MLB Player News

Soler was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with lower-back spasms, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

Mish says that he doesn't think the back injury is a season ender, but it has certainly bothered Soler for good chunks of the year. Soler is hitting .207/.295/.400 with 13 home runs in 72 games, failing to duplicate his strong play in the second half of last season with Atlanta. Luke Williams is starting in left field Saturday and former top pick JJ Bleday joined the big club to take Soler's roster spot.

Vogelbach isn't starting Saturday against the Padres.

Vogelbach was traded from the Pirates to the Mets on Friday but will remain out of the lineup for a second consecutive game. J.D. Davis will serve as the designated hitter and bat eighth.

Pederson isn't starting Saturday against the Dodgers, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The Giants are facing a left-handed pitcher for a second consecutive game, so Pederson will remain out of the lineup. Yermin Mercedes is starting in left field and batting seventh.

Buxton isn't starting Saturday against the Tigers, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Buxton started the last 12 games and hit just .167 with two homers, a triple, a double, five runs, five RBI and a stolen base. He'll get a breather while Nick Gordon starts in center field and bats seventh.

Lewis isn't starting Saturday against the Astros.

Lewis returned to action Friday against Houston and went 0-for-3 with a walk. He'll get a breather while Sam Haggerty starts in right field and bats ninth.

Martinez (back) isn't starting Saturday against the Blue Jays, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Martinez was scratched from Friday's lineup due to back spasms and will be held out of the starting nine for a second consecutive game. Franchy Cordero is serving as the designated hitter while Bobby Dalbec starts at first base.

Jimenez isn't starting the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Guardians, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reports.

Jimenez returned to the lineup during Friday's loss to Cleveland and went 1-for-3, but he'll get a breather during Saturday's matinee. Andrew Vaughn is starting in left field while Yasmani Grandal serves as the designated hitter.

Jimenez went 1-for-3 Friday against the Guardians.

Jimenez missed the White Sox's entire weekend series against the Twins prior to the All-Star break but was able to return as the designated hitter Friday. He hit sixth in the order and led off the second inning with a base knock but was ultimately stranded at third base. Jimenez is hitting .203/.253/.304 across 75 plate appearances on the season.

Morel went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and three runs scored in Friday's 15-2 win over the Phillies.

No. 9 hitters don't typically bat five times in a game, but the Chicago outburst gave Morel plenty of chances, and the rookie delivered. He's now up to a strong .827 OPS across 56 games to go along with nine home runs and eight stolen bases. As long as Morel continues to see regular playing time, he should remain a decent fantasy asset with upside due to his power and speed potential.

Blackmon went 2-for-6 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored in a 6-5 extra-innings loss to the Brewers on Friday.

Blackmon took Corbin Burnes deep in the third inning to pick up his 15th home run of the season. The 36-year-old designated hitter is riding a nine-game hitting streak and came into the game slashing an excellent .311/.360/.511 over his past 45 at-bats.