MLB Player News

Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Friday's 6-2 win over the Angels.

Alvarez had a rather quiet week going into Friday -- he was just 1-for-14 with two walks and five strikeouts over his previous four games -- but he made an early impact with a first-inning homer off Shohei Ohtani. Alvarez is the first player in the majors with 50 RBI this year, which is a benefit of being a productive hitter in the heart of a strong lineup. He's slashing .279/.391/.585 with 15 homers, 37 runs scored and 11 doubles through 51 contests, though he's faded a bit lately by hitting safely in just three of his last 10 games.

Pederson (hand) will begin a rehab assignment Saturday with Low-A San Jose, Danny Emerman of KNBR 680 San Francisco reports.

Pederson will get a chance to face live pitching again after being placed on the IL on May 13 with a bruised right hand. The outfielder will likely need a few rehab games in the minors, but he could return as an everyday option for the Giants in the middle of next week.

Ruf was pulled from the Brewers' game against Cincinnati on Friday due to a right knee laceration, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Ruf came up bleeding after colliding with the tarp while chasing a foul ball. It's not yet clear how much time he might miss due to the injury.

Ruf was pulled from Friday's game against the Reds with an apparent injury, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Ruf ran into the tarp while chasing a foul ball and came up bleeding from his leg. He should be considered day-to-day for the time being.

Buxton (ribs) will likely miss multiple games, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

The good news is that Buxton's ribs aren't broken after he was hit by a pitch in Thursday's contest, but he is still in a lot of pain. Alex Kirilloff will serve as Minnesota's designated hitter Friday, moving Joey Gallo into left field and Donovan Solano in as the Twins' first baseman.

Ozuna is not in the lineup Friday against the Diamondbacks.

Travis d'Arnaud will operate as Atlanta's designated hitter and bat fifth with right-hander Merrill Kelly on the mound for Arizona. Ozuna has gone 1-for-20 with six strikeouts over his last five games. He holds an overall .726 OPS this year versus righties and an .805 OPS versus lefties.

Ohtani is at DH and batting leadoff Friday in Houston.

Ohtani is also serving as the Angels' starting pitcher Friday night against the Astros. This will be the first look at leadoff in 2023 for the two-way sensation, who had exclusively hit third in his previous 56 games. He boasts an .872 OPS to go along with a 2.91 ERA.

Belt (illness) is back in the lineup Friday against the Mets.

Belt will fill the DH role for the Blue Jays and bat cleanup after missing a couple of games due to a stomach bug. He's shown a lot more life offensively over the last handful of weeks, slashing .333/.470/.470 in May after a brutal opening month.

Ramirez is not in the starting lineup Friday versus the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Ramirez will take a seat after he went 1-for-7 with a strikeout while starting the last two games of a three-game series with the Cubs. Luke Raley will draw the start at designated hitter and bat seventh in the series opener with Boston.

Seattle selected Ford's contract from Triple-A Tacoma on Friday.

The 30-year-old joins the Mariners after slashing .302/.427/.605 with 13 home runs, 11 doubles and 56 RBI across 49 games (211 plate appearances) this season at the Triple-A level. Ford could get semi-regular looks at DH, though fantasy expectations should be tempered. He holds a career .201/.301/.387 slash line in the bigs.