MLB Player News

Alvarez (hand) is in the lineup for Monday's game against the A's.

A sore right hand prevented Alvarez from starting Sunday's game, but it will not cost him any further action. He will serve as the designated hitter and hit third in Houston's batting order.

Turner (abdomen) isn't starting Monday's game against the Nationals, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Turner is out of the lineup for a fourth consecutive game as he continues to deal with an abdominal injury, and manager Dave Roberts said Monday that the 37-year-old could require an IL stint. Jake Lamb is serving as the designated hitter while Trayce Thompson starts in left field Monday.

Lewis isn't starting Monday against Texas.

Lewis is out of the lineup for the second time in the last three games after he went 1-for-7 with a run, three walks and a strikeout over the last three matchups. Sam Haggerty is starting in right field and batting ninth.

Winker (ankle) isn't starting Monday against the Rangers.

Winker sprained his right ankle during Sunday's loss to Houston and is day-to-day, but he'll be out of the lineup for at least one game. Adam Frazier is shifting to left field while Abraham Toro starts at second base.

Harper wasn't cleared Monday to have pins removed from his surgically repaired left thumb and will be re-evaluated in one week, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Harper will meet with his surgeon next Monday with the hope that he's shown enough healing from the procedure to have the pins removed. If that ends up being the case, Harper could be cleared to resume light baseball activities, but the reigning National League MVP still looks to be several weeks away from returning from the 10-day injured list. The fact that the Phillies haven't yet moved Harper to the 60-day IL keeps a return before the final week of August in play.

Martinez (back) is out of the lineup Monday versus the Guardians, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Martinez will miss a fourth straight game while nursing back spasms Monday. He remains day-to-day, but manager Alex Cora said Martinez could be available off the bench for the series opener in a pinch-hitting capacity, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. Rob Refsnyder will start at designated hitter and bat second in the series opener.

McCutchen went 2-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI in Sunday's victory over the Rockies.

McCutchen endured a 1-for-40 slump earlier in the season, but since snapping out of that skid he has gone 47-for-152 (.309) with seven home runs, nine doubles and 26 RBI over a 39-game span. With McCutchen on a roll, he is regularly occupying the cleanup spot against right-handers and hitting either third or leadoff against southpaws.

Reyes went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 6-3 loss to the White Sox.

Reyes got the Guardians on the board when he took Kendall Graveman deep in the eighth inning. This was Reyes' fifth homer in 20 games in July. The designated hitter is up to nine long balls, a .214/.256/.361 slash line, 28 RBI, 22 runs scored and a stolen base through 63 contests.

Morel went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double and an RBI in Sunday's win over the Phillies.

Morel had a good day at the plate but struggled on the bases, as he was picked off first and also caught stealing for the fifth time this season in 14 chances. Despite those missteps, it was still a productive fantasy performance for the rookie from the leadoff spot. Morel will likely have his share of growing pains the rest of the way, but he's batting .283 and playing regularly, so he's worth a look in most formats.

Ruf went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run, a walk and two total runs scored in Sunday's 7-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Ruf had the Giants' biggest hit of the game, a game-tying, two-run homer off Clayton Kershaw in the fifth inning. It's been boom or bust for Ruf lately, as his last four hits have all been homers. The 35-year-old is up to 11 long balls, 38 RBI, a career-high 44 runs scored and two stolen bases through 296 plate appearances. He's maintained a .225/.334/.391 slash line, and it appears he'll continue to share playing time at first base and designated hitter with Brandon Belt and LaMonte Wade.