MLB Player News

Pederson is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Reds, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Giants are facing a left-handed starting pitcher for the third day in a row, and as was the case the last two days, Pederson will open on the bench. He has not started against a southpaw in over a month, so the pattern will likely continue.

Alvarez went 2-for-6 with a double, a walk, a run scored and three RBI on Sunday against the Tigers.

Alvarez was forced to miss games on Tuesday and Wednesday due to a finger injury but has hit well in four games since returning. In that span, he's driven in four while collecting five hits across 17 at-bats with no strikeouts. Alvarez has been on a relative cold streak with no homers spanning his last 18 games, though he still has a .265 ISO and .928 OPS across 362 plate appearances on the season.

Ozuna went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a second run scored in Sunday's loss to the Giants.

The veteran slugger got hold of a first-pitch slider from Scott Alexander in the sixth inning and drove it over the wall in left-center field, bringing Atlanta to within a run, but the NL East leaders were never able to find an equalizer in an eventual 8-5 loss. Ozuna has hit safely in six straight games and 22 of his last 23, ripping off a .386/.457/.735 slash line during that blistering stretch with seven of his 29 homers and 21 of his 70 RBI on the season.

Soler went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a double in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Nationals.

Soler's two-run blast in the third was enough to propel the Marlins to a narrow victory over the Nationals. He's now up to 35 home runs this year and is tied with Mookie Betts for fifth-most in baseball. Soler's power continues to be the staple of his game, as he lacks a high batting average and doesn't steal bases. He's got home runs in back-to-back games and 10 total in August and is now slashing .241/.328/.516 with 71 RBI, 70 runs and a 56:129 BB:K in 525 plate appearances overall.

Cabrera went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer in Sunday's 17-4 loss to the Astros.

Cabrera's three-run blast came in the eighth inning off Phil Maton to finally get the Tigers on the board. It was just his third home run of the year but the 510th home run of his career, which moves him up to 26th on baseball's all-time list. Cabrera is now slashing .248/.318/.343 with 24 RBI, 16 runs and a 26:57 BB:K in 283 plate appearances as he's filled a semi-regular role most of the season.

Buxton (hamstring) will run the bases Monday and take live at-bats Tuesday before potentially heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Buxton doesn't look as though he's on pace to return from the 10-day injured list when the Twins' roster expands from 26 to 28 men Friday, but he could be activated soon after that if he's able to head out on a rehab assignment this weekend. According to Hayes, the Twins are still planning on having Buxton log some time in center field during his time in the minors. Once activated, the 29-year-old looks like he'll get the chance to play his first innings in the field with the big club in 2023 after serving exclusively as a designated hitter prior to landing on the IL on Aug. 4.

Pederson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Pederson will join fellow left-handed hitters Wade Meckler and LaMonte Wade on the bench while Atlanta brings a southpaw (Jared Shuster) to the hill for the second straight game. Heliot Ramos will replace Pederson in left field and will bat seventh.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that Brantley (shoulder) could be cleared to return from the 60-day injured list "hopefully by Tuesday," Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Additionally, manager Dusty Baker told Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest that Brantley will meet the team in Boston ahead of the team's series versus the Red Sox this week, but whether the 36-year-old is activated will likely hinge on him getting the green light from Houston's training staff. Brantley wrapped up a seven-game rehab assignment at Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday and went 8-for-23 with a home run, two doubles and a 4:0 BB:K during that stretch. If Brantley is reinstated from the 60-day IL this week, he could be eased into the Houston lineup as a part-time player initially.

Martini went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and two RBI in Saturday's 8-7 win over Arizona.

Martini has now posted a monstrous 1.423 OPS through five games with the Reds since being called up from Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, and so long as he's wielding a hot bat, he'll likely continue to play on a near-everyday basis while Cincinnati is without the likes of Jonathan India (foot), Joey Votto (shoulder), Jake Fraley (toe) and Stuart Fairchild (concussion). Martini will serve as the Reds' designated hitter and No. 5 batter in Sunday's series finale.

Ford is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.

Ford will take a seat while Teoscar Hernandez gets a day out of the outfield to serve as Seattle's designated hitter. While starting in five of the Mariners' last six games, Ford went 5-for-18 with a home run, four walks, four runs and three RBI.