MLB Player News

Ohtani is at DH and batting leadoff Friday in Houston.

Ohtani is also serving as the Angels' starting pitcher Friday night against the Astros. This will be the first look at leadoff in 2023 for the two-way sensation, who had exclusively hit third in his previous 56 games. He boasts an .872 OPS to go along with a 2.91 ERA.

Belt (illness) is back in the lineup Friday against the Mets.

Belt will fill the DH role for the Blue Jays and bat cleanup after missing a couple of games due to a stomach bug. He's shown a lot more life offensively over the last handful of weeks, slashing .333/.470/.470 in May after a brutal opening month.

Ramirez is not in the starting lineup Friday versus the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Ramirez will take a seat after he went 1-for-7 with a strikeout while starting the last two games of a three-game series with the Cubs. Luke Raley will draw the start at designated hitter and bat seventh in the series opener with Boston.

Seattle selected Ford's contract from Triple-A Tacoma on Friday.

The 30-year-old joins the Mariners after slashing .302/.427/.605 with 13 home runs, 11 doubles and 56 RBI across 49 games (211 plate appearances) this season at the Triple-A level. Ford could get semi-regular looks at DH, though fantasy expectations should be tempered. He holds a career .201/.301/.387 slash line in the bigs.

Buxton was lifted from Thursday's game against Cleveland after getting hit in the ribs by a pitch, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Buxton had been playing at less than 100 percent due to lingering knee problems, and now Buxton could be facing another injury, this one to his ribs. The team will take a look at him and provide an update on how serious his injury is, but Buxton should be considered day-to-day for the time being.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Brantley (shoulder) hit off a tee Thursday, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Brantley began taking dry swings last week, but this was the first time he put bat-to-ball since his setback in early May. The veteran has been out all season while recovering from August 2022 shoulder labrum surgery and there remains no timetable for his 2023 debut, but he at least seems to be on the right track again with his rehab.

The Mariners will call up Ford from Triple-A Tacoma on Friday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Ford forced Seattle's hand by exercising the opt-out clause in his minor-league contract Thursday. The 30-year-old journeyman might prove to be a solid addition to the big-league roster, even as a bench bat, seeing as he's delivered a robust .302/.427/.605 slash line with 13 homers and 56 RBI through 49 games this season at Tacoma. As a left-handed hitter, he could power his way into a significant share of the platoon at designated hitter.

Ford has exercised the opt-out clause in his minor-league contract with the Mariners, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Seattle will have 48 hours to either promote Ford or grant him his release. Ford has crushed Triple-A pitching with Tacoma this season, posting a 1.031 OPS with 13 home runs over 49 games.

Stanton was activated from the 10-day injured list Thursday.

The slugger wound up being sidelined for about seven weeks with a strained left hamstring. He played only one rehab game, but the Yankees evidently felt that was enough as he returns ahead of the weekend series against the Dodgers. Stanton is expected to play plenty in the outfield eventually, but he'll be limited to designated hitter duties for a couple weeks.

Belt (illness) remains out of the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Brewers.

Belt is dealing with a stomach bug and will miss a second straight start. Cavan Biggio will handle first base while Vladimir Guerrero slides into the designated hitter spot.