MLB Player News

Belt (knee) isn't expected to be ready to return from the injured list when first eligible Sunday, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Belt received a cortisone shot and had his knee drained last weekend, and he remains in San Francisco to rehab while the team embarks on a 10-game road trip. Whether or not he'll join the team at some point during the trip remains to be seen.

Hummel will sit Friday against the Dodgers.

Hummel was starting regularly before he hit the COVDI-19 injured list in mid-May, but he's now been back for two days and has yet to re-enter the starting lineup. David Peralta starts in left field, while Daulton Varsho serves as the designated hitter.

Ozuna (abdomen) will return to the lineup as expected for Friday's game against the Marlins, batting third and playing left field.

Ozuna was scratched from Thursday's series finale against the Phillies due to lower abdominal tightness, but reports indicated it would only be a one-game absence. That will indeed be the case, which is great news for Atlanta, as Ozuna is riding a 12-game hitting streak.

Ozuna (abdomen) will return to the lineup Friday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Ozuna was scratched from Thursday's game but the issue won't keep him sidelined for long. He's swung the bat well of late, collecting at least one hit in each of his last 12 games while smacking four home runs and collecting eight RBI and six runs scored.

Ozuna was scratched from the lineup for Thursday's game against the Phillies due to lower abdominal tightness.

Although Ozuna was removed from Thursday's lineup less than an hour before the start of the game, his injury doesn't seem like a significant concern since he'll be available off the bench. However, Orlando Arcia will enter the lineup in left field and bat eighth.

Hummel isn't starting Thursday against the Dodgers.

Although Hummel was activated from the COVID-19 injured list ahead of Thursday's series opener against the Dodgers, he'll be out of the lineup. The 27-year-old should serve as the Diamondbacks' primary designated hitter now that he's healthy, but Christian Walker will serve as the DH while Jake McCarthy enters the lineup in right field Thursday.

Hummel (illness) was activated from the COVID-19 injured list Thursday.

Hummel was placed on the COVID-19 IL last week and will rejoin the Diamondbacks ahead of Thursday's series opener against the Dodgers. The 27-year-old has appeared in 32 games in his first taste of big-league action this year and has a .190/.313/.354 slash line with two home runs, eight RBI and two stolen bases.

Blackmon went 1-for-3 with two walks Wednesday against the Pirates.

Blackmon has one hit in nine of his last 10 starts, but none have been multi-hit efforts. He's smacked two home runs in that span, also collecting four RBI and five runs scored. Overall, he has maintained a .221/.289/.393 line across 163 plate appearances on the season.

Soler went 1-for-4 with one homer, one RBI and one run scored in Wednesday's loss against the Rays.

After striking out in his first plate appearance, Soler blasted a leadoff homer in the fourth to cut Tampa Bay's lead to 5-1. It was the slugger's seventh home run in May and his ninth of the season. Soler is currently slashing .207/.292/.725 with 22 RBI and 16 walks.

Morel is leading off for the third straight game Thursday against the Reds.

Morel is not a true pop-up prospect, as he has been on the periphery of Cubs top prospect lists for half a decade, but his performance at Double-A and the majors this year has represented a massive shift in quality of play. He is hitting .296/.406/.556 with two home runs and one steal in eight games since his call-up and his hard-hit metrics largely support this strong start. Now that Nico Hoerner is healthy, it appears Morel will get most of his work in center field. It's unclear if Morel will be able to stick up once Jason Heyward is activated from the COVID-19 injured list.