MLB Player News

Pederson is not in the lineup Tuesday against the A's, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Pederson will find his usual seat on the bench with a left-hander (Sean Manaea) toeing the rubber for the opposition. The Dodgers will deploy an outfield consisting of Chris Taylor, Enrique Hernandez and Yasiel Puig (from left to right) in this one.

Manager Bruce Bochy said Belt (knee) could return sometime during the Giants' upcoming series against the Dodgers, which starts Monday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Belt has been taking grounders at first base for the past couple of days and is nearing a return from the disabled list. The 30-year-old is hoping to resume running this week, and if all goes well he could rejoin the Giants' starting lineup early next week. That said, with Clayton Kershaw set to start for the Dodgers on Monday, Belt -- who is just 4-for-54 (.074) with 28 strikeouts in his career against Kershaw -- likely wouldn't return to the fold until Tuesday or Wednesday. Until then, Austin Slater and Buster Posey should continue to cover first base in his absence.

Ozuna went 3-for-4 in a loss to the Marlins on Monday.

The outfielder enjoyed his first return to Marlins Park, serving as one of the few offensive bright spots for the Cardinals on a night where their bats were mostly dormant. Ozuna has opened August hitting .333 (8-for-24) over the first six games of the month, and he's reached safely in 12 of his last 14 contests overall. All three components of his .269/.314/.391 season line are still under his career numbers, but Ozuna offered some reason for optimism by smacking a trio of homers over the last four games of July.

Belt (knee) took grounders for the second straight day Monday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Belt was reportedly working a little more aggressively during Monday's fielding session. He's hoping to resume running later in the week, after which a more concrete return date will hopefully come into focus. The first baseman has been on the disabled list since July 26 with a bone bruise in his knee. Belt said he expects to wear a knee brace once activated. In the meantime, Austin Slater will continue to fill in for Belt at first base.

Blackmon is not in the lineup Monday against the Pirates, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Blackmon will sit for the first time in over a month. David Dahl will start in center field for the Rockies.

Carpenter went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in a win over the Pirates on Sunday.

Carpenter temporarily had the National League homer lead all to himself after blasting his 29th round tripper in the fifth inning. Although the Rockies' Nolan Arenado eventually drew even with him later in the day, Carpenter's offensive exploits over the last two months-plus are nothing short of astounding at this point. The veteran infielder has hit 26 of his homers over the last 67 games, a stretch during which he sports an MLB-best .722 slugging percentage, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports. Carpenter has now left the yard in three straight games and reached safely in 24 consecutive games overall, pushing his season line to a steadily ascending .282/.394/.593.

Reyes started in right field and went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's win over the Cubs.

The rookie got a rare start with Travis Jankowski sitting against a southpaw. Hunter Renfroe has benefited most from Wil Myers' (foot) placement on the disabled list, so Reyes figures to serve a fourth-outfielder role for the time being. The 22-year-old has flashed plus power in a limited role (seven homers over 114 plate appearances), so he could gain fantasy value down the stretch if a spot in the outfield opens up.

Harper went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Sunday's win over the Reds.

Harper delivered an RBI double in the third inning to extend Washington's lead to two. He managed to make a significant impact after it was unclear whether he'd take the field in the series finale. Harper was struck by a pitch on the knee Saturday, but he recorded his 68th RBI of the season the following day, and he should be good to go moving forward, especially with a scheduled off-day Monday.

Turner is out of the lineup Sunday against the Astros.

The Dodgers are just giving Turner a pre-planned rest after the third baseman played three consecutive games upon returning from the 10-day disabled list Thursday. Turner is slated to return to the lineup for the Dodgers' next game Tuesday in Oakland, serving in his usual role in the field or as the club's designated hitter.

Carpenter went 2-for-4 with a double, a solo home run, two walks and two runs in a win over the Pirates on Saturday.

At this point, it seems as if opposing teams should just automatically spot Carpenter first base in at least half of his at-bats. The veteran infielder now sports a .982 OPS, while his 61 extra-base hits have him on pace to easily eclipse the career-high 75 he compiled in 2015 over 208 additional plate appearances. Factoring in Saturday's production, Carpenter has reached safely in 23 straight games.