MLB Player News

Ohtani is not in the lineup Sunday at St. Louis.

Ohtani is unsurprisingly on the bench for the series finale against the Cardinals since the Angels are once again without the benefit of a designated hitter. The 24-year-old is 0-for-2 as a pinch hitter in the series but should return to his usual role Tuesday at home versus the Reds.

Blackmon is not in the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Dodgers, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Blackmon saw his 11-game hit streak come to an end after going 0-for-5 on Saturday, so he'll take a seat for the series finale. The 32-year-old has been on fire since coming off the injured list June 8 with a .426/.443/.882 slash line, eight home runs and 18 RBI in 68 at-bats. Raimel Tapia, Garrett Hampson and David Dahl will start from left to right in the outfield Sunday.

Ozuna went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in a win over the Angels on Saturday.

Ozuna left the yard for the second time in as many games with a 402-foot shot to left in the sixth that doubled up a 2-0 lead for the Cardinals at the time. The slugging outfielder is enjoying his best month of the season thus far in June, as Saturday's production brought his average to .307 since the calendar flipped. Additionally, Ozuna has now reached the 20-homer threshold in four consecutive seasons, and he's just three round trippers away from matching the 23 he hit in 2018 over 317 additional plate appearances.

Choi will sit against lefty Brett Anderson and the Athletics on Sunday, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic reports.

Choi has mostly been platooned this season, though he had started against two of the last three lefties the Rays had faced. He'll hit the bench Sunday, with Travis d'Arnaud starting at first base.

Choi went 1-for-3 with a run-scoring sacrifice fly and a solo home run in a loss to the Athletics on Saturday.

Choi was essentially the only sign of life for the Rays, with his 391-foot shot to left center in the seventh representing the highlight of the contest for Tampa's moribund offense. Choi has reached safely in four straight games and is enjoying an excellent rebound month, as he's now hitting .304 in June following a .229 figure in May.

Stanton is not in the lineup Sunday against the Astros.

As expected, Stanton will require frequent off days as he works his way back from a long injury layoff. Sunday's contest is his second time out of the lineup in the six games since his return. Brett Gardner starts in left field.

Harper went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, two RBI and a walk in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Marlins.

Harper put the Phillies on the board with his solo shot in the third inning and also brought home another run with an RBI single in the fifth. The 26-year-old moved to the leadoff spot Thursday and is 4-for-13 with a home run, three RBI and a stolen base from atop the lineup.

Ramirez is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Phillies, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

With a .314/.343/.416 slash line (105 wRC+) since being promoted from Triple-A New Orleans in early May, Ramirez has easily established himself as a regular outfielder for a hapless Marlins squad. He'll merely be getting a maintenance day Saturday after starting in all but one game since May 19.

Ohtani remains out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Cardinals, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

He'll be out of the lineup for the third game in a row and is expected to sit in Sunday's series finale with no designated hitter available in St. Louis. The Angels will kick off a two-game set Tuesday against another National League team in the Reds, but Ohtani should be back in the lineup for both contests since those games will be played in Anaheim.

Reyes is not starting Saturday against the Pirates.

Reyes has a modest .634 OPS over his last 14 games. He'll sit Saturday, with Josh Naylor starting in right field.