MLB Player News

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.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Wednesday that Sanchez was initially expected to miss 12 weeks with his left calf strain, but the veteran catcher could make his return from the 10-day injured list in as few as six weeks, Jack Stern of BrewerFanatic.com reports.

The 31-year-old landed on the shelf in late June, though there was no inkling at the time he was dealing with an especially serious injury. Murphy didn't provide a precise target date for Sanchez's return, but at the very least, he shouldn't be expected back prior to the All-Star break.

Soler (illness) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Soler was scratched from Tuesday's starting nine due to an illness and will remain on the bench again for Wednesday's contest. Patrick Bailey will rest his legs as San Francisco's designated hitter while Curt Casali receives a start behind the plate.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Stanton (hamstring) could skip a rehab assignment and return from the 10-day injured list shortly after the All-Star break, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Stanton did some running Tuesday and has been reincorporating baseball activities into his training regimen of late as he works his way back from a strained left hamstring. He'll need to do some more ramping up before the Yankees are confident that he's ready for game action, but bypassing a rehab assignment would shorten the length of his absence a bit.

Larnach is out of the lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader with the White Sox.

The Twins are facing a righty (Drew Thorpe) for the second leg of the twin bill, but the lefty-hitting Larnach will head to the bench while manager Rocco Baldelli makes space in the starting nine for the hot-hitting Matt Wallner. Larnach went 0-for-3 with a walk in the Twins' 3-1 loss in Game 1, and he had started in each of the six games in July before that.

Jimenez is out of the lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Twins.

Jimenez will rest for the second game of the day after he served as Chicago's designated hitter in the team's 3-1 win in the early contest, going 1-for-3 with a base hit. Gavin Sheets will handle DH duties in the nightcap.

Reds manager David Bell said Wednesday that Martini will likely be out until September after undergoing surgery to repair ligament damage in his left thumb, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Martini landed on the 10-day injured list over the weekend with the injury and has opted to have it surgically repaired. He's expected to come off the IL before the end of the season, but a precise target date for his return won't become clear until he's able to begin a minor-league rehab assignment.