MLB Player News

Rooker entered Sunday's loss to the White Sox as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the sixth inning and remained in the game in right field, going 1-for-2 with a two-run home run.

Named to his first All-Star Game earlier in the day, Rooker struck out looking during his official pinch-hit plate appearance before putting some much-needed good wood on the ball and sending a Bryan Shaw cutter 441 feet over the center field fence with Shea Langeliers aboard in the eighth. Rooker had been mired in a 3-for-34 slump over the prior 11 contests coming into the game, but he's now got a modest three-game hitting streak going that also includes his first career triple.

Belt went 2-for-4 with two solo homers in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Red Sox.

Belt took advantage of a less than 100 percent version of Garrett Whitlock, taking him yard in Whitlock's only inning of work. Belt found the grandstands once again in the sixth inning, this time launching a solo home run off Nick Pivetta. The multi-homer effort was his first of the campaign and boosted his season total to six long balls through 215 plate appearances. The lefty is slashing .267/.374/.473 against right-handed pitching and has hit all six of his homers off righties.

Morel went 3-for-5 with with a solo home run and three total RBI in Sunday's extra-inning loss to the Guardians.

Morel waited until the late innings to make his mark Sunday. His 15th home run of the season in the eighth inning got the Cubs within 6-2. He followed that up with a two-run single in the ninth as Chicago staged a rally that ultimately came up short. Morel has been a revelation with the 15 long balls in only 42 games. He hit 16 homers as a rookie last year and seems poised to fly past that figure soon.

Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

After clobbering 15 home runs over 27 games in June, Ohtani began July with an 0-for-4 effort. He was right back to his slugging ways in his second game of the month, tacking on an insurance run with his eighth-inning blast. He leads the majors with 31 long balls while maintaining a stellar .306/.390/.670 slash line with 68 RBI, 61 runs scored and 11 stolen bases through 84 contests. While he's dealt with a cracked fingernail over the last week, the two-way star is expected to take his next turn on the mound Tuesday versus the Padres.

Alvarez (oblique) took batting practice in the cage Sunday and swung at 60 percent intensity, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

It's the first time the 26-year-old has taken batting practice since he suffered the oblique strain June 8, but he still has significant work to do in his rehab program before returning from the injured list. Alvarez is without a clear timetable for his return, but an activation in mid-July seems feasible if he can avoid any setbacks.

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

Vogelbach is 2-for-23 over his past eight contests and will head to the bench Sunday despite the fact a righty (Ross Stripling) is pitching for San Francisco. Pete Alonso is resting his legs as the designated hitter while Mark Canha receives a start at first base.

Pederson is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Pederson is 2-for-18 with five walks and two runs in his past six games and will take a seat Sunday with lefty David Peterson on the mound for New York. J.D. Davis will serve as the designated hitter while Casey Schmitt starts at third base.

Rooker is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox.

Rooker is in a 3-for-34 slump and finds himself on the bench for the third time in the past four games. The 28-year-old still has an .802 OPS for the season, but that figure remains inflated from a hot April during which he hit .353 with nine home runs. Rooker has a .618 OPS and 34.9 percent strikeout rate since the start of May.

Cabrera is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies.

Cabrera will get a breather for the matinee game after he started five of the Tigers' last six contests while going 5-for-15 with a pair of walks, two RBI and a run scored. Zach McKinstry will replace Cabrera as the Tigers' designated hitter.

Winker is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

For the second time in the series, the lefty-hitting Winker will retreat to the bench while Pittsburgh brings a southpaw (Rich Hill) to the bump. Since returning to action June 17 following a stint on the injured list, Winker is slashing .219/.324/.375 with a home run, two doubles and eight RBI in 10 games.