MLB Player News

Martinez went 3-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI and two runs Thursday against the Nationals.

Martinez entered Thursday's contest mired in a 4-for-32 (.125) slump over the previous 10 games, but he reached base four times Friday while collecting just his third three-hit performance of the season. It was also just the second time in 12 games he'd driven in any runs. Despite the recent slump, the 36-year-old Martinez continues to provide quality production in his 14th season, posting a .274 average with 10 homers, 15 doubles, 38 RBI and 27 runs over 234 at-bats.

Garver isn't in the Mariners' lineup versus the Angels on Thursday.

Garver will get some rest after starting in the last six games in which he went 4-for-26 with two home runs. Mitch Haniger is taking over as the designated hitter Thursday and is batting eighth.

Pederson is not in Arizona's lineup versus Atlanta on Thursday.

Lefty Max Fried is on the mound for Atlanta, so Pederson will sit on the bench to begin the game. Ketel Marte has the start as the designated hitter and Kevin Newman is entering the lineup at second base.

Alvarez (hip) is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Marlins.

The 27-year-old was removed from Wednesday's contest due to right hip tightness and will be out of the starting nine for at least one game. Alvarez also sat out a game over the weekend due to knee soreness, and the Astros might be extra cautious with the slugger knowing the All-Star break is just a few days away.

O'Hearn isn't in the Orioles' lineup Thursday versus the Cubs.

Left-hander Justin Steele will toe the slab for Chicago on Thursday, forcing the left-handed bat of O'Hearn to stay put in Baltimore's dugout. His absence will move Adley Rutschman to the DH spot while James McCann starts behind the plate.

Soler (illness) will serve as San Francisco's designated hitter and bat leadoff Thursday against the Blue Jays, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

An illness caused Soler to sit down for the Giants' last two games, but he seems to be feeling well enough to return to action Thursday. The 32-year-old has been in a bit of a slump recently, going 4-for-28 (.160) with one RBI and nine strikeouts since the beginning of July.

Blackmon is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Reds due to a slight right hamstring injury, MLB.com reports.

Manager Bud Black said that Blackmon "tweaked" his hamstring while making a sliding catch during Monday's 6-0 loss to the Reds. The lefty-hitting Blackmon received a planned day off Tuesday while the Reds sent southpaw Nick Lodolo to the mound, but the 38-year-old's continued absences from the lineup against right-handed starters Frankie Montas and Hunter Greene on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, signals that Blackmon is still being slowed by the injury. Blackmon had been available for pinch-hitting duties in Wednesday's 6-5 win but went unused, so he could once again be a candidate to come off the bench Thursday.

Ohtani went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Phillies.

The 30-year-old superstar has swiped six bags in his last six games, pushing him up to 22 steals on the season -- just four shy of his career high. Ohtani has been doing plenty of damage with his bat as well, and since June 16 he's slashing .359/.480/.859 in 98 plate appearances with 11 homers, 21 runs and 22 RBI.

Ozuna went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and two runs scored in Wednesday's loss to the Diamondbacks.

The All-Star slugger singled in his first at-bat before coming home on a Travis d'Arnaud double in the second as Atlanta took an early 2-0 lead. Ozuna then launched a 441-foot home run in the eighth to score Austin Riley and tie the game at 5-5. It was Ozuna's second consecutive two-hit performance, and he's now fourth in the majors with 24 long balls on the season, and third in RBI with 75. He's batting .257 (9-for-35) in July with three homers, eight RBI and seven runs scored.

Alvarez was removed from Wednesday's game against the Marlins due to right hip tightness, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports. He went 1-for-1 with a single, a walk and a stolen base before departing.

Alvarez remained in the game after a trainer checked on him following his RBI single in the second inning, but the decision to pull him was made when his spot in the order came up in the fourth. The severity of his hip injury remains unknown, though it's possible he sits down another game or two after also missing Sunday's contest due to knee soreness.