MLB Player News

Belt will serve as Toronto's designated hitter and No. 6 batter in Wednesday's game in Philadelphia.

Belt sat out against two of the four right-handed pitchers the Blue Jays faced in Boston last week, but he now finds himself in the starting nine versus a righty for the fourth day in a row. Though he benefited from Vladimir Guerrero being sidelined with a wrist injury for two of those games, Belt has earned back a strong-side platoon role by going 5-for-10 with three doubles, three walks, five runs and two RBI. Expect the lefty-hitting Belt to remain out of the lineup when the Blue Jays face southpaws, however.

Turner went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, two RBI and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 9-3 loss to Atlanta.

Turner went the opposite way in the sixth inning for a solo shot of Charlie Morton, his third home run of the season. The 38-year-old has been Boston's primary DH and is slashing .273/.360/.396. The homer was Turner's first since April 23.

Miller served as the designated hitter and went 0-for-4 in Tuesday's 5-0 loss to Seattle.

Miller entered Tuesday's game with just two plate appearances since his previous start April 26. He's part of a rotation in left field and DH that includes Ezequiel Duran, Robbie Grossman, Travis Jankowski (hamstring, IL) and Josh Smith. Duran and Smith have been getting at-bats at shortstop while Corey Seager (hamstring) is on the IL, but Seager starts a rehab assignment this week and could be re-evaluated early next week. That means the two fill-ins at short could become part of the left field/DH mix as early as next Monday.

Ohtani (4-1) took the loss Tuesday, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks over seven innings in a 3-1 loss to the Astros. He struck out seven.

Ohtani produced a quality start, but he was outdueled by Framber Valdez and picked up his first loss of the season. The Astros pushed three runs across in the fifth inning off a Martin Maldonado homer and Yordan Alvarez single. Ohtani has a 2.74 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 46 innings this season. At the plate, Ohtani didn't pick up a hit in three at bats.

Astros managers Dusty Baker told reporters before Tuesday's game against the Angels that Brantley (shoulder) has stopped hitting, but that it's not a setback, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Baker also told reporters that Brantley is getting "really close" to returning to action, but he still isn't quite ready for a return. The 35-year-old has missed all of the 2023 campaign while recovering from shoulder surgery, and while the words from Baker are encouraging, it's still a curious development for a player that appeared to be closing in on a return this week. Brantley could still return over the weekend, but this latest development could mean there's a change in plans.

The Orioles designated Torrens for assignment Tuesday.

Baltimore just acquired Torrens from the Cubs last week in exchange for cash considerations, but he's now been removed from both the 26-man and 40-man rosters. The 27-year-old catcher did not appear in a game during his short time with the O's.

Rooker went 1-for-3 with two walks and a run in a loss to the Yankees on Monday.

Rooker's standout season continued with another busy night Monday, one that pushed his on-base percentage to .441 over 118 plate appearances. The 28-year-old has a six-game on-base streak as well, and his array of impressive season-long metrics include a 16.1 percent walk rate, .469 wOBA, .362 ISO and a .304 average with runners in scoring position.

Astros manager Dusty Baker told reporters that Brantley (shoulder) is with the team in Los Angeles after coming through his rehab fine, but he isn't quite ready to be activated off the 10-day injured list, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Baker's exact words were that Brantley is "almost ready, but not quite ready." Brantley hasn't been able to play in 2023 while recovering from surgery on his right shoulder he underwent late last summer, but the fact he's been able to play in games with no reported issues is a positive development. If Brantley isn't activated for the series against the Angels, there's a very good chance he's ready to roll for the series against the White Sox in Chicago over the weekend.

Ramirez is not in the Rays' lineup for Monday's game against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

It's the second time in the last three contests and third time over the last five games that Ramirez has been on the bench. Yandy Diaz will get to rest his legs a bit in the designated hitter spot, while Luke Raley will cover first base.

Belt went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Sunday's win over the Pirates.

Getting the start at first base in place of Vladimir Guerrero (wrist) and batting fifth, Belt put together his second straight multi-hit performance as he finally begins to look comfortable in a Blue Jays uniform. Over his last 10 games, the former Giant is batting .313 (10-for-32) with four doubles and a homer, although he also has 14 strikeouts during that stretch. If Guerrero's wrist continues to bother him, Belt figures to pick up more playing time in the short term, but at the very least he seems to be re-establishing himself as Toronto's top option at DH against right-handed pitching.