MLB Player News

Harper, who is batting second as the designated hitter Monday in Colorado, is nursing a sore right elbow and will serve as the Phillies' designated hitter during the three-game series against the Rockies, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

The 29-year-old also served as the designated hitter Sunday against the Marlins, and it's unclear when he picked up the injury. Regardless, the injury doesn't affect Harper when batting, so for now he'll remain in the lineup without playing the field, which pushes Nick Castellanos to right field.

Alvarez (illness) is starting Monday's game against the Angels, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez missed several days due to the league's COVID-19 protocols, but he reportedly didn't test positive for the virus. He rejoined the team Saturday and has now been reinstated from the COVID-19 IL prior to Monday's series opener against the Angels. In his first four appearances of the season, Alvarez went 2-for-14 with a home run, a double, two runs, two RBI and three walks.

McCutchen went 2-for-3 with an RBI, a run and a stolen base in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Cardinals.

Though McCutchen has turned in nine seasons of double-digit steals during his career, none have come since 2018. That makes McCutchen's early involvement on the bases all the more surprising, as the 35-year-old has now nabbed steals in two straight games and has made three attempts overall through 10 games. McCutchen's willingness to run may be a byproduct of the Brewers' offensive struggles; Sunday's six-run effort was Milwaukee's top total through its first 10 games. Assuming the likes of Christian Yelich and Hunter Renfroe eventually begin to heat up and the Brewers are able to more easily manufacture runs, McCutchen may not be as inclined to go for steals, especially if he continues to stick as the club's cleanup hitter versus right-handed pitching.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said that Buxton is "optimistic" about how he's progressed since suffering a right knee injury in Friday's 8-4 win over the Red Sox, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. "He's very optimistic about how he's feeling right now," Baldelli said of Buxton, who remains out of the lineup for Monday's series finale in Boston. "I think we're going to get to the point in the next day or two where we're talking about a specific plan for getting him back out there."

Buxton will miss his third straight game Monday and seems unlikely to be available for Tuesday's series opener in Kansas City, but the Twins appear to be encouraged that his absence won't extend much longer beyond that. A recent MRI already ruled out any structural damage to his knee, so at this stage, Buxton may just need some extra time for the pain and soreness to subside. Nick Gordon picked up the first two starts in center field sans Buxton, but Gilberto Celestino receive the starting nod Monday while Gordon heads back to the bench.

Solak started in left field and went 2-for-5 in Sunday's 8-3 loss to the Angels.

Solak made a second consecutive start in left field while Brad Miller (back) remains sidelined. He likely would have started Sunday, regardless of Miller's injury, against a southpaw and is the primary fill-in against all opposing pitchers until Miller's ready. Solak is 6-for-19 with one extra-base hit and one RBI as a part-timer through six games.

Belt went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 8-1 win over the Guardians.

Belt gave the Giants some extra insurance when he homered off Guardians reliever Anthony Castro in the seventh inning. This was Belt's third long ball in just seven games this season. The first baseman went yard a career-high 29 times last year, and it appears his power surge has carried over. He's slashing .345/.441/.609 with seven RBI and six runs scored through 34 plate appearances in 2022.

Ozuna went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 2-1 loss to the Padres on Sunday.

Ozuna took Yu Darvish 408-feet deep in the seventh inning for Atlanta's lone run. After missing the majority of last season, Ozuna has opened 2022 forcefully with four home runs and a .985 OPS through 11 games.

Martinez went 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI, a run and a strikeout in Sunday's 8-1 win over Minnesota.

Martinez struck out five times during the first two games of the series against the Twins, but he was effective as part of a late offensive surge by the Red Sox in Sunday's victory. The 34-year-old has recorded hits in eight of his first nine appearances in 2022, hitting .250 with a homer, four doubles, six runs and six RBI.

Pederson went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a steal in Sunday's 8-1 win over the Guardians.

Pederson scored on an error in the fourth inning and was brought in again in the sixth on a Thairo Estrada double. He also swiped a bag before scoring his second run, his first steal since June 29 of last season. The lefty slugger is hitting .364 with five runs and six strikeouts through 22 at-bats.

Brantley went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in a 7-2 loss to Seattle on Sunday.

Brantley smacked a two-run homer to right off Seattle starter Matt Brash in the sixth inning to account for both of Houston's runs before tacking on a single in the eighth. In addition to the long ball being Brantley's first, it was his first extra-base hit in five games as he's slashing .273/.333/.424 in the early going.