MLB Player News

Belt was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's game against the Brewers due to a sore right knee.

Kelby Tomlinson will take Belt's spot in the order, batting second and playing second base, with Chase d'Arnaud sliding over to first base. Belt missed Monday's game with the same issue, though he was able to start in the following three contests.

Pederson will sit against the southpaw Kyle Freeland and the Rockies on Saturday.

As usual, Pederson will continue in his platoon role. Chris Taylor will get the start in left field.

Brantley (foot) will start in left field and bat second against the Blue Jays on Saturday, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Brantley was withheld from the starting lineup the past two games due to a bruised left foot, though he was able to enter Friday's contest as a pinch hitter. Expect to see him remain a regular fixture in the Indians' lineup moving forward.

Vogelbach, who was one of the players called up from Triple-A Tacoma upon roster expansion earlier this month, is currently limited to pinch-hit duty due to a hamstring injury, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Manager Scott Servais is on record as stating that it's highly unlikely Vogelbach sees any action in the field until he's regained full health. The 25-year-old slashed .293/.437/.552 over 378 plate appearances with the Rainiers in 2018, a line that included 37 extra-base hits (17 doubles, 20 home runs) and 61 RBI.

Choi went 1-for-2 with a grand slam, three walks and two runs in a 14-2 win over the Orioles on Friday.

Choi was one of four Rays to go deep on the night, with his bases-clearing long ball in the sixth inning breaking the game open. The 27-year-old has supplied a .272/.361/.510 batting line (137 wRC+) across 169 plate appearances in the majors this season and has seemingly unseated C.J. Cron as the Rays' preferred option at designated hitter.

Ozuna went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Tigers.

That's now three straight multi-hit performances for Ozuna, two of them being multi-homer efforts. The late-season surge has pushed his slash line on the season to .279/.322/.431, and he's now reached the 20-HR mark for the fourth time in the last five years.

McCutchen went 1-for-3 with a home run, a walk and two RBI in Friday's victory over the Mariners.

Hitting from the leadoff spot, McCutchen connected on his first home run as a Yankee with a two-run shot in the third inning. It was only his second hit in six starts with his new club, and he now owns a .250/.355/.409 slash line to go with 16 home runs and 57 RBI over 592 plate appearances this season.

Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a walk and a three-run home run in Friday's win over the White Sox.

Ohtani clubbed a three-run shot -- his 19th homer of the year -- off Carlos Rodon in the third inning, capping a four-run inning and giving him 50 RBI on the season. Ohtani's blast comes just after the announcement that he plans to finish out the year as a hitter, which could boost his value as he might see more plate appearances. This all depends on the severity of the damage to his UCL tendon and how much that bothers him at the plate. Judging by Friday's performance it appears not to be an issue.

Ohtani said Friday that he will finish out the 2018 season as a hitter and remains undecided regarding his recommended Tommy John surgery, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani stressed that swinging a bat doesn't impact his damaged UCL tendon, which is why he will hold off on making a decision at the present time. Earlier this week, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reported that Tommy John surgery had been recommended to Ohtani, though a Jeff Passan piece at Yahoo Sports explained how the 24-year-old can remain a full-time hitter in 2019 even after undergoing the procedure. Per Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group, Ohtani seems to understand that he will require surgery, but isn't completely ready to choose that path with four weeks left in the 2018 campaign. Unsurprisingly, Ohtani added that he will not give up on his pitching career due to this setback.

Brantley (foot) is not in the lineup against Toronto on Friday, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Brantley will remain on the bench for a second straight day after fouling a ball off the top of his left foot Wednesday. Manager Terry Francona said Thursday that Brantley will "be fine" and expected him back in the lineup Friday, so there shouldn't be too much concern moving forward. Consider him day-to-day for the time being. Rajai Davis will man left field and bat ninth in his absence.