MLB Player News

Soler will hit the bench Tuesday against the Cardinals, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Soler sits after starting each of the season's first nine games. He's yet to really get going, slashing .167/.286/.278 while homering just once. Brian Anderson will start in left field Tuesday.

Buxton (knee) remains out of the lineup Tuesday against the Royals, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Buxton hasn't played since leaving Friday's game against the Red Sox with right knee soreness. Initial estimates were that he'd miss about a week, and the fact that he's yet to be placed on the injured list suggests he's still on that schedule. Nick Gordon will be the center fielder Tuesday.

The Mets didn't activate Canha (illness) from the COVID-19 injured list prior to the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader with the Giants, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Both Canha and Brandon Nimmo were placed on the COVID-19 IL on Friday, and Nimmo will be the first of the two to rejoin the 28-man active roster after clearing the final stages of MLB's testing protocols earlier Tuesday. Canha could theoretically clear the protocols within the next few hours to make himself available for the second game of the twin bill, but the Mets would likely wait until Wednesday to activate him in that scenario.

Ruf is out of the lineup for the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader with the Mets, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

He'll find himself for the first time all season after generating a weak .176/.317/.235 slash line through the Giants' initial 10 games. Despite the poor start to the campaign, Ruf still looks to be locked into a near-everyday role for the Giants versus both right- and left-handed pitching while Tommy La Stella (Achilles) and LaMonte Wade (knee) remain on the injured list.

Alvarez went 3-for-5 with two home runs, four RBI and three runs scored in Monday's 8-3 win over the Angels.

Making his first appearance since April 10 after landing on the COVID-19 list, Alvarez wasted no time making an impact, crushing a two-run homer in the first inning off Michael Lorenzen. He later singled and scored in the fourth before hammering another two-run shot in the seventh. The lefty slugger hadn't gone deep since Opening Day and he's now slashing .263/.364/.789 with six RBI.

Blackmon went 1-for-2 with a solo homer, a walk and two runs scored in Monday's 4-1 win over the Phillies.

Blackmon broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning with a solo shot off Aaron Nola, his first home run of the year. He later scored in the seventh on a Randal Grichuk double. The veteran lefty is now slashing .212/.297/.364 with four RBI through 38 plate appearances.

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.