MLB Player News

Belt is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.

Belt is 0-for-9 with two walks and four strikeouts in his past three games and will head to the bench Sunday with southpaw Marco Gonzales pitching for Seattle. Alejandro Kirk will rest his legs as the designated hitter while Danny Jansen works behind the plate.

Buxton went 1-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Royals.

The 29-year-old accounted for all of the Twins' offense, crossing the plate in the fourth inning on a Brad Keller wild pitch before taking Taylor Clarke deep in the seventh. Buxton has been flexing his muscles lately, with four of his six homers on the season coming in his last seven games -- a stretch in which he's also driven in eight runs.

Ramirez was out of the lineup Saturday against the White Sox.

Jose Siri's return has crowded the Rays' lineup, and Ramirez is the early playing time loser by sitting in three of the team's last five games. Particularly alarming for Ramirez is that the team has opted to keep Taylor Walls in the lineup due to his strong defense, which has forced Brandon Lowe to serve as the designated hitter -- one of Ramirez's primary paths to playing time. Even with a 1.033 OPS across 76 plate appearances, Ramirez's role with the club is currently unclear.

Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a walk and a double Saturday against the Phillies.

Alvarez returned from a four-game absence caused by a neck injury and hit third while serving as the designated hitter. He was one of the few bright spots in the Astros' lineup as he managed to reach base at least three times for the third time in 21 games this season. Overall, Alvarez is hitting .269/.383/.551 across 94 plate appearances.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Saturday that Brantley (shoulder) will play some first base on his minor-league rehab assignment, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Baker added that Brantley will see action at first base here and there once he returns to the active roster, probably around the second week of May. The rehabbing veteran started in left field in his first three games with Triple-A Sugar Land before taking a turn at designated hitter Friday. He's on his way back from surgery last August to repair the labrum in his right shoulder.

Alvarez (neck) is back in the starting lineup Saturday against the Phillies, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez will serve as the Astros' designated hitter and bat third versus the Phillies and right-hander Zack Wheeler after missing nearly a full week of action because of neck tightness. He returns Saturday to a .900 OPS with six home runs and a whopping 27 RBI through 20 games.

Rooker went 3-for-3 with a two-run home run and two runs scored in Friday's loss to the Reds.

Rooker has been a much-needed bright spot for this struggling Athletics team. The former Twin is now tied for fifth in the league with his eight long balls and sports an impressive 1.213 OPS through 62 at-bats. The outfielder is already about to pass his career-high of nine homers in a season, which he hit in 2021 for Minnesota.

Astros manager Dusty Baker told reporters that Alvarez (neck) is doing better and currently participating in pregame activities, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

When asked if Alvarez was available off the bench for Friday's game against the Phillies, Baker wouldn't say, claiming that the opposition "might be listening." Alvarez is missing his fourth consecutive contest due to tightness in his neck, but it's obviously a positive sign that the slugger is participating in warmups. Assuming no setbacks, there's a good chance he's back in the lineup for Houston by the end of the weekend.

Manager Dusty Baker told reporters before Friday's game against the Phillies that Brantley (shoulder) doesn't have an at-bat or innings threshold to reach on his rehab assignment before rejoining the Astros, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

"We kind of leave that up to Mike a little bit," Baker said when asked about when the veteran outfielder will be ready. Brantley has yet to make his 2023 debut while recovering from right shoulder labrum surgery he underwent in August, and he's played three rehab games thus far for Triple-A Sugar Land. Assuming no setbacks, it seems likely that Brantley is up with the Astros in the early part of May.

Alvarez (neck) is out of the lineup again Friday versus the Phillies, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Alvarez hasn't appeared in a game since last Sunday due to a lingering neck injury, but the fact that the Astros have yet to place him on the IL suggests that there have been recent signs of progress. Rylan Bannon will serve as the DH and bat eighth Friday in the series opener of this World Series rematch with Philadelphia. Corey Julks is in left field and hitting sixth.