MLB Player News

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

Alvarez's sixth-inning homer sent Alex Bregman home and was the fourth of five home runs for the Astros on Friday. It was the outfielder's 18th home run of the season, tied for fourth-best in baseball. Alvarez has been impressive this month, with a hit in 11 of 14 games, including eight with multiple hits, good for a .471 June batting average and a 1.372 OPS.

Brantley went 2-for-5 with a grand slam and an additional run scored in Friday's victory over the White Sox.

Alex Bregman knocked in Brantley on a home run in the first inning, then Brantley launched one of his own in the sixth. His grand slam sent Yuli Gurriel, Aledmys Diaz and Chas McCormick home and extended Houston's lead to 10-3. The veteran outfielder is on a 12-game hit streak, including seven multi-hit games, all of which have come in June. Brantley has a 1.108 OPS in June and is slashing .302/.384/.439 on the season.

Pederson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-0 win over the Pirates.

Pederson doubled the Giants' lead in the fourth inning with a solo shot off Pirates starter Zach Thompson. The long ball was Pederson's first since June 3. The outfielder is up to 14 homers, 34 RBI, 28 runs scored, five doubles and two stolen bases with a .269/.343/.563 slash line through 181 plate appearances. He's on the strong side of a platoon role in left field, but he'll rarely see starts against southpaws.

Buxton went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a double in Friday's 7-2 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Buxton hit the second pitch of the game to deep left for a leadoff home run. His power has been on full display in June, as he's hit eight of his 19 homers this season in his last 13 contests. He's been a little boom or bust lately, with five multi-hit efforts and three hitless performances in his last eight starts. The outfielder is now slashing .231/.311/.586 with 33 RBI, 38 runs scored, a stolen base and nine doubles in 209 plate appearances.

Ohtani will hit the bench Friday against the Mariners, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The two-way player almost never takes a position in the field, so when the Angels want to rest Mike Trout's legs by deploying him at the designated hitter spot as they're doing Friday, Ohtani is forced to hit the bench. He's in the midst of an 11-game hitting streak during which he owns a 1.077 OPS and should return to the lineup Saturday.

Harper isn't starting in the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the Nationals.

Harper was productive in the first game of Friday's twin bill, as he went 3-for-4 with two runs and a walk. However, Kyle Schwarber will serve as the designated hitter while Matt Vierling starts in left field during the nightcap.

Miller is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Tigers.

The 32-year-old is hitless over his past three contests and will take a seat Friday with left-hander Tarik Skubal pitching for Detroit. Charlie Culberson will man left field in Miller's place.

Ohtani (5-4) allowed three hits and two walks while striking out six over six shutout innings to earn the win Thursday versus the Mariners. He also went 2-for-4 at the plate.

Ohtani turned in his sixth quality start of the season in 11 outings. The two-way star has allowed just one run in his last 13 innings on the mound, and he's gone 16-for-43 (.372) during an 11-game hitting streak. For the season, he's pitched to a 3.28 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 77:15 K:BB in 60.1 innings, and he's now batting .263/.337/.486 with 13 home runs, 37 RBI, 42 runs scored and seven stolen bases in 63 games as a hitter.

Canha went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, a stolen base, a walk and two total runs scored in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Brewers. He was also hit by a pitch.

Canha tied the game at 4-4 with his fifth-inning blast. He was plunked in the seventh and stole second. The 33-year-old had 17 homers and 12 steals in 2021, but he has just five long balls and one steal through 52 contests this season. The veteran outfielder is slashing .295/.378/.404 with 26 RBI, 30 runs scored and five doubles across 209 plate appearances, and he's held down a regular role as New York's starting left fielder.

Morel went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a stolen base and two strikeouts during Thursday's 6-4 loss to the Padres.

Although the Cubs lost their 10th consecutive game Thursday, Morel hit a leadoff home run and stole a base in the defeat. The 22-year-old has crossed the plate in four of the last five games and has hit .238 with two homers, four runs, four RBI and a stolen base during that time.