MLB Player News

Belt is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rockies, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

The Giants will keep three lefty bats (Belt, Joe Panik and Stephen Vogt) on the bench for the series finale with southpaw Kyle Freeland on the bump for the Rockies. Belt actually owns a respectable career 113 wRC+ versus southpaws, but he's been below 100 in every season since 2017. Tyler Austin will take his spot at first base and bat second.

Winker remains out of the lineup Thursday against the Athletics.

Winker was out of the lineup for two of the Reds' previous three games, with both absences coming against left-handed starters. But this absence against a right-hander in Chris Bassitt -- with the designated hitter available in an AL park -- should raise some eyebrows. There has been no mention of an injury to this point.

Turner went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 9-4 win over Atlanta.

What power outage? Turner hit only one home run through his first 34 games this year but now has four long balls in the last two, following up Tuesday's three-homer barrage with a 404-foot shot to left field off Jacob Webb in the eighth inning Wednesday. The performance has added 101 points to Turner's SLG, and he now boasts a .299/.385/.448 slash line on the year.

Canha (wrist) took batting practice Wednesday and could start a rehab assignment over the weekend, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Canha also expects to take batting practice Thursday. If both sessions go off without setbacks, the veteran would likely play in a handful of minor-league games before rejoining the team on a nine-game road trip that begins Monday in Seattle.

Brantley went 2-for-3 with two home runs, one walk and three RBI in a 9-0 win over the Royals on Wednesday.

Brantley took Jorge Lopez deep for a two-run shot in the third inning and hit another solo home run in the fourth inning. He has been on an absolute tear this season with a .340/.386/.603 slash line through 36 games.

Stanton (shoulder) remains limited to soft toss and tee work, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

Stanton could be cleared to hit off a machine soon if he experiences no setbacks in the coming days. The veteran slugger is taking baby steps in his recovery from a shoulder injury that he suffered while rehabbing a biceps strain. An updated timetable for Stanton's return likely won't emerge until he's further along in his rehab.

Winker is not starting Wednesday against lefty Brett Anderson and the Athletics.

Winker has started against just three of the seven lefties the Reds have faced this season. He has a career .558 OPS against lefties compared to a .919 mark against righties. Jose Peraza gets the start in left field.

Soler went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs Tuesday in the Royals' 12-2 win over the Astros.

Soler was one of three Royals to leave the yard, with his second-inning solo shot getting the scoring started on the night. The 26-year-old looks locked in at the plate, as he's gone 12-for-29 with five extra-base knocks over his last seven starts.

Ohtani (elbow) went 0-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Tigers.

As anticipated, Ohtani was cleared to make his season debut for the start of the Angels' road trip and immediately claimed a prominent spot in the lineup. Despite the Tigers bringing a lefty starter (Daniel Norris) to the hill, Ohtani slotted third in the order, right between superstar Mike Trout and shortstop Andrelton Simmons. The reigning AL Rookie of the Year didn't make a major impact and struck out twice, but he plated a run on a groundout in his second at-bat and chewed up 25 pitches across his five plate appearances. General manager Billy Eppler said prior to the contest that Ohtani's throwing program won't impact his availability to serve as a designated hitter until around September or October, so the 24-year-old looks poised to fill a near-everyday role for the balance of the season.

Choi is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

With a lefty (Robbie Ray) on the hill for Arizona, Choi will sit after a stretch of four consecutive starts. Yandy Diaz will shift over to first base while Nate Lowe serves as the Rays' designated hitter in the series finale.