MLB Player News

Stanton went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 11-3 loss to Cleveland.

Stanton went yard for the second straight day and for the fourth time in the past week, connecting in the seventh inning off reliever Bryan Shaw. It was the 30th homer of the season for Stanton, a plateau he had reached on five previous occasions in his big-league career. Stanton has turned it on at the plate over his past 30 games, slashing .313/.345/.661 with 12 homers and 24 driven in.

Reyes went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and a run-scoring double in Saturday's win over the Yankees.

The big slugger doubled home Oscar Mercado in the fifth inning to give Cleveland a 2-0 edge, then he took New York reliever Andrew Heaney deep in the sixth inning to make it a 10-0 game. It was the 30th homer of the season for Reyes, the second time in his big-league career he's reached that milestone. It also marked the second three-hit performance in the last two games for Reyes, who owns an .878 OPS and 80 RBI in 422 plate appearances this season.

Vogelbach is out of the lineup Saturday against the Cubs, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Vogelbach started the last seven games but will head to the bench with southpaw Justin Steele pitching for Chicago. Eduardo Escobar will shift to first base while Pablo Reyes starts at the hot corner.

Brantley (knee) will begin baseball activities Sunday, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Brantley has already missed a full week with a sore knee, but the Astros waited several days to place him on the injured list, so he isn't eligible to return until Wednesday. Whether or not he'll have a chance to do so is not yet clear.

Blackmon is not in Saturday's lineup against the Nationals.

Blackmon will sit for the second time in the team's last three games, this time with lefty Patrick Corbin on the mound. He could continue getting time off here and there to close the season, as the Rockies called up Ryan Vilade from Triple-A Albuquerque on Saturday.

Winker was placed on the 10-day injured list due to an intercostal strain Saturday.

Winker was activated from the injured list Friday after being sidelined with the same issue for around one month. However, he appeared to aggravate the injury on a swing in the team's game Friday night and exited shortly thereafter when he was hit by a pitch in the back. The end result could be a frustrating end to the season for Winker, who has posted an excellent .305/.394/.556 line across 485 plate appearances.

Belt went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in Friday's 6-5 extra-innings win over Atlanta.

The first baseman made his biggest contribution early, hitting a game-tying blast in the first inning. Belt has put together an impressive September so far, slashing .328/.426/.707 with six homers, 13 RBI, 15 runs scored and four doubles in his last 14 games. His .582 slugging percentage for the year is just nine points shy of his career-best mark from 51 games last season, and his 26 long balls are by far the most in a campaign for the 33-year-old.

Winker (back) is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Dodgers.

Winker returned from a rib injury Friday but failed to complete a full game before getting hurt again, as he exited after getting hit by a pitch on his back. This latest injury presumably isn't a long-term problem, but it will cost him at least one start. Max Schrock starts in left field Saturday, with Delino DeShields starting in center, the spot Winker occupied in his return to action.

Brantley is receiving treatment for his right knee injury but is not yet ready to resume baseball activities.

Per manager Dusty Baker, Brantley's knee hasn't gotten any worse since last Saturday, but because the outfielder missed four games through Sept. 15, the Astros decided it made sense to place him on the injured list. During Brantley's absence, his spot in left field has been occupied by Chas McCormick and Jose Siri.

Choi went 2-for-4 with a run in an extra-inning win over the Tigers on Friday.

Choi had an opportunity to author his second straight two-hit effort before being pinch hit for in the ninth inning. The veteran had been mired in a 1-for-16 funk over the previous five contests after a multi-week stay on the injured list due to a hamstring strain, so perhaps the last pair of contests are a sign he's shaken off whatever rust may have accumulated.