MLB Player News

Rooker is out of the lineup for Monday's game against Atlanta.

Rooker remains the Athletics' top power hitter with a team-best 11 home runs and .509 slugging percentage, but he's fallen into a bit of a slump at the dish over the past two weeks. Over his last 11 games, Rooker is hitting just .125 with one extra-base hit and a 42.9 percent strikeout rate. Rooker isn't in any immediate danger of losing hold of an everyday role, but he'll get a day off Monday to clear his head.

Pederson (hand) said he will swing the bat Monday for the first time since landing on the 10-day injured list May 15, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

A painful right hand contusion has kept Pederson out of commission for the past two weeks, but being able to resume swinging represents a major milestone in his recovery process. Depending on how Pederson fares in his workouts over the next few days, he could be cleared to head out on a rehab assignment as soon as this weekend, if the Giants determine that he requires one. While Pederson has been on the shelf, the Giants have been leaning on J.D. Davis and Blake Sabol as their primary options at designated hitter.

The Rockies placed Blackmon on the bereavement list Monday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Blackmon's absence from the lineup for Monday's game against the Diamondbacks was initially believed to be a routine day off, but he apparently didn't make the trip with the Rockies for the start of a four-game series in Arizona. Per MLB rules, Blackmon can remain on the list for 3-to-7 days, so he could be back with the team as soon as Thursday's series finale. The Rockies recalled corner infielder Elehuris Montero from Triple-A Albuquerque to replace Blackmon on the 26-man active roster.

Blackmon is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Blackmon will get a breather in the series opener after he served as the Rockies' designated hitter in all three games of the club's weekend series with the Mets while going 5-for-14 with two home runs and five RBI. Kris Bryant will get a day out of the outfield and will step in at DH in place of Blackmon on Monday.

Ramirez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Cubs.

Ramirez will cede designated-hitter duties to Luke Raley in the series opener in Chicago. The Rays turned to Ramirez at DH for both of the final two games of their weekend series with the Dodgers, with the 28-year-old going 4-for-10 with a home run between those contests to raise his season-long average up to .295.

Buxton is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Astros.

Buxton is presumably getting a maintenance day in the series opener after he served as the Twins' designated hitter in each of the team's last six games. Alex Kirilloff will handle those duties Monday, but Buxton should be back in the lineup Tuesday against Astros right-hander Brandon Bielak. The Twins have yet to decide on when Buxton will be ready to pick up work in center field, as he's made all 47 of his starts to date as a DH.

Morel is absent from the lineup for Monday's game versus the Rays.

It's a day off for Morel after he had started each of the previous 17 contests. Morel has finally started to slow down a bit in recent days, going 1-for-14 with five strikeouts across his last four games. Edwin Rios will be the designated hitter Monday in place of Morel.

Turner went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Sunday's 4-2 loss to Arizona.

Turner launched his sixth homer in the eighth inning to bring Boston within two. Since returning from a knee injury, Turner has hit .167 (4-for-24) over six games.

Jimenez went 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI, two walks and a run scored Sunday against the Tigers.

Jimenez returned from a three-week absence caused by an appendectomy and hit second in the lineup. His lone hit came on a pop-up in no-man's land between the shortstop and left fielder, though it drove in two. Jimenez started in right field, which allowed Jake Burger to remain the designated hitter while Gavin Sheets hit the bench against a lefty. Moving forward, Jimenez is likely to also see time at designated hitter.

Alvarez went 2-for-5 with two solo home runs in Sunday's 10-1 win over the Athletics.

Alvarez opened and closed the scoring in the same way, with near mirror-image solo shots in the first and ninth innings. He'd gone 0-for-9 with six walks over his last four games since a multi-homer effort versus the Brewers last Monday. Alvarez is up to 14 long balls, 48 RBI, 33 runs scored and a .291/.402/.612 slash line through 46 contests after Sunday's strong display of power.