MLB Player News

Pederson is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Pirates, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Pederson started in the last four games and went 3-for-10 with a homer, two runs, two RBI, two walks and four strikeouts. However, Luis Gonzalez will shift to left field while Darin Ruf starts in right against southpaw Jose Quintana.

Belt isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Pittsburgh, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Belt went 3-for-6 with a solo home run, a double, two walks and a strikeout over the last three games but will retreat to the bench with left-hander Jose Quintana on the mound for the Pirates on Saturday. Wilmer Flores is starting at first base and batting second.

Stanton isn't in the lineup Saturday against the Blue Jays.

Stanton started in the last seven games and hit .182 with two homers, a double, six runs, six RBI, seven walks and two strikeouts. He'll get a breather while Aaron Judge serves as the designated hitter with Marwin Gonzalez entering the lineup in right field.

Blackmon went 3-for-4 with a triple, two RBI, two runs scored and a walk in Friday's victory over the Padres.

Blackmon's two RBI came on a triple in the first inning, where he sent Yonathan Daza to the plate and a sixth-inning single that scored Connor Joe. The veteran outfielder picked up two runs of his own, both of which came thanks to C.J. Cron homers. Blackmon has been swinging a hot bat lately, picking up a hit in 10 of his last 11 games, including six multi-hit games. Although his season batting average sits at .267, Blackmon is slashing .329/.365/.543 in June.

Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Friday's win over the White Sox.

Alvarez's sixth-inning homer sent Alex Bregman home and was the fourth of five home runs for the Astros on Friday. It was the outfielder's 18th home run of the season, tied for fourth-best in baseball. Alvarez has been impressive this month, with a hit in 11 of 14 games, including eight with multiple hits, good for a .471 June batting average and a 1.372 OPS.

Brantley went 2-for-5 with a grand slam and an additional run scored in Friday's victory over the White Sox.

Alex Bregman knocked in Brantley on a home run in the first inning, then Brantley launched one of his own in the sixth. His grand slam sent Yuli Gurriel, Aledmys Diaz and Chas McCormick home and extended Houston's lead to 10-3. The veteran outfielder is on a 12-game hit streak, including seven multi-hit games, all of which have come in June. Brantley has a 1.108 OPS in June and is slashing .302/.384/.439 on the season.

Pederson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-0 win over the Pirates.

Pederson doubled the Giants' lead in the fourth inning with a solo shot off Pirates starter Zach Thompson. The long ball was Pederson's first since June 3. The outfielder is up to 14 homers, 34 RBI, 28 runs scored, five doubles and two stolen bases with a .269/.343/.563 slash line through 181 plate appearances. He's on the strong side of a platoon role in left field, but he'll rarely see starts against southpaws.

Buxton went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a double in Friday's 7-2 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Buxton hit the second pitch of the game to deep left for a leadoff home run. His power has been on full display in June, as he's hit eight of his 19 homers this season in his last 13 contests. He's been a little boom or bust lately, with five multi-hit efforts and three hitless performances in his last eight starts. The outfielder is now slashing .231/.311/.586 with 33 RBI, 38 runs scored, a stolen base and nine doubles in 209 plate appearances.

Ohtani will hit the bench Friday against the Mariners, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The two-way player almost never takes a position in the field, so when the Angels want to rest Mike Trout's legs by deploying him at the designated hitter spot as they're doing Friday, Ohtani is forced to hit the bench. He's in the midst of an 11-game hitting streak during which he owns a 1.077 OPS and should return to the lineup Saturday.

Harper isn't starting in the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the Nationals.

Harper was productive in the first game of Friday's twin bill, as he went 3-for-4 with two runs and a walk. However, Kyle Schwarber will serve as the designated hitter while Matt Vierling starts in left field during the nightcap.