MLB Player News

Belt (knee) is on the bench Saturday against the Reds, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Belt left Friday's game with knee soreness and will require at least one game on the bench. He reportedly doesn't believe the injury to be a serious one, though the Giants have yet to set a clear timeline for his return. Pablo Sandoval gets the start at first base in his absence.

Ramirez's contract was selected by the Marlins on Saturday, and he'll head straight into the starting lineup against the Mets, batting seventh and playing left field, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Ramirez hit a blistering .355/.408/.591 in 31 games for Triple-A New Orleans. The Marlins have very few locked-down roles anywhere on their roster, so he could have a shot to win a steady job should he impress in his first few games.

Canha (wrist) went 1-for-4 with an RBI double in Triple-A Las Vegas' extra-innings loss to Salt Lake on Friday.

Canha is with the Aviators for what should be a short stint that will allow him to log a few at-bats before activation. The veteran's double lends credence to the notion his sprained wrist is well on its way back to full strength, and he should have a chance to build on his positive performance in two additional games this weekend.

Buxton is not in the lineup for Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Tigers, according to Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com.

Buxton has just two hits in 14 at-bats over his last four games, so manager Rocco Baldelli decided he would not start both games of Saturday's double dip. Max Kepler will get the start in center field in place of Buxton, who figures to be back in the lineup for Game 2.

Choi went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in a loss to the Yankees on Friday.

Choi's 427-foot shot to center in the fifth snapped a 2-2 tie and gave the Rays a one-run lead that they'd ultimately fail to protect. The 27-year-old has two of his three homers on the season within the last seven games, but he's gotten May off to a rough start otherwise. Even factoring in Friday's production, Choi is 4-for-28 (.143) over the first eight games of the month.

Belt (knee) was lifted from Friday's loss to the Reds after experiencing soreness in his right knee while running out a ground ball in the eighth inning, Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Schulman pointed out that Belt's soreness was in the same knee that he has had two separate surgeries on throughout his career. That said, the first baseman insisted that the injury should not be considered serious, which should relieve fantasy owners until further news is revealed. Belt has battled through knee soreness already this season, so we will consider him day-to-day heading into Saturday's contest against Cincinnati.

Blackmon went 2-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored in Friday's 12-2 win over the Padres.

The veteran outfielder had a somewhat sluggish April, but Blackmon's now hit safely in eight straight games to begin May, pushing his slash line up to .301/.364/.526. He's got five homers, two steals, 21 RBI and 26 runs through 36 games, and as long as he's hitting at the top of the lineup and calling Coors Field home, Blackmon should remain a strong fantasy asset.

Soler went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks in a 5-1 victory against the Phillies on Friday.

The 27-year-old has been feast or famine early this season. While he does have 10 home runs, which is already his most in three years and only two shy of his previous career high, Soler also leads the league with 53 strikeouts. His two free passes Friday are very rare for the free-swinging Soler, and as a result, he only has a .315 on-base percentage. However, behind the homers, he does own a .531 slugging percentage. He is also hitting .259 with 25 RBI and 20 runs in 147 at-bats.

Turner isn't starting Friday's game against Washington.

Turner is set for a night off after smashing four homers in his last three contests. Max Muncy will move to the hot corner and David Freese will enter the lineup at first base with Turner out of the mix.

Jimenez (ankle) ran the bases Friday and is expected to do so again either Saturday or Sunday before starting a rehab assignment, Madeline Kenney of the Chicago Sun Times reports.

Jimenez hasn't been able to run much since spraining his ankle April 26 against Detroit, so this was a big step forward for the young outfielder. Assuming he's able to run bases once more over the weekend, he'll head to a minor-league affiliate for what should be a brief rehab stint, putting him on track to return later next week.