MLB Player News

Martinez will serve as designated hitter and bat cleanup against the Athletics on Saturday, Sean McAdam of BostonSportsJournal.com reports.

Martinez received the day off Friday after being lifted for a pinch runner late in Thursday's game, but there was never any indication of an injury. The 30-year-old will look to continue with his hot bat, as he's 13-for-24 with three doubles, two home runs and five RBI over his last six games.

Buxton (migraines) took batting practice Saturday, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Manager Paul Molitor said Buxton has exhibited slight improvement since being placed on the 10-day disabled list last Wednesday with migraine issues, and Saturday's batting practice is the first indication of his progress. It remains to be seen if the 24-year-old will return from the DL when eligible Wednesday or if a minor-league rehab appearance is on the table.

Carpenter will hit atop the order and play third base against the Reds on Saturday.

This marks the first time all season that Carpenter will serve as the leadoff hitter for manager Mike Matheny. He has typically been utilized out of the three hole, but was second in the order for Friday's series opener. Over 18 appearances in 2018, Carpenter is hitting just .177/.329/.323 with two home runs and 10 RBI.

McCutchen went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run to help the Giants to an 8-1 victory over the Angels on Friday.

It's been a slow start for the first-year Giant, who is still slashing just .213/.280/.373 despite getting his third long ball of the year. McCutchen has shown a propensity for bouncing back after rough starts in the past, so it's still too early to be reading much into the early-season struggles of a hitter who has a .290 average and an .863 OPS over the last decade. Cutch ended up slashing .279/.363/.486 after a similarly slow start last year.

Stanton went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 8-5 loss to the Blue Jays.

It's his fourth homer of the season, but his first since April 4. Stanton's .205/.301/.438 slash line remains far below expectations, but as he gets more comfortable in pinstripes and the weather warms up, there should be plenty of hits and home runs ahead for the slugger.

Turner (wrist) progressed to hitting off a tee and played light catch Friday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Turner started taking dry swings earlier this week and the progression to the tee indicates he has avoided a setback thus far. The 33-year-old has no official timetable for his return, but rejoining the Dodgers sometime in mid-May still seems possible.

Ohtani (blister) will serve as the designated hitter and bat sixth Friday against Jeff Samardzija and the Giants, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Thursday's loss, marking his first career multi-strikeout game as a hitter. He saw a heavy dose of changeups from starter Eduardo Rodriguez and struck out twice against the pitch before missing on a 98-mph heater from Joe Kelly in the ninth. Regardless, he will remain in the six hole Friday. Ohtani is expected to throw a bullpen session this weekend to test his finger in preparation for his next start on the mound, which is lined up for Tuesday in Houston.

Belt is out of the lineup Friday against the Angels, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

With southpaw Andrew Heaney taking the hill for Los Angeles, Belt will head to the bench for a night off. Buster Posey will move to first base to replace him, allowing Nick Hundley to log a start behind the dish.

Martinez is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the A's, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Martinez was lifted for a pinch runner in the eighth inning of Thursday's game after his second double of the night, but there has been no word of an injury to this point. Hanley Ramirez will serve as the designated hitter in the series opener against righty Kendall Graveman, with Andrew Benintendi, Jackie Bradley and Mookie Betts in the outfield from left to right.

Cabrera is not in the lineup for the second game of Friday's doubleheader against Kansas City, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Cabrera went 0-for-2 with a pair of walks during the matinee and will head to the bench for a little rest with two more games on tap this weekend versus the Royals. In his place, Niko Goodrum gets a start at first base.