MLB Player News

Buxton went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Monday's 6-3 extra-inning win over the White Sox.

Buxton gave the Twins their first lead of the game with a fifth-inning blast. He also made a big contribution on defense, making a catch at the wall and firing a throw to Gio Urshela as part of a triple play to cut down a White Sox rally in the seventh. With three homers in his last six games, Buxton is still showing power, but he's gone only 4-for-23 (.174) in that span. The outfielder has 22 homers, 40 RBI, 46 runs scored, one stolen base and a .226/.301/.574 slash line through 256 plate appearances.

Blackmon is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Dodgers.

Blackmon is hitting .321 (36-for-112) since June 2, but he will be held out Monday with the Rockies loading up on right-handed hitters against Dodgers southpaw Julio Urias. Yonathan Daza will enter the lineup in Blackmon's place.

Pederson is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Pederson started three of the last five times the Giants faced a lefty, but he will be held out Monday with southpaw Madison Bumgarner on the mound for the opponent. Darin Ruf will get the start in left field in Pederson's place.

Belt is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Belt is stuck in a 4-for-34 (.118) slump and the Giants are facing lefty Madison Bumgarner on Monday, so he will get a day to clear his head. Wilmer Flores will start at first base for the Giants.

Winker is out of the lineup for Monday's game in San Diego and will begin serving his six-game suspension Monday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Since Winker was one of three Seattle players that received suspensions for their roles in the benches-clearing melee that occurred June 26 against the Angels, MLB allowed the Mariners to stagger the suspensions for the players in question. With J.P. Crawford having completed his four-game suspension Sunday and drawing back into the lineup Monday, Winker will now begin his suspension, which was reduced from seven games following an appeal. Dylan Moore is starting in left field Monday, while Justin Upton and Sam Haggerty could also see more work in the outfield while Winker is unavailable. Winker is eligible to return July 12 against the Nationals, at which point Julio Rodriguez -- who is appealing a two-game suspension -- may begin serving his ban, if it's not dismissed entirely.

Ford was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

Ford served mainly as a depth piece after being claimed off waivers in late June, and he will head to the minors with Eddie Rosario rejoining the big club Monday. Ford figures to be an option next time Atlanta needs to bring up a bat from the minor-league ranks.

Reyes went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an RBI single in Sunday's 2-0 win over the Yankees.

Reyes gave Guardians starter Triston McKenzie all the support he needed with a fourth-inning solo shot. In the eighth, Reyes added an RBI single for insurance. The designated hitter has gone 11-for-41 (.268) in 11 games since returning from a hamstring injury, and six of his hits in that span have gone for extra bases. He's up to a .213/.266/.345 slash line with six homers, 19 RBI and 14 runs scored in 188 plate appearances, and he should continue to hit in the heart of the order.

Ozuna went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in a 4-3 loss to the Reds on Sunday.

Ozuna went deep twice to give him 16 home runs and 34 RBI on the season. The 31-year-old right-handed power bat is on pace for his best home run total since 2017, when he went yard 37 times while playing for the Marlins. However, Ozuna's .227 average and .280 OBP are considerably down from his career numbers. His .244 BABIP and .276 xBA suggest that he could have been the victim of some bad hitter's luck thus far and is perhaps due for his numbers to normalize over the rest of the season.

Lewis (concussion) will join Triple-A Tacoma and is expected to begin a rehab assignment as soon as Sunday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Lewis has resided on the 7-day injured list since June 1, so he'll need at least a handful of games in the minors to get his timing back at the plate following the month-plus absence. Manager Scott Servais said Sunday that Lewis will see a healthy dose of playing time in the outfield while on assignment, so the Mariners could view him as a potential replacement in right field for the injured Taylor Trammell (hamstring), who is without a clear timeline to return from the IL. Before sustaining the concussion, Lewis had made all four of his starts with Seattle this season as a designated hitter.

Ruf will serve as the Giants' designated hitter and No. 7 batter in Sunday's game against the White Sox, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Since both Brandon Belt and LaMonte Wade returned from the injured list in June, Ruf has faded into a short-side platoon role, but he'll get a look in the lineup versus a right-handed starting pitcher (Lucas Giolito) in the series finale. Ruf will be filling in as the Giants' DH in place of the lefty-hitting Tommy La Stella, who looks to be receiving some routine maintenance.