MLB Player News

Ruf is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Ruf had started each of the Giants' last seven games at first base and went 6-for-25 with two home runs and two doubles over that stretch, but he'll retreat to the bench Wednesday with Brandon Belt making his return to the lineup after being activated from the 10-day injured list earlier this week. Belt is serving as a designated hitter Wednesday but should eventually settle back in as a full-time first baseman, which will likely result in the righty-hitting Ruf seeing most of his starts against left-handed pitching moving forward.

Blackmon went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in a 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Guardians on Tuesday.

The Rockies' leadoff man went yard for the 10th time this season -- and third in his past eight games -- to tie the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh. The blast came off Guardians ace Shane Bieber and led to him being pulled from the game one batter later. The 35-year-old left-handed hitter is slashing .251/.307/.439 and should continue to benefit from hitting at or near the top of the order in Coors Field.

Belt (knee) was activated from the 10-day injured list but isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Royals, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Belt has been sidelined for more than three weeks due to inflammation in his right knee, but he'll rejoin the active roster ahead of Tuesday's matchup with Kansas City. The 34-year-old isn't starting with lefty Kris Bubic pitching for the Royals, but the first baseman should start Wednesday against righty Jonathan Heasley.

Vientos (knee) returned from Triple-A Syracuse's 7-day injured list Sunday and went 1-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in the club's 10-1 win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Vientos is back in action after missing a week and a half due to knee discomfort. The 2017 second-round pick is slashing .248/.331/.482 with eight home runs through his 160 plate appearances with Syracuse this season.

Canha will sit Tuesday against Milwaukee.

Canha owns a .930 OPS over his last seven games, going hitless just once over that stretch. He'll rest his legs Tuesday, with Jeff McNeil starting in left field.

Vogelbach will be on the bench for the first half of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Cardinals.

The Cardinals will send out southpaw Matthew Liberatore in the first game of the day, and the lefty-hitting Vogelbach will be stuck on the bench. Righty Miles Mikolas will be on the mound for the nightcap, so expect Vogelbach to return to action this evening.

Ozuna went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Monday's 9-5 win over the Nationals.

Ozuna took Nationals starter Erasmo Ramirez deep in the third inning. The long ball was Ozuna's first since his two-homer game May 29 versus the Marlins, and he's added just three doubles in that rather power-dry stretch. The slugger is up to a .227/.269/.403 slash line with 11 homers, 25 RBI, 28 runs scored, two stolen bases and eight doubles through 59 contests. He should continue to see a regular role as the designated hitter, but he lost his spot as the No. 3 hitter early in June and has batted sixth or seventh in his last seven starts. Ozuna's also seen himself occasionally on the bench against right-handed pitchers lately.

Belt (knee) could be activated from the 10-day injured list during San Francisco's three-game series with Kansas City, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Belt is feeling strong, per Pavlovic, though the team has yet to set a firm date for his activation. The Giants appear to be taking it day-by-day with the first baseman.

The Padres optioned Rooker to Triple-A El Paso on Sunday.

Rooker's stint with the Padres lasted just one day after he didn't appear in either game of Saturday's doubleheader with the Rockies when he was called up to serve as the club's 27th man. He still has yet to make his San Diego debut.

Pederson remains on the bench Sunday against the Dodgers, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Pederson owns an excellent .268/.339/.564 line on the the season, but that hasn't convinced the Giants to use him in anything more than a platoon role. He sat against lefty Clayton Kershaw on Saturday and remains on the bench against Julio Urias here, with Heliot Ramos starting in left field.