MLB Player News

Belt will serve as Toronto's designated hitter and No. 6 batter in Wednesday's game in Philadelphia.

Belt sat out against two of the four right-handed pitchers the Blue Jays faced in Boston last week, but he now finds himself in the starting nine versus a righty for the fourth day in a row. Though he benefited from Vladimir Guerrero being sidelined with a wrist injury for two of those games, Belt has earned back a strong-side platoon role by going 5-for-10 with three doubles, three walks, five runs and two RBI. Expect the lefty-hitting Belt to remain out of the lineup when the Blue Jays face southpaws, however.

Winker is not in the starting lineup Wednesday against the Dodgers.

Winker will head to the bench as the Dodgers have left-hander Clayton Kershaw on the mound Wednesday. The outfielder has only recorded six at-bats versus southpaws in 2023, going 2-for-6 with a double and a run scored while operating in a strict platoon at designated hitter. Taking over at DH is righty bat Mike Brosseau, who will bat fifth in the series finale.

Blackmon is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

The Rockies are facing a left-hander (Rich Hill) and are concluding their series in Pittsburgh with a day game after a night game, so the lefty-hitting Blackmon will get a breather on getaway day. Kris Bryant will serve as the Rockies' designated hitter in Blackmon's stead while Randal Grichuk picks up a start at Bryant's normal spot in right field.

Turner went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, two RBI and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 9-3 loss to Atlanta.

Turner went the opposite way in the sixth inning for a solo shot of Charlie Morton, his third home run of the season. The 38-year-old has been Boston's primary DH and is slashing .273/.360/.396. The homer was Turner's first since April 23.

Miller served as the designated hitter and went 0-for-4 in Tuesday's 5-0 loss to Seattle.

Miller entered Tuesday's game with just two plate appearances since his previous start April 26. He's part of a rotation in left field and DH that includes Ezequiel Duran, Robbie Grossman, Travis Jankowski (hamstring, IL) and Josh Smith. Duran and Smith have been getting at-bats at shortstop while Corey Seager (hamstring) is on the IL, but Seager starts a rehab assignment this week and could be re-evaluated early next week. That means the two fill-ins at short could become part of the left field/DH mix as early as next Monday.

Lewis (undisclosed illness) remains "several days away" from potentially beginning a minor-league rehab assignment, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

It's almost certain that Lewis will require a rehab assignment before rejoining the Diamondbacks. The outfielder, who is getting at-bats at extended spring training, has not played since April 7. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said there's no established timeline for Lewis' return to MLB.

McCutchen went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a walk Tuesday against the Rockies.

McCutchen was the lone bright spot for the Pirates as he delivered an RBI single in the third frame -- accounting for the team's only run. He returned from a three-contest absence caused by an ankle injury Monday and has gone 1-for-6 across two starts while serving as the designated hitter on both occasions. Overall, McCutchen has maintained a .234/.346/.449 line with six home runs, 16 runs scored and 16 RBI in 130 plate appearances on the season.

Soler went 2-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

Soler put the offense on his back, taking Brandon Pfaadt deep for a mammoth three-run blast in the second inning and a two-run shot in the fifth. Over his last six games, Soler has gone 9-for-24 (.375) with four homers and 10 RBI. He's up to nine long balls, 20 RBI, 16 runs scored and nine doubles while slashing .234/.310/.516 through 35 contests this season.

Ohtani (4-1) took the loss Tuesday, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks over seven innings in a 3-1 loss to the Astros. He struck out seven.

Ohtani produced a quality start, but he was outdueled by Framber Valdez and picked up his first loss of the season. The Astros pushed three runs across in the fifth inning off a Martin Maldonado homer and Yordan Alvarez single. Ohtani has a 2.74 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 46 innings this season. At the plate, Ohtani didn't pick up a hit in three at bats.

Morel went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a stolen base in Tuesday's loss to the Cardinals.

Morel was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Monday and saw his first game action Tuesday, and he wasted no time getting going. The 23-year-old had 16 home runs and 10 steals as a rookie in 2022, so he's shown a nice mix of power and speed in his brief career. Morel could be an interesting fantasy option if he sees enough playing time moving forward.