MLB Player News

Bell is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Rangers.

Bell will get a breather Friday after making nine consecutive starts, as he cedes DH duties to Alex Call while Nathaniel Lowe starts at first base. During his nine-game starting streak, Bell went 11-for-33 (.333) with three homers and a 4:2 BB:K.

Marte went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, a double, a walk and two runs scored during Thursday's 6-5 loss to the Dodgers.

Marte picked up his first multi-hit game since May, reaching in four of five plate appearances Thursday. That included his fourth home run of the season and first in June. The 36-year-old, who entered the game with just four hits in his last 17 at-bats, will hope this game can get him going as his current batting average of .240 in 104 at-bats is on track for the lowest of his career.

Herrera went 3-for-7 with a two-run home run and a walk as the Cardinals split Thursday's doubleheader versus the Royals.

Herrera was the designated hitter for both games, which continues to be his main place in the lineup. The matinee was his first multi-hit effort since May 20, ending a stretch of 11 contests where he went a meager 6-for-38 (.158). For the season, Herrera is at a .333/.417/.578 slash line with six homers, 28 RBI, 18 runs scored and one stolen base over 30 contests. Even though he's slowed down with the bat in recent weeks, his spot as a near-everyday member of the lineup appears to be safe.

Young is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Dodgers.

Young had started in each of the Mets' previous three matchups with right-handed pitchers, but he'll hit the bench against righty Landon Knack while Starling Marte replaces him at designated hitter. Since getting called up from Triple-A Syracuse on May 24, Young is batting .167 with two extra-base hits and a 35 percent strikeout rate. He could be at risk of a demotion if he's unable to turn things around quickly.

Flores is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Padres, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Flores had a three-home run game back on May 16, but he hasn't gone deep since then while producing a .552 OPS. He'll get a breather for Thursday's day game in order to regroup. The Giants will go with Heliot Ramos at designated hitter and Jerar Encarnacion in left field Thursday.

Sheets went 2-for-5 with a triple and four RBI in a loss to San Francisco on Wednesday.

Sheets got the scoring started with a two-run triple -- just the second three-bagger of his career -- in the first inning. He added a two-run single in the fifth to give the Padres a 5-0 lead, but those were the final runs the team scored. Sheets was pulled early from Sunday's game against Pittsburgh after colliding with the outfield wall, but he seems to be fine now, as he's started the Padres' past two contests. He's up to 38 RBI through 57 games this year, just 15 short of the career-high 53 RBI he produced across 124 contests in 2022 with the White Sox.

Sheets (head) will serve as the designated hitter and bat fifth in Tuesday's game against the Giants.

Sheets missed a start Monday after colliding with the outfield wall Sunday, though he appeared as a pinch hitter during Monday's game. Now fully recovered, he'll aim to bounce back after going 2-for-18 across his last seven games.

Sheets (head/hip/wrist/thumb) grounded out as a pinch hitter in Monday's 1-0 win over the Giants.

Per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, Sheets was evaluated for a head bruise, hip soreness and wrist/thumb soreness after colliding with the outfield wall Sunday against Pittsburgh. The veteran slugger was also evaluated for a concussion, though he appears to have passed through protocol given his ability to enter as a pinch hitter Monday. Sheets said prior to the game against San Francisco that he expects to avoid being placed on the IL, and the pinch-hit appearance similarly suggests that such a stint won't be needed.

Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a home run and a sacrifice fly Monday in an extra-inning loss to the Mets.

The Dodgers were held scoreless through six frames before Ohtani launched a solo shot to right field in the seventh. The star slugger added a sacrifice fly in the ninth off Mets closer Edwin Diaz to send the game to an extra frame. Ohtani has recently ramped up his preparation as a pitcher as he gets closer to making his Dodgers debut on the mound, but that work hasn't impacted his hitting -- he's belted six long balls among his eight total hits over his past eight games.

Ozuna is playing through a hip injury that he'll likely need to manage throughout the season, 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

Ozuna's hip issue doesn't appear to be an immediate threat to him playing in the team's upcoming series against Arizona, but it's worth noting that he'll presumably receive more days off than usual as the campaign unfolds. "It's one of those things he is going to have to manage and get to the offseason," stated general manager Alex Anthopoulos. The veteran slugger has only sat out of three matchups this year, so it appears he's been successful in managing the injury to this point.