 average (5-for-15) with two homers, three RBI, three walks, a hit-by-pitch and four runs.

Morel is not in the lineup for Monday's contest versus the Giants, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Morel has now been on the bench for two straight after starting each of the previous three contests. Cody Bellinger is being used at designated hitter Monday.

Horwitz went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's win over Colorado.

Horwitz was a last-minute lineup replacement for Brandon Belt, who was a late scratch due to back tightness. The rookie made an immediate impact in his first start since being recalled from Triple-A on Friday. His first career home run was a solo shot in the fourth. He followed that up with an RBI single in the fifth, then added another single in the seventh. Horwitz's playing time moving forward will likely hinge on how much time, if any, Belt is forced to miss.

Alvarez banged his knee during Sunday's loss to the Yankees but was able to remain in the game, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez tripped while tracking down a flyball during Sunday's game but was able to remain in the contest following a lengthy discussion with a trainer. He went 1-for-4 in the loss, and manager Dusty Baker said after the matchup that the team will have to wait to see how Alvarez feels Monday before determining his status for the series opener against the Rangers.

Canha went 2-for-4 with a home run, an RBI, a run scored and a steal in Sunday's 4-2 loss against Philadelphia.

Canha's been red hot of late, going 14-for-33 (.424) with a pair of homers in his last nine games. He extended Milwaukee's lead to 2-0 in the third inning Sunday with an opposite-field blast off Ranger Suarez. Overall, Canha's slashing .259/.354/.403 with nine homers, 42 runs scored, 46 RBI and eight steals across 413 plate appearances between the Brewers and Mets this season.

Stanton is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at Houston.

Stanton started the previous six games and will receive a day off after he went 6-for-26 with two homers, four RBI, five runs and 10 strikeouts during that stretch. Aaron Judge will rest his legs as the Yankees' designated hitter Sunday while Everson Pereira, Jasson Dominguez and Oswaldo Cabrera start from left to right in the outfield.

The Blue Jays scratched Belt from the lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the Rockies due to lower-back tightness.

Just 10 minutes before Sunday's 3:10 p.m. ET opening pitch, the Blue Jays opted to hold Belt out of the lineup while he continues to deal with the back issues that first cropped up this past Tuesday. After missing three days, Belt returned to the lineup for the first two games of the series in Colorado, going 2-for-5 with a solo home run, a walk and two additional runs. Spencer Horwitz was added to the lineup as a replacement for Belt and will start at first base and bat fifth Sunday.