MLB Player News

Stanton went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Sunday's 6-0 win against San Francisco.

Stanton's two-run shot to center in the third inning traveled an estimated 485 feet, making it the second-farthest homer of his career, per Marly Rivera of ESPN.com. It was also the slugger's second homer in as many days. Stanton has one hit in each of his three games so far this season.

McCutchen is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox.

McCutchen will get a breather for the first time in the young 2023 campaign after he started all three games of the Pirates' season-opening series versus the Reds, going a collective 2-for-8 with a double, five walks, a run and an RBI. Ji Man Choi will spell him Monday as the Pirates' designated hitter.

Buxton is starting at designated hitter and batting third for the Twins in Monday's matchup in Miami.

Manager Rocco Baldelli noted before the season that he planned for Buxton to spend most of his time at DH in the early going, and so far he's slotted in there all four games while Michael Taylor plays center field. Baldelli's lineups have been surprisingly static, with the only change to this point coming Sunday, when Ryan Jeffers gave Christian Vazquez a day off at catcher.

Reyes is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Blue Jays, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

Reyes served as the Royals' designated hitter in the team's first two games of the season, but after going 0-for-6 with two walks against five strikeouts between those contests, he now finds himself on the bench for the second straight game. The Royals haven't settled on a permanent fixture at DH, but manager Matt Quatraro looks as though he may rotate a number of players at that spot in the lineup, including Reyes. Until Reyes can clearly take control of an everyday role, he probably won't profile as a strong option in weekly lineups for managers who are seeking power production.

Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 6-0 win over the Athletics.

The Angels' two superstars put the finishing touches on the game's scoring in the fifth inning, when Mike Trout and Ohtani took starter Ken Waldichuk yard in back-to-back plate appearances. The home run was the first of the season for Ohtani, who has four hits in 12 at-bats through the Angels' first three games. He'll likely serve as a designated hitter for the Angels' first two games of the week in Seattle before stepping back on the mound for his second start of the season in Wednesday's series finale with the Mariners.

The Mets released Ruf on Sunday.

Ruf becomes a free agent after he went unclaimed off waivers upon being designated for assignment last week. After slugging a career-high 16 home runs with the Giants in 2021, Ruf took a significant step back at the plate last season while serving largely as a short-side platoon option for San Francisco and then New York, who acquired him at the trade deadline. Ruf failed to show much improvement during spring training while he also nursed a wrist injury and was ultimately booted off the 40-man roster prior to Opening Day. As a 35-year-old coming off a poor season who is limited to first base and the corner outfield, Ruf might have to settle for a minor-league deal in free agency as he looks to keep his career going.

Manager Rob Thomson said during Sunday's ESPN broadcast that Harper (elbow) could resume hitting on the field as early as Thursday, John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Harper has spent the last few months recovering from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in November, but he's trended in the right direction over the last several weeks. If Harper feels good after hitting on the field, he'll eventually progress to live at-bats before potentially embarking on a minor-league rehab assignment. The 31-year-old still has some steps to clear before he's in the mix to make his season debut for the Phillies, but Thomson said Harper has been doing "really well" in his recovery.

Miller is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.

With lefty Bailey Falter taking the hill for Philadelphia in the series finale, the lefty-hitting Miller will bow out of the starting nine. Mitch Garver will replace Miller as the Rangers' designated hitter.

Brantley (shoulder) left the Astros on Sunday to continue his rehab program at the team's spring facility in Florida, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The veteran slugger joined the club in Houston for Opening Day and took batting practice Friday, but he'll now return to Florida to continue his rehab work. Brantley will be eligible to be activated from the injured list later this week, and the Astros hope he'll be ready for game action sometime in mid-April.

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

With a southpaw (Austin Gomber) on the bump for Colorado, the lefty-hitting Matt Carpenter will cede his spot in the starting nine to the righty-hitting Nelson Cruz. The two veterans are expected to form a platoon at designated hitter for the foreseeable future unless one separates himself from the other from a performance standpoint.