MLB Player News

Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and a stolen base in Monday's 2-1 win against the White Sox.

Ohtani walloped a massive 446-foot solo shot in the fourth inning that stood as the only Angels run until they walked it off in the bottom of the ninth. The long ball was the 11th over his past 19 games, a stretch during which Ohtani has catapulted to the top of the MLB leaderboard with 26 homers on the campaign. The two-way star also leads the league with 62 RBI and is the only player in the majors with 20 or more homers and at least 10 thefts.

Buxton is absent from the lineup Monday at Atlanta.

Buxton might still be experiencing complications related to the back spasms that prompted his early exit from Saturday's game against the Tigers, though he did appear off the bench in Sunday's series finale. Edouard Julien will handle the DH duties and hit leadoff for the Twins on Monday versus Atlanta.

Buxton (back) ground out as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning in Sunday's win at Detroit.

Buxton exited Saturday's contest due to back spasms, but it looks like a minor issue since he was able to play Sunday. He could be back in the starting lineup Monday against Atlanta.

Belt is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.

Belt went 3-for-11 with an RBI and a run in three games since returning from the injured list Wednesday, and he'll head to the bench for Sunday's series finale versus Oakland. George Springer will rest his legs as the designated hitter while Cavan Biggio receives a start in right field.

Cabrera is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins.

As has often been the case this season, Cabrera will rest for a series finale on Sunday. The veteran went 0-for-3 in Saturday's contest, dropping his season batting average to .228 to go along with a .626 OPS. Cabrera can't really be trusted for fantasy production at this point in his career.

Buxton (back) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers.

The 29-year-old exited Saturday's contest due to back spasms and won't return to the starting nine for Sunday's series finale in Detroit. Manager Rocco Baldelli indicated Buxton aggravated a back issue the slugger has played through for much of the season, and he should be considered day-to-day for now.

Ford went 2-for-4 with two solo homers in Saturday's loss to the Orioles.

Ford had himself a day Saturday, mashing two solo homers, including a game-tying blast in the top of the ninth off Felix Bautista to send the game into extra innings. The first baseman is now up to six home runs in June to go along with eight RBI and nine runs scored, though he's still hitting a putrid .182 for the month even after the two-homer performance. He's also struck out 16 times this month while drawing only one walk.

Buxton will test his back before Sunday's game versus the Tigers, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters after Saturday's game that Buxton aggravated a season-long issue in his back. The 29-year-old attempted to stay in the game by testing it out in swings, but he wasn't able to stay in the contest. Whether Buxton is able to play in the series finale against Detroit on Sunday will be determined largely by how he feels during that testing.

Buxton was removed from Saturday's game against the Tigers due to back spasms, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports. He went 0-for-3 with a strikeout before leaving.

He was replaced by pinch hitter Willi Castro after Buxton experienced the spasms. The 29-year-old has struggled with the bat as of late and has just an .207 average on the season, and he also missed a couple of weeks with a rib contusion he suffered at the start of June. He should be considered day-to-day at this stage.

Stanton is starting at designated hitter while hitting fifth Saturday against the Rangers.

Stanton had hit fourth or higher in the lineup in all 28 of his games this season entering Saturday. However, he's maintained just a .096 average and .231 slugging percentage across 52 at-bats since returning from a hamstring strain June 1. Harrison Bader was bumped up to third in the order.