MLB Player News

Choi isn't starting Sunday against the Diamondbacks.

Choi's recent offensive struggles have made the Padres more willing to use other players from their lineup in the DH spot, which is exactly what they will do Sunday. Xander Bogaerts will serve as San Diego's designated hitter, moving Ha-Seong Kim to shortstop, Jake Cronenworth to second and Garrett Cooper in at first base.

Encarnacion-Strand (hand) is hitting sixth and starting at designated hitter in Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader against the Pirates.

Encarnacion-Strand was hit by a pitch Friday and removed from the game. X-rays were negative, but he was still held out Saturday. Encarnacion-Strand is hitting .286 with two home runs, four runs and six RBI over his last 10 games.

Soler is out of the lineup Sunday against the Yankees.

Soler is not in Miami's lineup for the second consecutive game. This comes after he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts against the Yankees on Friday. What appeared to be a breather Saturday may be a little more. Josh Bell will start in the designated hitter spot again and Yuli Gurriel will start at first.

Martinez (hamstring) will sit Sunday, though he will be available to pinch hit, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.

Manager Dave Roberts said following Saturday's 4-1 victory that Martinez will not start Sunday, and the expectation is the veteran slugger will return to the lineup Tuesday against the Brewers after Monday's team off day. Martinez last started a game this past Sunday versus San Diego.

Vogelbach went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run in a 21-3 loss to Atlanta during the first game of Saturday's doubleheader.

Getting the start at DH and batting fifth, Vogelbach ended up providing the Mets with their only offense of the entire day when he took Michael Tonkin deep in the eighth inning -- they were shut out 6-0 in the nightcap. It's the veteran slugger's eighth homer of the year and first since July 25, and after going 1-for-2 with a walk in the second contest of the twin bill, Vogelbach is slashing .223/.324/.367 through 215 plate appearances on the season.

Blackmon (hand) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Albuquerque on Saturday.

Blackmon has been on the injured list since June 11 with a fracture in his right hand, but he finally seems to be approaching a return to the lineup. The Rockies haven't specified how many games Blackmon will play in during his assignment, but there's a chance he's activated Monday ahead of Colorado's next homestand. The veteran outfielder was slashing .265/.347/.422 through 242 plate appearances before getting injured.

Martinez (hamstring) is not in the starting lineup Saturday versus the Rockies.

As expected, Martinez will remain on the bench for another contest Saturday while nursing an injured hamstring. The plan is to see if he can go in Sunday's series finale, but for the time being, Will Smith will slot in at designated hitter while Austin Barnes enters the lineup at catcher and bats ninth against Colorado.

Pederson isn't in the Giants' lineup Saturday against the Rangers, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Southpaw Andrew Heaney will draw the start for Texas, so Pederson will take a seat for the start of Saturday's game. Luis Matos, Austin Slater and Heliot Ramos will start in San Francisco's outfield from left to right.

Choi isn't in the Padres' lineup Saturday against Arizona.

Choi hasn't collected a hit (0-for-12) since July 29, so he'll miss out on a start Saturday. Fernando Tatis will step in as the Padres' DH, allowing Jose Azocar to start in right field and bat eighth.

Encarnacion-Strand (hand) isn't in the Reds' lineup Saturday against the Pirates.

Encarnacion-Strand made an early exit from Friday's contest after taking a pitch to the hand and will get an extra day to recover. Henry Ramos will serve as Cincinnati's designated hitter Saturday, and Joey Votto will start at first base.