MLB Player News

  • Alex Dickerson DH | ATL

    Giants' Alex Dickerson: On bench against lefty

    Dickerson will not start Monday's game against the Padres.

    Three of the Giants' first four games have come against lefties like Monday's starter Adrian Morejon. Dickerson has been on the bench in all three. Darin Ruf gets the nod in left field this time around.

  • Brandon Belt DH | TOR

    Giants' Brandon Belt: Sits against southpaw

    Belt will hit the bench against lefty Adrian Morejon and the Padres on Monday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

    Belt started against a southpaw on Opening Day but has now found himself on the bench against the last two lefties the Giants have faced. Wilmer Flores starts ahead of him at first base.

  • Joc Pederson DH | TEX

    Cubs' Joc Pederson: Not starting Monday

    Pederson will not start Monday against the Brewers.

    Pederson started against the first lefty the Cubs faced, getting the nod against Tyler Anderson on Saturday. He'll sit against another left-handed Anderson (Brett) on Monday, with Ian Happ sliding to left field and Jake Marisnick starting in center. Just how often Pederson finds himself starting against same-sided pitching this season remains to be seen.

  • Mark Canha LF | TEX

    Athletics' Mark Canha: Scores both runs Sunday

    Canha went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple and two runs in a loss to the Astros on Sunday.

    Canha led off in each installment of the season-opening four-game set versus the Astros, hitting safely in three of those games and reaching safely in all of them. The veteran doesn't have the speed of a traditional leadoff hitter, but he more than makes up for it with a solid power stroke and a discerning eye at the plate that's led to double-digit walk rates each of the last two seasons.

  • Jesse Winker DH | NYM

    Reds' Jesse Winker: Sitting out again Monday

    Winker (illness) remains out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Pirates.

    Winker will stick on the bench for a second straight game while he continues to recover from the illness that forced him out of Saturday's win over the Cardinals. Tyler Naquin will spell him in left field while serving as Cincinnati's leadoff hitter.

  • Byron Buxton CF | MIN

    Twins' Byron Buxton: Takes seat Monday

    Buxton (illness) is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers.

    Manager Rocco Baldelli will give Buxton some additional time to recover after the outfielder exited in the third inning of Sunday's win over Milwaukee with a non-COVID-19-related illness. Assuming Buxton isn't dealing with anything more than a minor bug, he should be ready to rejoin the lineup at some point during the three-game series in Detroit. Jake Cave will cover center field in place of Buxton on Monday.

  • Miguel Cabrera DH | DET

    Tigers' Miguel Cabrera: Steps back into lineup

    Cabrera (cramps) will serve as the Tigers' designated hitter and bat cleanup Monday against the Twins.

    After he experienced cramping in Saturday's 5-2 win over Cleveland, Cabrera was held out of the lineup Sunday in the series finale, though manager A.J. Hinch suggested that the veteran would have likely been held out for maintenance purposes regardless of his health. In any case, Cabrera seems to be fully recovered following the day off, so he'll slot back into his familiar spot in the heart of the Detroit lineup as the Tigers open a three-game set with Minnesota.

  • Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD

    Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Won't play Monday

    Manager Joe Maddon said after Sunday's 7-4 win over the White Sox that Ohtani (ankle) won't start at designated hitter in Monday's series opener versus the Astros, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

    Though Maddon downplayed the severity of the ankle injury Ohtani suffered in his home-plate collision with Jose Abreu on Sunday, the Angels will understandably take some extra precaution with the two-way standout heading into their second series of the season. According to Bollinger, Maddon said that Ohtani will be getting a day off for maintenance purposes more than anything, as the 26-year-old had hit in all four games of the series with Chicago in addition to pitching 4.2 innings (92 pitches) Sunday. Ohtani could still be available as a pinch-hitter Monday, which would seem to suggest that he'll be on track to serve as a DH at some point during the series with Houston. And assuming he makes it through a bullpen session in the next couple of days without incident, Ohtani is lined up to make his second start as a pitcher next Sunday versus the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla.

  • Nick Solak DH | SD

    Rangers' Nick Solak: Dropped to fifth in order

    Solak batted fifth and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Royals.

    Solak began the season as an unlikely cleanup batter but was dropped to fifth Sunday. With Nate Lowe off to a productive start as the fifth-place hitter, he was moved up to offer more protection for Joey Gallo, who walked five times in the first two games.

  • Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD

    Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Minimal injury concerns

    Ohtani isn't dealing with anything worse than general soreness and was not removed from Sunday's game due to injury, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

    Ohtani's final play of the game involved Jose Abreu crashing into him at home plate, but he was able to walk off under his own power. He'd thrown 92 pitches and was beginning to lose his control in his final frame, so it's no surprise that he was going to be done for the day even without the collision. He could get the day off Monday to rest even if his reevaluation confirms that he's escaped serious injury, but it doesn't appear as though the Angels are concerned about him missing his next start.

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