MLB Player News

Pederson isn't starting Saturday against the Dodgers, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The Giants are facing a left-handed pitcher for a second consecutive game, so Pederson will remain out of the lineup. Yermin Mercedes is starting in left field and batting seventh.

Buxton isn't starting Saturday against the Tigers, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Buxton started the last 12 games and hit just .167 with two homers, a triple, a double, five runs, five RBI and a stolen base. He'll get a breather while Nick Gordon starts in center field and bats seventh.

Lewis isn't starting Saturday against the Astros.

Lewis returned to action Friday against Houston and went 0-for-3 with a walk. He'll get a breather while Sam Haggerty starts in right field and bats ninth.

Martinez (back) isn't starting Saturday against the Blue Jays, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Martinez was scratched from Friday's lineup due to back spasms and will be held out of the starting nine for a second consecutive game. Franchy Cordero is serving as the designated hitter while Bobby Dalbec starts at first base.

Jimenez isn't starting the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Guardians, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reports.

Jimenez returned to the lineup during Friday's loss to Cleveland and went 1-for-3, but he'll get a breather during Saturday's matinee. Andrew Vaughn is starting in left field while Yasmani Grandal serves as the designated hitter.

Jimenez went 1-for-3 Friday against the Guardians.

Jimenez missed the White Sox's entire weekend series against the Twins prior to the All-Star break but was able to return as the designated hitter Friday. He hit sixth in the order and led off the second inning with a base knock but was ultimately stranded at third base. Jimenez is hitting .203/.253/.304 across 75 plate appearances on the season.

Morel went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and three runs scored in Friday's 15-2 win over the Phillies.

No. 9 hitters don't typically bat five times in a game, but the Chicago outburst gave Morel plenty of chances, and the rookie delivered. He's now up to a strong .827 OPS across 56 games to go along with nine home runs and eight stolen bases. As long as Morel continues to see regular playing time, he should remain a decent fantasy asset with upside due to his power and speed potential.

Blackmon went 2-for-6 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored in a 6-5 extra-innings loss to the Brewers on Friday.

Blackmon took Corbin Burnes deep in the third inning to pick up his 15th home run of the season. The 36-year-old designated hitter is riding a nine-game hitting streak and came into the game slashing an excellent .311/.360/.511 over his past 45 at-bats.

Ozuna went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 8-1 win over the Angels.

The veteran slugger capped the scoring on the night for Atlanta, taking Elvis Peguero deep in the eighth inning. Ozuna continues to have trouble building any momentum at the plate, slashing .200/.262/.450 through 16 games in July with four of his 18 homers on the year.

Ohtani (9-5) took the loss Friday as the Angels were downed 8-1 by Atlanta, coughing up six runs on six hits and a walk over 6.1 innings. He struck out 11.

The two-way superstar blanked Atlanta through six innings and fanned double-digit batters for the fifth straight start and the eighth time this season, but Ohtani faded badly in the seventh as Matt Olson and Orlando Arcia both took him deep. The right-hander exited after 92 pitches (68 strikes), and Ohtani will take a 2.80 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 134:23 K:BB through 93.1 innings on the season into his next outing.