MLB Player News

Martinez (back) is starting Saturday's game against the White Sox, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Martinez was a late scratch Friday due to back spasms, but he'll return to the lineup following a one-game absence. He'll serve as the designated hitter and bat fifth.

Miller is out of the lineup Saturday against the Rockies.

He is hitting .227 with two home runs in 22 at-bats this month. Matt Vierling will start at first base and lead off.

Belt went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, a double, two walks and two total runs scored in Friday's 6-1 win over the Cubs.

The first baseman solidified San Francisco's lead with his seventh-inning homer. Belt has extended his career high in homers to 22 while adding 45 RBI, 50 runs scored, three stolen bases and 11 doubles through 317 plate appearances. He owns a solid .255/.360/.554 slash line. He's recorded multiple hits in each of his last three games.

Jimenez served as the designated hitter, went 1-for-4 and was picked off second base in Friday's 4-3 win over Boston.

Jimenez sat out the previous two games due to a knee injury suffered when the knee absorbed a foul ball off the bat of teammate Andrew Vaughn on Tuesday. It's unclear when the White Sox will feel comfortable having him play the field.

Beer entered Friday's game as a pinch hitter and hit a home run in the eighth inning of a 5-4 loss to Seattle.

Beer, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Reno earlier in the day, homered in first plate appearance in the majors. The lefty-hitting Beer hit for first baseman Christian Walker against right-hander Diego Castillo and went on to serve as designated hitter for the final inning. The 2018 first-round pick of the Astros posted a .909 OPS with 16 home runs and 33 doubles over 100 games for the Aces. He played primarily at first base in the minors and joins Pavin Smith as a second left-handed bat to complement Walker at the position.

Buxton went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-4 loss to the Royals.

Buxton led off the first inning with a home run off Daniel Lynch. He failed to reach base in his other four plate appearances. He is struggling since coming off the 10-day injured list on Aug. 27, batting just .130 in 13 games. On the season, he is slashing .287/.325/.599 with 12 long balls, 22 RBI, 27 runs and five steals in 166 plate appearances. Buxton has shown he has elite talent over the last few years; however, he cannot stay healthy and he hasn't played more than 87 games in a season since 2017.

Alvarez went 1-for-2 with a double, one RBI, two runs scored and three walks in Friday's 10-5 win over the Angels.

Alvarez drew three walks in a game for the first time this season. He doubled in the third inning, driving in Alex Bregman. In addition, he scored in the third and fourth innings. The 24-year-old is slashing .279/.345/.527 with a team-leading 28 home runs and 91 RBI. He's added 80 runs this season in 510 plate appearances.

Soler went 1-for-4 with two RBI in Friday's 6-2 win over Miami.

Soler ripped a two-run single during Atlanta's five-run fifth inning. He's now riding an eight-game hitting streak, going 12-for-36 (.333) with five RBI during the stretch. His season OPS sits at .736 through 512 plate appearances after producing just a .658 OPS through 360 plate appearances before being traded by the Royals.

Ohtani (9-2) allowed six earned runs on nine hits while striking out one across 3.1 innings, taking the loss to the Astros on Friday. He went 1-for-1 with a solo home run and two walks at the plate.

It was an uncharacteristic start for Ohtani, taking his first loss since May 28. Prior to Friday's game, seven of his last eight outings were quality starts. However, he had another solid day at the plate, reaching base on all three plate appearances and homering off Framber Valdez in the first inning. He leads MLB with 44 homers while carrying a 3.36 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with a 10.6 K/9 this season.

Martinez was scratched from Friday's lineup against the White Sox due to back spasms, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Martinez was visiting with trainers ahead of Friday's game, and he'll ultimately be unable to start. It's not yet clear whether he'll be available off the bench, but Kyle Schwarber will serve as the designated hitter while Danny Santana enters the lineup in left field.