MLB Player News

Ohtani went 0-for-3 with two walks and a stolen base in Sunday's loss to Oakland.

Ohtani has gone 10 games without a homer, but he's reached base at a .479 clip over that stretch thanks largely to a 27.1 percent walk rate. The slugger has taken advantage of all the walks by swiping three bags during the homerless span, pushing his season total to 20 thefts. He and Ronald Acuna are the only big-leaguers so far this season with at least 30 homers and 20 steals. Ohtani is now one of eight players in MLB history to put up multiple 40-20 campaigns.

Belt is being kept away from the Blue Jays on Monday because of a stomach virus, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Belt has missed time with a back issue recently, but it would appear the stomach virus is the main reason for his absence from the lineup for a second straight day. Consider him day-to-day. Vladimir Guerrero is at designated hitter and Spencer Horwitz is playing first base Monday.

Belt (back) is not in the lineup for Monday's game in Oakland.

Belt has now missed three straight starts and five of the last six games with a nagging back issue. The Blue Jays haven't seemed concerned that it could lead to a stint on the injured list, but the odds that it will increase as his absence lingers. Vladimir Guerrero is at designated hitter and Spencer Horwitz is playing first base Monday.

Alvarez (knee) is starting at designated hitter and batting third Monday versus the Rangers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez banged his knee while playing the outfield in Sunday's loss to the Yankees, but he finished out that game and won't have to miss Monday's key division matchup against the Rangers. The slugger enters play Monday having reached base a whopping 22 times over his last eight games.

Ford went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in a loss to the Mets on Sunday.

Ford went back-to-back with Dominic Canzone in leaving the yard during the fourth inning, allowing the Mariners to close a four-run deficit to one. Ford has reached safely in six straight games, an encouraging stretch during which he's posted a .333 average (5-for-15) with two homers, three RBI, three walks, a hit-by-pitch and four runs.

Horwitz went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's win over Colorado.

Horwitz was a last-minute lineup replacement for Brandon Belt, who was a late scratch due to back tightness. The rookie made an immediate impact in his first start since being recalled from Triple-A on Friday. His first career home run was a solo shot in the fourth. He followed that up with an RBI single in the fifth, then added another single in the seventh. Horwitz's playing time moving forward will likely hinge on how much time, if any, Belt is forced to miss.

Alvarez banged his knee during Sunday's loss to the Yankees but was able to remain in the game, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez tripped while tracking down a flyball during Sunday's game but was able to remain in the contest following a lengthy discussion with a trainer. He went 1-for-4 in the loss, and manager Dusty Baker said after the matchup that the team will have to wait to see how Alvarez feels Monday before determining his status for the series opener against the Rangers.

Stanton is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at Houston.

Stanton started the previous six games and will receive a day off after he went 6-for-26 with two homers, four RBI, five runs and 10 strikeouts during that stretch. Aaron Judge will rest his legs as the Yankees' designated hitter Sunday while Everson Pereira, Jasson Dominguez and Oswaldo Cabrera start from left to right in the outfield.

The Blue Jays scratched Belt from the lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the Rockies due to lower-back tightness.

Just 10 minutes before Sunday's 3:10 p.m. ET opening pitch, the Blue Jays opted to hold Belt out of the lineup while he continues to deal with the back issues that first cropped up this past Tuesday. After missing three days, Belt returned to the lineup for the first two games of the series in Colorado, going 2-for-5 with a solo home run, a walk and two additional runs. Spencer Horwitz was added to the lineup as a replacement for Belt and will start at first base and bat fifth Sunday.

Rooker went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in a win over the Angels on Saturday.

Rooker's 23rd blast of the season was a noteworthy one, a 436-foot shot with Ryan Noda aboard in the fourth inning that would prove to be the difference in the game despite it coming relatively early in the contest. Rooker has been swinging a particularly productive bat since mid-August despite still struggling with making consistent contact -- he owns a .277 average and .852 OPS over his last 17 games, a stretch that includes eight extra-base hits (four doubles, four homers) and eight RBI.