MLB Player News

Madris went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored Thursday against the Phillies.

Madris was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis to take the roster spot of Bryan Reynolds (personal) and started in right field while hitting fifth. He doesn't have the same pedigree as other Pirates prospects vying for playing time in the outfield, and Madris has a mediocre .246/.283/.386 slash line across his first 60 plate appearances in the majors. He has multiple paths to playing time though, as he will also get looks at first base, per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

Ohtani (9-6) allowed two runs on eight hits and struck out 11 in six innings, taking the loss Thursday versus the Rangers.

Ohtani put in a solid pitching performance, but a Nathaniel Lowe solo home run and a Corey Seager RBI double accounted for the only two runs of the game. At the plate, Ohtani went 0-for-4, while the Angels had just five hits in the contest. The two-way star has double-digit strikeouts in each of his last six starts, allowing 10 runs (nine earned) across 39 innings in that span. He owns a 2.81 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 145:23 K:BB through 99.1 innings overall.

Miller (neck) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment over the weekend, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Miller was placed on the injured list at the start of the second half with a neck strain and was first eligible to be activated Thursday. While he won't make it back that quickly, he could realistically return during the team's upcoming series against Baltimore to begin August.

Belt isn't starting Thursday's game against the Cubs, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Although Belt has started three games against left-handed pitchers following the All-Star break, he'll get a breather with southpaw Justin Steele on the mound Thursday. Darin Ruf is starting at first base and batting second.

Manager Dusty Baker said Thursday that Brantley (shoulder) has yet to resume swinging a bat, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

It was reported last week that Brantley was close to taking swings, but it appears the veteran outfielder still hasn't been cleared. The 35-year-old's recovery from the shoulder injury, which put him on the injured list in late June, has been slow, and it's unclear when he's expected to retake the field for the Astros.

Turner isn't starting Thursday's game against the Rockies.

Turner returned from a five-game absence Wednesday and went 1-for-3 with a run, an RBI and a walk. However, he'll retreat to the bench while Jake Lamb serves as the designated hitter and bats sixth Thursday.

Lewis isn't starting Thursday against Houston.

Lewis started the last two games and went 1-for-6 with an RBI, a walk and four strikeouts. Dylan Moore is taking his place in right field and batting ninth.

Blackmon isn't starting Thursday against the Dodgers, Danielle Allentuck of The Denver Gazette reports.

Blackmon started the first six games after the All-Star break and hit .231 with two homers, a double, five RBI and three runs. C.J. Cron is serving as the designated hitter while Yonathan Daza enters the lineup in center field.

Madris was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.

The 26-year-old was sent down in early July but will rejoin the Pirates as outfield depth after Bryan Reynolds (personal) was placed on the paternity list Thursday. Madris has slashed .259/.286/.407 with a homer, six RBI, five runs and two stolen bases over 15 major-league games this year.

Carpenter is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Royals.

Carpenter went 3-for-15 with a solo home run and a walk while starting each of the last four games in right field, and though it's Joey Gallo who will replace him in the lineup Thursday, the acquisition of Andrew Benintendi is more likely to dampen Carpenter's playing-time outlook moving forward. Giancarlo Stanton's (Achilles) recent move to the injured list temporarily alleviates the logjam in the corner outfield and at designated hitter, but once Stanton is healthy, the likes of Carpenter, Aaron Hicks and Gallo could all see their opportunities take a hit.