MLB Player News

Vientos will be on the bench for the first half of Saturday's doubleheader against the Phillies, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Down the stretch of a lost season, Vientos has been given plenty of opportunities to stake his claim for a significant role next season, starting 18 consecutive games prior to this one. He homered five times over that stretch, but his .224/.257/.448 slash line (90 wRC+) wasn't exactly convincing. Brett Baty will be the designated hitter for the afternoon contest.

Belt will sit Saturday against the Rays.

Belt has homered on back-to-back days but will nonetheless head to the bench, potentially because the Blue Jays fear the Rays could turn to a lefty after opener Shawn Armstrong. George Springer will rest his legs as the designated hitter, with Cavan Biggio starting in right field.

Belt went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 11-4 win over the Rays.

The veteran first baseman went yard for the second straight game, launching his 18th homer of the year in the fourth inning off Erasmo Ramirez. Belt missed most of September due to a stomach bug and back trouble, but he looks 100 percent as the Jays close in on a wild-card berth, going 4-for-14 in four games since returning to the lineup with three extra-base hits and four RBI.

Morel went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, a triple and a run scored in Friday's loss to the Brewers.

Morel was productive from the No. 8 spot in the lineup, but the Cubs as a whole mustered only six hits and three runs in the defeat. The 24-year-old has recorded 44 extra-base hits among his 92 total hits this year, including 25 home runs, boosting his OPS to a solid .809. He should have a few more chances to contribute before the regular season wraps up.

Martinez went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Friday's 6-2 win over the Giants.

Martinez's power binge continues -- he's homered seven times over his last 11 contests to get to 33 long balls for the season. His blast Friday gave the Dodgers some added insurance in the sixth inning. The designated hitter is hitting .400 (16-for-40) during his surge, a stretch that has raised his batting average on the year from .261 to .274 and his OPS from .852 to .906. He's added 103 RBI, 61 runs scored, 27 doubles, a stolen base and two triples through 111 contests.

The Rockies signed Blackmon to a one-year contract extension Friday, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Blackmon had been scheduled to become a free agent this winter at age 37, but he'll stay in Colorado for what will be his 14th major-league season. He was selected by the Rockies in the second round of the 2008 MLB Draft out of Georgia Tech and has tallied 1,688 career big-league hits, all in the purple and black. The new one-year deal carries a $13 million guarantee with another $2 million available in performance-based incentives, per Steve Adams of MLBTradeRumors.com.

Stanton is absent from the lineup Friday at Kansas City.

Aaron Judge will fill the DH role as Everson Pereira, Estevan Florial and Oswaldo Cabrera start across the outfield. Stanton is sitting on a four-game hitting streak, but he has posted an overall .191 batting average and .275 on-base percentage through 415 plate appearances this season with New York.

Belt went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Thursday's 6-0 win over the Yankees.

After missing two weeks with a back injury, it only took Belt three games to launch a home run, this time plating Daulton Varsho and George Springer on a three-run shot off Zach McAllister in the sixth inning. Through 100 games, Belt is slashing .252/.371/.477 with 17 home runs and an ugly 34.8 percent strikeout rate.

Martinez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 14-5 loss to the Rockies.

Martinez set an early tone with his first-inning blast, but the Rockies took control of the game in the third inning. This was Martinez's sixth multi-hit effort in his last 10 games, and he's hit six homers with 14 RBI in that span. The designated hitter is up to 32 long balls, 100 RBI, 60 runs scored, one stolen base and a .274/.325/.576 slash line through 110 contests this season.

Blackmon went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, two doubles, one additional RBI, one stolen base and two total runs scored in Thursday's 14-5 win over the Dodgers.

Blackmon filled the box score in a productive effort that began with a leadoff blast in the first inning. He also provided an RBI double in the seventh to cap a four-run rally. The 37-year-old has hit .268 (22-for-82) in September, and his homer Thursday was his first of the month. He's up to eight long balls, 40 RBI, 56 runs scored, three steals, 24 doubles and a .283/.370/.451 slash line through 93 games this season.