MLB Player News

Belt (side) will remain on the bench Tuesday against the Reds, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Belt hits the bench for the fourth game in a row and the fifth time in six games as he continues to deal with side tightness. An MRI came back clean Monday, but he'll miss at least one more start. Darin Ruf remains the first baseman in his absence.

Harper (shoulder) will return to the lineup Tuesday against the Marlins, batting third and playing right field, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Harper left Saturday's game against the Blue Jays with a sore right shoulder and did not take part in Sunday's contest, but he's ready to go following Monday's off day. He's been banged up more than his fair share already this season but has produced his usual excellent numbers when healthy, hitting .307/.436/.561 with seven homers and four steals in 33 games.

Buxton (hip) did some light baseball activities Monday but hasn't started running, MLB.com reports. "We're talking about someone that needs to be able to run, and run the way he can, when he returns," manager Rocco Baldelli said. "Again, he's not at that point yet. We're still building him up to the point where he can actually test it out."

The 27-year-old was ruled out multiple weeks after landing on the injured list with a Grade 2 hip strain suffered on May 6. It sounds like he's still far away from starting a rehab assignment.

Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 7-4 loss to the Angels.

The 26-year-old outfielder provided Cleveland's last run with his eighth-inning blast. He's done fairly well in a part-time role in May, slashing .278/.297/.528 with two homers, four RBI and five runs scored across 37 plate appearances. Jordan Luplow left Monday's game with a sprained left ankle, so Ramirez could be in line for more consistent playing time in the near future.

Reyes went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 7-4 loss to the Angels.

The 25-year-old went deep in the sixth inning for his 10th homer of the season. Reyes has posted an .867 OPS across 144 plate appearances, the best mark of his career. He's already surpassed his homer total from last season (nine in 59 games), and he's added 26 RBI, 19 runs scored and a stolen base in 2021.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Turner will receive the day off Tuesday against the Diamondbacks, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Chris Taylor is in the line to pick up the nod at third base while Turner heads to the bench following a string of 10 consecutive starts. Over that stretch, Turner went 7-for-37 (.189), but thanks to his strong play beforehand, his batting average is still only four points below .300 on the season. Expect Turner to rejoin the starting nine Wednesday following Tuesday's maintenance day.

Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer, two walks and two runs scored in Monday's 7-4 win over Cleveland.

Ohtani continues to impress on a nightly basis, this time crushing a neck-high fastball 431 feet for his league-leading 13th homer of the year. The two-way superstar owns a .925 OPS with 25 extra-base hits across 163 plate appearances. After a short six-game home run drought, Ohtani has gone deep three times in the last four games.

Mercedes went 3-for-6 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Monday's 16-4 rout of the Twins.

He capped off a wild night for the White Sox offense by taking position player Willians Astudillo deep in the ninth inning. Mercedes' fairy-tale season continues, and the 28-year-old rookie is hitting .364 with six homers and 25 RBI through 36 games.

Blackmon (groin) will sit for the third straight game Monday against the Padres, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Blackmon exited Friday's game against the Reds with a mild groin strain and hasn't been in the lineup since, though he did appear off the bench in both weekend contests. That suggests he could return to the lineup soon, but it's Yonathan Daza who will remain the starter Monday.

Belt (side) isn't starting Monday's game against the Reds, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Belt will be out of the lineup for a third straight game as he continues to battle side tightness. He underwent an MRI on Monday that came back clean, and he's considered day-to-day, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports. Darin Ruf will start at first base and bat fourth.