MLB Player News

Stanton could be deployed as an outfielder, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

It's hard to say how seriously the team is considering this, but the motive would obviously be to be able to get players like Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge some starts at designated hitter while keeping Stanton's bat in the lineup. This would be a nice boon for Stanton's fantasy managers, as it would give them more roster flexibility if Stanton were to play enough in the outfield to add that eligibility.

Alvarez was placed on the injured list Wednesday with no injury designation, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

He was held out of Wednesday's lineup against the Mariners for what manager Dusty Baker called "health and safety" reasons, so Alvarez presumably was either exposed to someone with COVID-19 or is showing symptoms, although we can't be sure at this juncture. Taylor Jones was recalled in a corresponding move.

Buxton went 5-for-5 with a solo home run, two doubles a stolen base and an additional run scored during Wednesday's 10-2 win at Cleveland.

The 27-year-old matched Cleveland's hit total by himself and has now homered in back-to-back contests. Buxton is playing like one of the best players in baseball to open 2021 with a .438/.471/.938 slash line, eight homers, eight doubles, two stolen bases, 14 RBI and 14 runs through 17 games.

Pederson (wrist) took batting practice at the Cubs' alternate training site Wednesday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Pederson has made good progress since he was placed on the injured list April 21, and he faced live pitching Wednesday. Manager David Ross said Wednesday that he isn't yet sure how Pederson felt after his hitting session, but the left fielder appears to be trending in the right direction.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said that Alvarez would be held out of the lineup Wednesday against the Mariners due to health and safety protocols, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Houston hasn't formally placed Alvarez on the COVID-19 injured list, so the 23-year-old may just be absent from the lineup as a precaution rather than as the result of a positive COVID-19 test or due to close contact with an infected person. Alvarez previously spent a week on the COVID-19 IL earlier this month, missing five games as a result. Baker said that Michael Brantley would handle designated-hitter duties Wednesday with Alvarez out.

Stanton went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in a victory over Baltimore on Tuesday.

Stanton accounted for the final run of the contest with a 434-foot shot to center field in the seventh inning. The blast was his sixth this season and upped his RBI total to 15. The slugger leads MLB with a 98.3 mph average exit velocity, though he is batting only .205 thus far.

Belt went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and three runs scored Tuesday against the Rockies.

Belt has had a shaky start to the season, but he did manage to put together his second multi-hit effort in his last four starts. The highlight was his fourth home run of the season, which was a solo blast in the fifth inning. Belt is now hitting .217/.333/.467 with 10 runs scored and nine RBI across 72 plate appearances for the campaign.

Winker went 3-for-5 with a double, a solo home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's win over the Dodgers.

Winker led off the game with a solo blast, and he has now homered in three consecutive games. His productive streak extends well beyond that stretch as he also has a 12-game hitting streak, during which he's managed five home runs, 12 RBI and 10 runs scored. Among the hottest hitters in the game, Winker has done plenty to solidify his status as the club's leadoff hitter going forward.

Harper went 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Cardinals.

Harper doubled in the first and then singled and stole second in the ninth for his 100th career stolen base, accounting for two of the team's three total hits on the night. The 28-year-old has been an extremely difficult out at the plate over the last nine games, slashing .441/.525/.882 to go along with a 1.084 OPS. Harper does happen to be one of the best first-month hitters in MLB history with a lifetime 1.030 OPS in March/April. That number is more than 100 points better than his best mark in any other month. so it will be interesting to see if he can keep up his production as the season drags on into the summer and beyond.

Solak went 3-for-4 with two home runs, three runs, two RBI and a strikeout as Texas beat Los Angeles 6-1 on Tuesday.

Solak bookended the game's scoring with a solo home runs in the first and seventh innings and scored an additional run on Joey Gallo's home run in the third. After hitting only two home runs in 58 games last season, Solak already has seven in 24 games this year.