MLB Player News

Belt went 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run and two RBI in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Red Sox.

He got the Jays on the board with a third-inning solo shot off Nick Pivetta over the Green Monster in left-center field. Belt has three multi-hit performances in his last four games, rapping out two doubles and two homers among his six hits, and since the All-Star break he's slashing .263/.368/.544 in 68 plate appearances with four of his 10 long balls on the season. He still sees little action against left-handed pitching, although he did collect an RBI single Saturday off Brennan Bernardino, but Belt is finally beginning to give Toronto a consistent DH option against righties -- the job he was signed to do in the offseason.

Jimenez (heel) is batting cleanup as the designated hitter Saturday against the Guardians.

Jimenez sat out the past two games due to heel soreness but will rejoin the lineup for Saturday's contest. The 26-year-old has a .314/.364/.431 slash line with three doubles, a homer, seven RBI and four runs in 16 games since the All-Star break.

Turner (heel) is batting third as the designated hitter Saturday against the Blue Jays, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Turner hasn't seen the field since Monday while nursing a bruised left heel, but he'll return to the starting nine for Saturday's contest. The veteran slugger has a .909 OPS in 15 games since the All-Star break and will attempt to pick up where he left off prior to the injury.

Stanton went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Friday in a loss to Houston.

Stanton plated the final run in a losing effort for New York with his 435-foot blast to left field in the eighth inning. The slugger has gone deep in each of his last three games, going 4-for-11 and driving in seven runs over that stretch. Stanton's power surge extends back to July 8 -- he's belted 10 homers in 21 games since that date, though he's hitting a modest .218 during that stretch.

Ramirez went 3-for-5 with one RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 8-0 win over the Tigers.

Ramirez is quietly batting .290 this season to go along with nine homers, four steals, 38 RBI and 37 runs scored. The Rays' roster is crowded and he often finds himself out of the starting lineup against right-handed pitchers, but he's not in a strict platoon role. Curtis Mead's promotion creates even more competition for playing time, but Ramirez should continue to start roughly four days per week.

Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's win over the Yankees.

Alvarez is up to 20 home runs on the season and has hit safely in each of his eight games since returning from a 39-game stint on the injured list. His 1.017 OPS is nearly identical to last season and despite the missed time, he's still on pace for a third consecutive season with 30 or more homers. A healthy Alvarez remains one of the best hitters in the game and a stalwart in the heart of the Astros lineup.

Ford is out of the lineup again Friday versus the Angels.

Ford is slashing just .130/.216/.283 with 25 strikeouts over his last 51 plate appearances dating back to July 15 and seems to have been relegated to a bench role. Cal Raleigh is serving as the Mariners' designated hitter Friday as Tom Murphy handles the catching duties.

Twins bench coach Jayce Tingler said Friday that Buxton (hamstring) will be shut down for the next two weeks, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Buxton was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday due to nagging tightness in his right hamstring that has since been diagnosed as a muscle strain. The team will see how he responds to the two-week shutdown period before attempting to map out a timetable for his return. Matt Wallner is serving as Minnesota's designated hitter Friday night against the Diamondbacks.

Ohtani (hand) is serving as the designated hitter and batting second Friday versus the Mariners.

Ohtani was pulled from his start Thursday night against Seattle due to renewed cramping in his right hand, but the issue doesn't seem to affect him when he hits. It's unclear when he might take the mound again, but the two-way superstar can keep padding his terrific offensive totals in the meantime.

Jimenez is out of the lineup Friday at Cleveland due to a sore heel, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

This may be something of a lingering issue for Jimenez, who was limited to pinch-hitting duties in Thursday's series finale against the Rangers. Oscar Colas is serving as Chicago's designated hitter Friday against the Guardians and Andrew Benintendi, Luis Robert and Trayce Thompson will start across the outfield.