MLB Player News

Harper will get his first day off of the season Wednesday against the Diamondbacks.

Harper has carried a heavy load for his new team, though he hasn't quite lived up to expectations, posting a good but not great .251/.357/.466 slash line with a career-worst 29.6 percent strikeout rate. He's been better of late, slashing .333/.367/.561 over his last 14 games. Nick Williams gets a rare start in right field in his absence.

Manager Ron Gardenhire told MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM on Wednesday that Cabrera won't play the field again in 2019. "Hopefully we'll get him through the year, and this winter, he'll do some rehab on it. But ultimately...this is how he's going to finish his career, with a lot of DH," Gardenhire said.

The Tigers' decision to withhold Cabrera from first-base duties comes in response to the 36-year-old's ongoing management of a sore right knee, which has limited him to designated-hitter duties in each of his last six starts. A full-time role at DH the rest of the way may actually enhance Cabrera's outlook, as it would likely lessen the risk of further injury while sparing him of more frequent rest days. Since Cabrera has already drawn 25 starts at first base this season, he should retain eligibility at the position in the majority of fantasy leagues heading into 2020.

Blackmon went 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, three RBI and an additional run Tuesday in the Rockies' 10-3 win over the Cubs.

Blackmon's three-run blast off former teammate Tyler Chatwood in the sixth inning helped the Rockies turn the game into a runaway. Since returning from the injured list June 8, Blackmon has picked up right where he left off before succumbing to the calf issue. He's gone 6-for-16 with two home runs and two doubles in his first four games back in action.

Choi is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics.

With the Athletics bringing southpaw Brett Anderson to the hill for the series finale, Choi will head to the bench along with fellow left-handed hitters Kevin Kiermaier and Brandon Lowe. Yandy Diaz will cover first base in Choi's stead.

Jimenez went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, a walk, two RBI and three runs scored in Tuesday's 7-5 win over Washington.

The highly touted rookie has homered in three of his last four games and is hitting .313 (10-for-32) with six extra-base hits, six RBI and seven runs scored in his last nine games. He slugged just .390 through the first two months, but he's notably boosted that figure to .688 during June.

Ohtani went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a stolen base in a victory over the Dodgers on Tuesday.

Facing a fellow countryman for the second time in four days, Ohtani followed his home run off Japanese pitcher Yusei Kikuchi on Saturday with another off Kenta Maeda in the first inning Tuesday. That gives Ohtani four homers and nine RBI in his last eight games. He also stole his first base of the season Tuesday after racking up 10 thefts in 2018.

Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a walk, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's 10-8 win over the Brewers.

With his fifth-inning blast, Alvarez became the first player in Astros history to homer in each of his first two MLB games. The 21-year-old hasn't slowed down at all since his promotion, and he and Christian Yelich are the only two players in baseball who have hit 25 home runs already this season -- Alvarez launched 23 in 56 games at Triple-A prior to getting called up.

Ozuna went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs scored Tuesday against the Marlins.

Ozuna took Adam Conley deep in the ninth inning, adding insurance to the Cardinals' lead. He now has 18 homers on the season and has shown no signs of slowing at the plate, collecting multiple hits in six of his last 11 starts. He's now hitting .267/.337/.546 across 267 plate appearances for the campaign.

Belt was held out of Tuesday's lineup due to neck soreness, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Belt was scratched from Sunday's game with an illness and it was assumed his absence from Tuesday's lineup was due to the same issue. The 31-year-old apparently had his neck lock up Sunday while preparing for a pinch-hit appearance. It wouldn't be surprising to see Belt held out of the lineup again Wednesday with a scheduled off day to follow Thursday.

Stanton (shoulder) will play for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this weekend and could return for the Yankees' next homestand starting June 17, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Stanton is currently on rehab duty with High-A Tampa, and manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday the slugger will join the RailRiders this weekend and could return to the big club as soon as June 17, when the Yankees open up a 10-game homestand with a divisional matchup against the Rays. Stanton went 2-for-4 with an opposite-field homer for Tampa on Tuesday, so hopefully that's a sign he's finally back to full health from the shoulder and calf injuries that have kept him on the shelf for most of the season.