MLB Player News

Pederson went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Monday's 5-1 loss against the Nationals.

Pederson's 399-foot shot to left center finally put the Giants on the board in the bottom of the ninth. The long ball was a welcome sight for fantasy managers, as the former Dodger has just four home runs across 88 plate appearances thus far. Pederson's .224 average and middling .318 on-base percentage both have plenty of room for improvement, but his serviceable .447 slugging percentage is the byproduct of him lacing eight of his 17 hits for extra bases.

Astros manager Dusty Baker told reporters that Brantley (shoulder) is with the team in Los Angeles after coming through his rehab fine, but he isn't quite ready to be activated off the 10-day injured list, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Baker's exact words were that Brantley is "almost ready, but not quite ready." Brantley hasn't been able to play in 2023 while recovering from surgery on his right shoulder he underwent late last summer, but the fact he's been able to play in games with no reported issues is a positive development. If Brantley isn't activated for the series against the Angels, there's a very good chance he's ready to roll for the series against the White Sox in Chicago over the weekend.

Ramirez is not in the Rays' lineup for Monday's game against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

It's the second time in the last three contests and third time over the last five games that Ramirez has been on the bench. Yandy Diaz will get to rest his legs a bit in the designated hitter spot, while Luke Raley will cover first base.

McCutchen (ankle) is starting at designated hitter and batting third Monday against the Rockies.

McCutchen is back in the lineup after missing three games with an ankle issue. The 36-year-old has cooled off greatly in recent weeks, batting .140 with two homers, six RBI, six runs scored and 15 strikeouts over 43 at-bats in 12 games since April 20.

The Cubs recalled Morel from Triple-A Iowa on Monday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Morel forced the Cubs' hand by putting up a blistering .330/.425/.730 slash line with 11 home runs and four stolen bases over 29 games with Iowa. The 23-year-old should see fairly regular playing time while bouncing around in a super-utility role. Morel's contact issues have remained this season with a 30.6 percent strikeout rate at Iowa, but his potential to offer some power and speed while being eligible at multiple positions makes him a viable deep-league addition.

Belt went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Sunday's win over the Pirates.

Getting the start at first base in place of Vladimir Guerrero (wrist) and batting fifth, Belt put together his second straight multi-hit performance as he finally begins to look comfortable in a Blue Jays uniform. Over his last 10 games, the former Giant is batting .313 (10-for-32) with four doubles and a homer, although he also has 14 strikeouts during that stretch. If Guerrero's wrist continues to bother him, Belt figures to pick up more playing time in the short term, but at the very least he seems to be re-establishing himself as Toronto's top option at DH against right-handed pitching.

Vogelbach went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Sunday's loss to the Rockies.

The lefty slugger took Daniel Bard deep in the seventh inning, but the Mets were down 11-5 at the time. It's only Vogelbach's second homer of the year, but he boasts what would be career highs with a .265 batting average and .398 OBP through 28 games as the team's regular DH against right-handed pitching.

Reyes was designated for assignment by the Royals on Monday.

Reyes was optioned to Triple-A Omaha last week and now is off the 40-man roster in order to make room for trade acquisition James McArthur. He batted just .186/.231/.288 with a 36.9 percent strikeout rate during his time with the Royals and, while Reyes is still just 27, his big-league career looks to be at a crossroads.

Rooker went 0-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Royals.

Rooker reached after being hit by a pitch in the fourth. He would end up stealing second and would score in the frame. The 28-year-old was kept quiet otherwise but has been a fantasy darling so far this season, slashing .319/.434/.692 with 10 homers, 26 RBI, 17 runs and a 17:27 BB:K over 113 plate appearances. One small concern is that he's struck out multiple times in three straight games.

Meneses went 3-for-5 with a home run, four RBI and two total runs scored in Sunday's 9-8 win over the Diamondbacks.

Meneses helped the Nationals stay within striking distance with an RBI single in the seventh inning. He made a bigger impact in his next at-bat, swatting a go-ahead, three-run homer that gave Washington a lead that would stick after Hunter Harvey converted the save. Meneses has gone 13-for-38 (.342) over his last nine contests, but 12 of those hits have been singles. For the season, he's slashing .277/.301/.362 with two homers, 14 RBI, 13 runs scored and six doubles through 33 games. He's hitting reasonably well, but his numbers are a far cry from the .324/.367/.563 slash line he had in a 56-game sample last year.