MLB Player News

Rooker will start in right field and bat fifth in Sunday's game against the Giants.

Rooker was on the bench for Saturday's 2-1 win, though he entered the contest as a pinch hitter and delivered a single in his lone plate appearance. Back in the lineup Sunday, Rooker has now started in eight of the past nine games and looks to have solidified a regular spot in right field in the wake of Oakland designating Ramon Laureano for assignment. Rooker has posted a modest .689 OPS while striking out at a 37.2 percent clip since the All-Star break, but that level of production is enough to keep his playing time secure in an Oakland lineup lacking in impact bats.

McCutchen is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

McCutchen will be resting for the second time this weekend while the Pirates and Brewers wrap up their four-game set with a day game after a night game. Connor Joe will get the starting nod at designated hitter in place of McCutchen, who is hitting .220 with no home runs and one stolen base in 15 games since the All-Star break.

Vientos will start at third base and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Orioles.

Vientos will stick in the starting nine for the fifth time in six games and is slashing .257/.289/.429 in 11 games overall since he was called up from Triple-A Syracuse on July 20. With the 50-60 Mets effectively removing themselves from the National League wild-card race, the 23-year-old Vientos will likely to continue to poach work from the 30-year-old Daniel Vogelbach as the organization prioritizes the development of some of its younger players.

Vogelbach is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.

Vogelbach has now hit the bench five times in the last six games, with four of those absences from the lineup coming against right-handed pitching. The 30-year-old appears to have moved into a reserve role while the non-contending Mets look to open up more playing time for rookie Mark Vientos.

Ohtani has been cleared to make his next pitching start, which is scheduled to take place Wednesday at home against the Giants, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports. Cramping in Ohtani's right hand and fingers resulted in an early exit from his previous start as a pitcher Thursday against Seattle.

There had been some doubt on the part of both Ohtani and the team about whether he would need to skip a turn in the rotation, but the two-way star has shown enough improvement to avoid that scenario. The cramping issues haven't prevented Ohtani from remaining in the lineup as a batter, as he finished the game as the Angels' designated hitter on Thursday despite being pulled from the mound after the fourth inning. He has started at DH in both games since.

Belt went 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run and two RBI in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Red Sox.

He got the Jays on the board with a third-inning solo shot off Nick Pivetta over the Green Monster in left-center field. Belt has three multi-hit performances in his last four games, rapping out two doubles and two homers among his six hits, and since the All-Star break he's slashing .263/.368/.544 in 68 plate appearances with four of his 10 long balls on the season. He still sees little action against left-handed pitching, although he did collect an RBI single Saturday off Brennan Bernardino, but Belt is finally beginning to give Toronto a consistent DH option against righties -- the job he was signed to do in the offseason.

Martinez is not expected to be in the lineup for Monday's game against the Padres, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Martinez started Saturday's game and is set to do the same Sunday, but he missed time recently with a hamstring injury, and the Dodgers appear content to ease him back into action -- particularly with Monday's contest being played in the afternoon. Once Monday rolls around, the team will formally announce whether or not Martinez will be included in the starting nine.

Martinez (hamstring) is in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Padres, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Martinez made an appearance as a pinch hitter Friday and is now ready to return to DH duties after battling renewed left hamstring tightness throughout the week. It's a positive that he was able to avoid the injured list, but Martinez could always get additional maintenance down the stretch as the Dodgers prepare for the postseason. The 35-year-old is in the midst of a resurgent campaign with a .260/.311/.562 line and 25 homers in 86 games.

Jimenez (heel) is batting cleanup as the designated hitter Saturday against the Guardians.

Jimenez sat out the past two games due to heel soreness but will rejoin the lineup for Saturday's contest. The 26-year-old has a .314/.364/.431 slash line with three doubles, a homer, seven RBI and four runs in 16 games since the All-Star break.

Turner (heel) is batting third as the designated hitter Saturday against the Blue Jays, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Turner hasn't seen the field since Monday while nursing a bruised left heel, but he'll return to the starting nine for Saturday's contest. The veteran slugger has a .909 OPS in 15 games since the All-Star break and will attempt to pick up where he left off prior to the injury.