MLB Player News

Belt is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Belt is stuck in a 4-for-34 (.118) slump and the Giants are facing lefty Madison Bumgarner on Monday, so he will get a day to clear his head. Wilmer Flores will start at first base for the Giants.

Ford was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

Ford served mainly as a depth piece after being claimed off waivers in late June, and he will head to the minors with Eddie Rosario rejoining the big club Monday. Ford figures to be an option next time Atlanta needs to bring up a bat from the minor-league ranks.

Ozuna went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in a 4-3 loss to the Reds on Sunday.

Ozuna went deep twice to give him 16 home runs and 34 RBI on the season. The 31-year-old right-handed power bat is on pace for his best home run total since 2017, when he went yard 37 times while playing for the Marlins. However, Ozuna's .227 average and .280 OBP are considerably down from his career numbers. His .244 BABIP and .276 xBA suggest that he could have been the victim of some bad hitter's luck thus far and is perhaps due for his numbers to normalize over the rest of the season.

Ruf will serve as the Giants' designated hitter and No. 7 batter in Sunday's game against the White Sox, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Since both Brandon Belt and LaMonte Wade returned from the injured list in June, Ruf has faded into a short-side platoon role, but he'll get a look in the lineup versus a right-handed starting pitcher (Lucas Giolito) in the series finale. Ruf will be filling in as the Giants' DH in place of the lefty-hitting Tommy La Stella, who looks to be receiving some routine maintenance.

The Giants recalled Mercedes from Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday.

Though he was optioned to Sacramento on Wednesday, Mercedes will be eligible to rejoin the big club less than a week later after Thairo Estrada (illness) was placed on the COVID-19-related injured list Sunday in a corresponding move. The righty-hitting Mercedes will likely serve as a short-side platoon option at either first base or designated hitter while he's up with the Giants.

Canha is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.

Canha will retreat to the bench after he went 3-for-33 with a home run and four RBI while starting in nine of the Mets' last 10 games. Jeff McNeil will replace Canha in the outfield in the series finale.

Blackmon went 2-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI on Saturday against the Diamondbacks.

Blackmon has gone 8-for-18 with a home run, two doubles, four RBI and five runs scored through four games of the Rockies' current homestand. He's also maintained a .472 slugging percentage across 308 plate appearances for the season -- his highest mark since 2019.

Turner went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 7-2 win over the Padres.

Turner knocked a solo shot for the Dodgers' third homer in the first inning. He added a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning. The third baseman has five multi-hit efforts in his last 11 games, going 13-for-37 (.351) in that span. It's a not-too-unfamiliar hot stretch for Turner, but his season slash line is at .229/.300/.385 after a cold first half of the campaign. He's added seven homers, 43 RBI, 35 runs scored, a stolen base and 20 doubles through 72 contests, though he's certainly trending in the right direction.

Hummel was recalled from Triple-A Reno on Saturday.

Hummel hit just .178 over 41 major-league games to begin the season, but he performed much better after being demoted to the minors. He slashed .346/.477/.500 with two homers, 13 runs, seven RBI and two stolen bases over 14 games in Reno and will rejoin the big-league club after Pavin Smith was sent down.

Blackmon went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 9-3 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Blackmon celebrated his 36th birthday with a solo shot in the eighth inning, but that was little more than window dressing in the lopsided loss. The veteran outfielder has gone 7-for-18 (.389) with three extra-base hits in his last four contests. He's up to 13 homers, 42 RBI, 39 runs scored and a pair of stolen bases while slashing .267/.318/.469 across 303 plate appearances.