MLB Player News

Belt had an MRI on his sore knee which showed no significant injury, and he's available off the bench Saturday against the Reds, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Belt had said he didn't believe the injury was a serious one, and the test agreed with him. Pablo Sandoval is starting Saturday but could head back to the bench Sunday.

Belt (knee) is on the bench Saturday against the Reds, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Belt left Friday's game with knee soreness and will require at least one game on the bench. He reportedly doesn't believe the injury to be a serious one, though the Giants have yet to set a clear timeline for his return. Pablo Sandoval gets the start at first base in his absence.

Ramirez's contract was selected by the Marlins on Saturday, and he'll head straight into the starting lineup against the Mets, batting seventh and playing left field, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Ramirez hit a blistering .355/.408/.591 in 31 games for Triple-A New Orleans. The Marlins have very few locked-down roles anywhere on their roster, so he could have a shot to win a steady job should he impress in his first few games.

Belt (knee) was lifted from Friday's loss to the Reds after experiencing soreness in his right knee while running out a ground ball in the eighth inning, Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Schulman pointed out that Belt's soreness was in the same knee that he has had two separate surgeries on throughout his career. That said, the first baseman insisted that the injury should not be considered serious, which should relieve fantasy owners until further news is revealed. Belt has battled through knee soreness already this season, so we will consider him day-to-day heading into Saturday's contest against Cincinnati.

Blackmon went 2-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored in Friday's 12-2 win over the Padres.

The veteran outfielder had a somewhat sluggish April, but Blackmon's now hit safely in eight straight games to begin May, pushing his slash line up to .301/.364/.526. He's got five homers, two steals, 21 RBI and 26 runs through 36 games, and as long as he's hitting at the top of the lineup and calling Coors Field home, Blackmon should remain a strong fantasy asset.

Turner isn't starting Friday's game against Washington.

Turner is set for a night off after smashing four homers in his last three contests. Max Muncy will move to the hot corner and David Freese will enter the lineup at first base with Turner out of the mix.

Winker (quadriceps) is back in the lineup Friday against the Giants after missing two straight games.

Winker had been dealing with a quad strain, but the issue was considered to be minor, and he's back in action quickly as expected. The 25-year-old hasn't performed according to expectations this season, though not entirely in a bad way. He's seen his batting average drop from .299 to .237 but already has a career-high nine homers.

Carpenter went 2-for-4 with an RBI single, two walks and three runs in a win over the Pirates on Thursday.

Carpenter helped set the table from his leadoff spot in an offensive extravaganza for the Cardinals. The veteran infielder is hitting a modest .250 across the first nine games of May, but that still represents a notable uptick for him. Carpenter's average sat at .190 after he started the month with an 0-for-12 tally over the first three contests, but he's bounced back by going 8-for-24 with a home run, four RBI, four walks and five runs over the subsequent six outings.

Ozuna went 1-for-4 with a three-run double, an RBI fielder's choice, two walks and two runs in a win over the Pirates on Thursday.

On a night of prolific offensive efforts, Ozuna's four RBI paced the Cardinals. The slugging outfielder's .244 average has plenty of room for improvement, but he's been a run-producing machine all season. After racking up an impressive 28 RBI in April, Ozuna now has six thus far in May after snapping out of a brief 0-for-11 slump with Thursday's effort.

Pederson is not in the lineup Thursday against the Nationals, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

As per usual, Pederson will retreat to the bench for Thursday's series opener with southpaw Patrick Corbin starting for the opposition. Chris Taylor is starting in left field and hitting seventh in this one.